Walford is My Home Town
by MythMoonWitch
Summary: Part 3 of the "Walford is" series picks up in a slightly altered Walford.
1. Chapter 1

**We do not own EastEnders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**This story picks up where "Walford is My Home for the Holidays" left off. We hope you enjoy :)**

**Chapter 1**

Rowan leapt at Ray, winding her arms tight around his neck and fastening her lips to his, she let herself go, let him feel how much he meant to her, how much she loved him. She pulled away when she couldn't breathe anymore and put a hand to his face. She felt drained, but good. She caught sight of her watch; hardly any time seemed to have passed.

She held herself close to him and smiled. "We can still make the match," she told him and pulled her team scarf from her pocket and looped it around her neck.

They'd come here to check out her feelings, rescued Molly from Keats and Gene had beaten Keats nearly to death. For a moment, she thought there might be more, but no, there wasn't. Simple and straightforward.

And after the match, she would tell him her news, that she was pregnant. She bit her lip hoping he would be happy about it and kissed him again. She felt unbelievably happy for some reason.

Ray held his arms tight around her waist as he kissed her back with equal force and gasped for breath when she broke it. He smiled down at her and helped her adjust her scarf. "I hope you enjoy the match, Ro, but you have to promise not to floor any of the opposing fans," he grinned as he slipped his hand into hers and tugged gently to encourage her to move back to the car. "Because, if you do, I, being an upstanding police officer, may have to restrain you in order to prevent any casualties," he explained as he strapped himself into the car and started it.

Rowan snorted and let him lead her to the car.

"I promise not to start anything," she told him with an over-exaggerated expression of innocence and looked at him, leaving it unspoken that though she might not start something, she would full well finish it…

"But you can restrain me anyway, if you like."

Rowan stayed close to Ray and held his arm tight as they navigated through the press of the crowd. She smiled up at him. She was really looking forward to this. Her smaller stature made it easier for her to find their seats and she carefully led him to them and sat down. She zipped her jacket up a little higher and huddled up closer to Ray for warmth.

"Maybe you could show me some places you used to go when you lived here after the match," she suggested. She would do the same for him, but she hadn't really hung out anywhere. She could show him the restaurant she had worked at, and the B&B where she'd lived, but that was about it.

She thoroughly intended to enjoy this day trip of theirs. It had been awhile since they'd gone off anywhere alone. Paris at Christmas, that had been months ago.

Ray slid an arm around her as he waited for the match to start, he moved her back a bit as another man tried to squeeze past them and then nodded down at her.

"Sure, there's a lot of places to show you though, the station, my old home, Railway Arms, I think the Warren shut down though, that club was brill back in the day," he mused. "Could even take you to see me Mam, haven't been round in a while," he sighed, then spotted a guy with a tray of hotdogs browsing up and down the main aisle. "You want a hot dog? I'm starving," he said to her as he waved the guy over.

Rowan pulled her legs up into the seat as people moved to get past them. She had to fight to keep her jaw from dropping. He wanted her to meet his mother? She gulped and nodded.

"Sounds fantastic," she told him. "I can show you where I worked and the B&B I lived at when I was here, but that's about it," she added with a shrug. "I should take you home, Gem has been pestering me to visit now that my sister is gone," she told him thoughtfully.

"I'd love one, we had quite a morning," she told him aware of her stomach complaining.

Ray grinned at her and got them a couple of hotdogs, he handed her one with a packet of mustard and ketchup and slathered sauce over his own, he looked down at her and nodded. "Right, you ready for this game? And I know you said you wouldn't, but you have to promise me that you wont knock anyone out!" he teased. He nudged her as the players started to file onto the pitch and took a bite of his hotdog as he started singing the United Song with the rest of the fans.

Rowan looked at him and shook her head. "Yes, I promise," she chuckled, "but if someone punches at me, I will punch back," she added and winked before she took a bite of her hot dog.

Rowan chanted the lyrics along with Ray; she preferred not to sing in public, not without being drunk. She listened to Ray sing and smiled. She should see if she could get him to sing something else. He had a nice voice.

As the game progressed, Rowan made sure not to stop their practice of kissing every time their team scored a goal. She tried to make sure they weren't too mushy, but still the big, rough-looking blokes behind them kept complaining. She looked at Ray and then casually stood and made a production of taking off her jacket, inhaling deeply as she did so. She had unthinkingly worn the same dark violet top she'd worn when she'd first met Ray and decided to take full advantage. She casually sat back down, letting her hair curtain her face on the one side so she could give Ray a mischievous grin.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist and you made me promise not to hit anyone," she whispered. The next time they kissed over a successful goal, the men behind them were strangely silent. Rowan made sure not to laugh.

Ray watched her take her jacket off and eyed her appraisingly; he remembered that top all too well. He was also getting increasingly annoyed with the blokes behind him, if he wanted to kiss his girlfriend to celebrate a goal he damn well would! The last time they had jeered and complained he had stuck two fingers up at them in retaliation. He grinned back at her and settled back down in his seat to continue watching the game, United hadn't scored enough for his liking, not that he needed an excuse to kiss her, but he was sure that the blokes behind wouldn't be so accepting if he took it upon himself to suddenly pull Rowan to him. He was sure that if he did he wouldn't be able to keep control either.

Rowan was thoroughly enjoying herself. So much more fun than watching on the TV she thought. So they had to tone the kissing down a bit, she didn't mind. Being here was so exciting.

A thought occurred to her as she noticed they were nearing the end and she looked at Ray and bit her lip. She knew how they normally celebrated a win.

She tugged Ray to her a bit and leaned to his ear.

"What do we do if they win?" she asked him curiously and gestured at the scoreboard. She flashed him a wicked smile as she waited for his answer.

Ray looked over too and chewed his lip; they could get arrested for doing their normal celebration here. But...

Ray grinned down at her and moved his lips close to her ear, keeping his gaze on the match. "How do you feel about celebrating in a toilet cubicle?" he asked in a low tone and growled as City scored another goal.

He moved his face away from hers and shrugged at her before waiting patiently for her answer.

Rowan covered her mouth and snorted before she began to giggle at his suggestion.

"I'm game if you are," she said flirtatiously and bit her lip. It would be interesting to say the least. She slid her hand to him and laced her fingers with his and squeezed his hand. She gave him a look and then turned back to the game.

"Come on, United!" she bellowed as loud as she could and then glanced at Ray from the corner of her eye, a smile tugging the corners of her mouth. He wanted to have her in the toilets and then maybe take her to meet his mother. She somehow didn't imagine his mother would approve and she bit her lip inside her mouth to keep from laughing.

Ray grinned down at her. She wanted to? Good, all they needed was for United to win then. He couldn't help but laugh as she yelled out, the woman had a pair of lungs on her that was certain. He squeezed her hand as he chuckled to himself and watched the City fans disappointment as United scored once again.

The people in front had started to stand up as the game started to reach its peak and he growled before standing too. He looked down at Rowan and frowned, she was too small, she wouldn't be able to see over these dunderheads in front! He yanked on her hand and encouraged her to stand on the seat and ignored the grumbles of protest from behind them by giving them a dark look. He turned back to Rowan and made sure she was steady before standing next to her in case she felt unsteady.

Rowan let Ray pull her up and hurriedly climbed onto the seat. She'd spent her years growing up climbing on things, with her height it was often necessary. She didn't really need Ray to steady her, but she liked him touching her so she stood carefully and enjoyed him being near.

She burst into helpless gales of laughter when the game ended up a draw. She jumped off the seat and pulled on her jacket before winding her arms around Ray's neck and kissing him. She got back up on the chair and turned Ray's back to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and then her legs around his waist.

"Let's go," she said and waited for him to carry her out.

Ray hooked his arms under her legs and bounced her up so she was comfortably on his back and not strangling him and followed the flow of people heading out of the stadium, he smiled at the weight of her on his back and carried her easily out ignoring the bumps from the more rowdy groups and reached outside and the car park. He let go of her legs and eased her onto the floor then turned and looked down at her with a frown. "We've never done anything about a draw before," he commented. "What d'you reckon?" he smiled down at her as he took her hand and lead her to the car. He looked back at the crowd pouring out of the stadium and the small tussles between the opposing supporters.

"I know, and with a game like this too," she commented. "What do you want to do?" she asked him playfully as she leaned against him and squeezed his hand.

"You know, if you want to take me to meet your mother, we might want to wait until after to play around. I think it would just be too weird for me, to go and...you know, and then meet your mother," she told him and chuckled. She slipped her hand from his and wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tight.

"Mmmm, we should go before the traffic gets bad," she murmured and looked up at him.

Ray nodded with a shrug and slipped the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the car for her to get in. He went around the other side and climbed into the front. He sat for a moment as they strapped themselves in and looked over at her. "So, do you want to meet my mum?" he asked her curiously.

She took his hand and kissed it and gazed at him as she reached out to stroke his cheek.

"I love you, acuisle," she told him and smiled as she slid her thumb across his moustache and lips, "and I'd be honored to meet your mother."

She took her hand from his face and picked up his hand again and kissed it again before putting it on the steering wheel.

"Now, I'm ready for the grand tour."

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Chris smiled and sighed as the cab pulled up in front of their flat. The two weeks in Cardiff for their honeymoon had been great but Chris was glad to be home. He looked over at Shaz and gently shook her awake.

"Shaz, love, we're home," he told her. He laughed as he saw Ginger and Rhys come running up with some crazy welcome back banner.

"Look at them," he sighed as he handed the money over to the driver.

Ginger reached out and opened the door for Shaz.

"How was Cardiff? Did you take lots of pictures?" he pestered. "Did you buy me something?"

"Oh!" Rhys said and gave Ginger a smack in the arm. "Why would they buy you anything?"

Ginger made a face at Rhys. "Because Shaz and I are great mates," he told Rhys smugly.

Rhys rolled his eyes and grabbed one of the suitcases from the boot.

"You are mental in the face," Rhys told him and walked away towards the door.

Shaz looked out of the car window and smiled in amusement as she spotted Ginger and Rhys, she stretched and unbuckled herself as she climbed out of the car and shut the door. She chuckled at the pair of them and reached out to give Ginger a hug as Rhys took the case inside. "We may have got you a present," she murmured in his ear before pulling away and grabbing up her suitcase to follow Rhys and Chris inside. She dumped the cases in the bedroom and smiled as her wedding ring caught the light, they had finally got married, took them long enough! She came back out to see the three of them and grinned at her friends and husband before going to the fridge and inspecting it for food, she frowned and rounded on them. "Okay, which of you two decided it would be a good idea to eat us out of house and home?" she demanded.

Ginger gave a quiet squeal and grabbed a suitcase to carry in. He looked at her at her question and pointed at Rhys.

"What?" Rhys spluttered. "He told us to," he argued, pointing at Chris. "He said the food would go bad otherwise. We were going to go shopping and replace it when you got back, but you're two hours early," he complained.

Shaz chuckled at him, "You could have left us some milk at least! I'm dying for a decent cup of tea!" she exclaimed.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Rhys exclaimed and ran out the door. Shaz certainly had a temper on her, though he was sure she still hadn't forgiven him for what he'd done to Chris, unless….no, she couldn't know what he'd got up to with her sister. He snorted as he rushed into the Minute Mart and grabbed the biggest container of milk he could find and several packages of Shaz' favorite biscuits and ran at top speed back to the flat.

Chris and Ginger looked at him and laughed as he stumbled back into the flat out of breath and held the bag out to Shaz.

"Guess you told him, love," Chris said admiringly to Shaz and chuckled.

"Look, we have to get back to the station. We're a bit short right now and if the Guv stops by we will be in big trouble," Ginger told them. "C'mon, let's go," he said and grabbed Rhys by the arm and dragged him out. Rhys, who still hadn't caught his breath, merely waved.

Shaz chuckled and waved goodbye to the pair of them as she opened the milk and grabbed two mugs and a couple of teabags, and started on making the tea.

Chris hauled the cases into the bedroom and started unpacking. He tossed all the dirty clothes into a pile next to the basket and grimaced. Too much to do! At least the flat was clean. He didn't mind Shaz' tendencies to tidy when it meant they came home to a flat that was clean. He sighed and began shoving the dirty laundry into bags to take to the launderette.

He carried them into the front room and then went to Shaz in the kitchen and slipped his arms around her. "So, Mrs. Skelton," he said in her ear. "Shall we go to the launderette now or celebrate being home," he asked flirtatiously as he nuzzled her ear. He was glad they'd decided not to move to Essex. Everything he had was all here. He promised they would go visit whenever she wanted though, and he'd bought a car with some of the wedding present money to prove it.

Shaz smiled as she leant back against him then turned in his embrace to face him properly. "Well," she said as she draped her arms over his shoulders. "Seeing as the only clean clothes we have are the ones we are wearing, I think we need to take a trip to the Laundrette," she smiled. "But, I'm sure it can be delayed for a while," she added and kissed him lightly.

"Nice one," Chris remarked and swung her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

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Peter slipped out of school and walked quickly until her reached the allotments. He hid behind one of the sheds and texted Molly.

She wasn't in school and he hadn't heard from her at all. He'd already texted her twice, no luck. He'd called Whitney, but she had no idea.

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Jack saw Peter slip from the school but chose to ignore it. Molly hadn't turned up and Alex hadn't called her in sick so…..

Jack shrugged and picked up his phone. He'd been considering something for awhile now and had finally made up his mind.

"Do u want to go to Brum over break?"

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Ronnie looked up at Jack and smiled. He had been such a rock of support for her since they'd got back together. She remembered that awful time when Danny's sister and his sister's boyfriend had kidnapped Roxy. He'd been there for her, using his less than savory contacts to help the police find Roxy and lock up the ones who'd done it. He'd brought her sister back to her and the minute he'd found out she was pregnant he'd proposed, much to her delight. Now they had a beautiful son and everything was more perfect than she'd ever imagined.

She did wonder though, if their mother would ever turn back up. Bradley had helped the police track down Roxy's money and got it returned to her but Glenda's whereabouts were still unknown. Not that they were looking very hard anymore. But she would likely be arrested if she ever set foot in England again for her part in the scam and running off with the money.

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Molly looked up from her textbook as her phone flashed at her, she wondered why she hadn't heard the texts come through then realised that her phone was on silent, she mentally slapped herself and read Peter's texts, she smiled at his concern and sent one back

"Am fine, got in a situation but all sorted now, maybe in later. Mum gone all protective :D xx"

/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\

Alyssa was juggling answering the phone with checking in and out clients when her mobile bleeped insistently at her. She furrowed her brow as she finished negotiating with the supplier and put the phone down. She hated calling them, they did everything to try to get them to pay more for the order rather than standing with the agreement that if they bought the stock in bulk then the price was reduced by 5%. Alyssa had done all the calculations and they still insisted that she had to pay full price, that wasn't going to happen, she didn't care that they were in a recession and had threatened legal action for false advertisement unless they gave her the discount! That had shut them up. She smiled amiably at the elderly woman that left with a stunning new manicure and grabbed her mobile before another distraction came along. Her eyebrows raised at the text.

"If you like, don't mind, will have to get some1 to cover the Salon 4 a few days tho :D xx"

He wanted to go to Birmingham? She shrugged, there wasn't much there that wasn't in London, in fact, there was a 'Birmingham Eye' sometimes, a travelling copy of the London Eye that went around the country. But, she could take him to the different places, The Jewellery Quarter, the Bullring, Victoria Square. She smiled, it would be nice to go back.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\

Gene held Alex closer.

"How do you feel about a takeaway? And don't you think you should call the school about Molly?" he asked her. "I'll stop at the station while I'm out and make sure they're okay. It's Ray's day off and he and Rowan are going to Manchester to watch the match," he said, his tone laced with mild disgust and envy.

Alex smiled up at him and nodded with half a shrug, she whipped out her phone and sent a text off to Jack telling him about Molly and their situation then reluctantly leant off Gene and hugged Sam to her, it was nearly time for his nap. She cradled him gently, his sleeping pattern had started to become more routine and he had settled, meaning that she and Gene got regular sleep rather than being interrupted at random points in the night. Alex had started reading to him when she put him to bed as well, she was fast running low on story books but found no problem in reading them over and over again and had started reading some of the tamer fiction she owned to him too, though Sam seemed to prefer the books with big pictures and vibrant colours as he gurgled happily when she started reading one of those. She knew that Molly had grown fond of singing her little brother to sleep when Alex needed a break.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\

Jack smiled at her reply. He thought they should stop by her parents' house, though he hadn't told her that yet. It was getting closer to the wedding and he didn't think Alyssa had spoken to her father since he'd left. He texted her a kiss and dropped his phone into his pocket as he headed to a meeting.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\

"Glad u ok. Missed u" Peter sent back. "Can we meet? Left school :)"

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Whitney finished her assignment and headed for the project room. She hoped Brett hadn't forgotten the final fitting and presentation was today after lunch. She carefully removed the shirt from the bag and held it up. She'd designed it with him in mind, the collar and cut flattering his build and face. The color set off his eyes perfectly. She smiled and pulled out her phone.

"Where u? Final fit then lunch then present."

Brett hastily sent a text back to Whitney

"Am on way from lecture hall, Prof B ran over x"

He navigated his way through the University expertly, dodging fellow students and teachers alike as he hurried, he knew how important his was for Whitney and he loved that she had included him in her project like he had included her in his. He had one final report to do on her stall and the developments her small business had made and then he was finished with that project, he had already promised her that he was still willing to help her though; he wasn't just going to abandon her. He finally spotted the art block and hurried past the art students in their vibrant and colourful range of attire and opened the project room door. "I'm here, don't panic," he grinned at Whitney as he dumped his bag. "Where d'you want me?"

Whitney looked up and smiled at Brett when he arrived. She stood up and pointed at where she wanted him to stand.

"Now, take your shirt off," she said with a chuckle and then picked up the shirt she'd made and held it out to him with a laugh.

Brett raised his eyebrows at her and sighed over-dramatically as he pulled his shirt off over his head so he wouldn't have to waste time undoing buttons. "Anything to get me out of my clothes," he mumbled as he stood and waited for her to fit the new top to him

"Awwww, you make it sound like a bad thing," she teased him and fussed at the shirt once he'd got it on. She finally nodded, satisfied.

"Okay, you can change back now," she told him and quickly made the finishing touches. She folded it carefully and put it in her cubby and grinned at him before giving him a kiss. "Thank you," she told him. "Now, lunch."

Brett pulled his own shirt back over his head and grabbed up his bag, he took her hand as he led her down the corridors and towards the university canteen, "So, presentation after lunch then?" he questioned as he grabbed a tray and joined the back of the queue

"Yes, I'm sooo nervous," Whitney replied as she picked up a sandwich and some pasta salad. "I think I did a good job, but the instructor is tough. Very picky. I mean I can understand why, but it's still nerve-racking," she added.

"Think you did a good job," Brett echoed. "Whit, your designs are fantastic and when you have a model as charming and good-looking as me you can't possibly go wrong!" he grinned at her as he led her to their usual table and sat down.

Whitney laughed at Brett's comments and shook her head.

"Yeah, well, then I wish you were the instructor if you think that," she told him. "I'll just keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best."

She sat at their usual table and dug into her food. She was terrified, but she was also hungry.

Brett sat passively and calmly watched her eat. He could almost feel her nerves and he took her hand in his own supportively. "Chill out Whit, it'll be fine, just calm down and focus on something else," he suggested then grabbed a spoon. "Can you do this?" he challenged and attempted to balance the spoon on his nose, it fell off instantly and hit the table as he cursed and picked it up to try again.

Whitney watched him and collapsed into a fit of giggles.

"Thanks, Brett," Whitney said and put a fond hand on his arm. "That helped a lot, you have no idea."

She leaned over and gave him a swift kiss before turning back to her lunch.

"If the instructor wasn't so picky it wouldn't be so nerve-racking," she told him and took a bite of her sandwich.

Brett grinned at her ad twirled the spoon in his hand as he watched and listened to her. He held in a groan when he mentioned her instructor again. He passed her the spoon. "You try," he demanded.

Whitney chuckled and put her sandwich down and took the spoon.

"Fine," she said. She took the spoon and held it to her mouth and gently breathed on it and stuck it on her nose. She looked at him and raised her eyebrows at him, her expression slightly smug.

Brett gaped at her for a moment then sat with his arms folded against his chest as he waited for the spoon to fall. When it didn't he scowled and swiped at it so it fell on the floor. He sniffed and looked down at his plate of pasta and began to eat grumpily.

Whitney gaped at him and barked out a laugh.

"You wanted me to do it," she defended and bent down to pick up the spoon from the floor. She put it on the table and looked at Brett and reached over to touch his hand.

"Are you really mad at me?" she asked him, slightly worried.

Brett grouched at her "How is it that you can do that and I can't?" he grumbled gesturing to her nose where he had knocked the spoon off.

Whitney chuckled. "It's hardly difficult," she told him. She picked up the spoon and put a gentle breath on it and stuck it on Brett's nose. She moved her hand away carefully, watching to make sure the spoon didn't fall off right away.

She smiled as the spoon stayed on.

"There, see, it worked," she told him cheerfully and picked up her drink and took a sip.

Brett looked down his nose to see the tip of the silver metal, making himself go cross-eyed. He twitched his nose slowly and grinned when the spoon stayed put. He beamed at her and looked up, the sharp motion causing the spoon to fall off he frowned but picked up the spoon defiantly and copied what she had done and successfully got it to stay on his nose. He grinned broadly at her.

"See, you just have to make sure you steam up the spoon when you breathe on it," she told him and gave his shoulder a playful shove.

"Now, are you ready to be my super fashion model or what? Because lunch is finished and it's time for my presentation."

Brett took the spoon off his nose and grinned at her as he held it in his hand. "Hang on, Hang on!" he said and started messing with his hair, using the back of the spoon as a mirror.

Brett put the spoon back on his tray and grabbed up his bag, "I'm ready, Come on."

Whitney led him back to her class and handed him the shirt to change into as everyone else filed in with their models. When Brett was ready, Whitney sat down with him next to her and waited for her turn.

Whitney breathed a sigh of relief when it was all over. She gave Brett a quick peck on the cheek for his help and waved at him as he left.

Brett smiled winningly at Whitney, she was nervous again. He reached out and held one of her hands. She would be fine. Her designs were amazing and from what he could see on the other models her grade would be better than most of these.

Whitney handed Brett back his own shirt to change back into so he could leave. She waited nervously as she handed the shirt to her instructor and waited while he looked it over meticulously.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\

"Sure, lemme talk to Mum, wil txt bac in a bit x"

Molly sent off the text and snapped her phone shut. She wandered into the front room and took her seat next to Alex who held out her arm. Molly snuggled into her Mum's side and sighed. She smiled as Alex absentmindedly played with her hair, Sam cradled in her other arm. "Are you alright Molls?"

Molly looked up and nodded. "I'm fine Mum, really, stop worrying". Alex smiled down at Molly and kissed her forehead. "I can't help it Molls, you're my little girl."

Molly chewed her lip for a moment then looked back up at Alex. "Muuuuummmmm?" Alex raised a sceptical eyebrow and stared down at her. "Molly?" she knew that tone of voice. Molly smiled. "Can I go and meet up with Peter? Please?" she gazed pleadingly up at Alex. Alex sighed and gave her a squeeze then let go. "I suppose so, hang on!" she said as Molly scrambled off the sofa. "Isn't he at school?" Molly grinned. "He got worried about me and skived off," she explained.

Alex waved Molly off, she was a bad influence on that boy sometimes, but at the moment Alex was just happy that Molly was safe, she watched her leave the house, eyes fixed on her phone and settled back against the sofa with Sam still held against her. "Looks like it's just you and me Sammy-boy," she sighed.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\

Molly sent a text to Peter asking him where he was.

Peter read Molly's text and smiled.

"Allotments – Charlie's" he sent back and went to the park and got two teas and some chips and went back to wait for Molly.

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Ronnie finished pulling on her shoes and grinned excitedly at her sister.

"So glad I'm finally having people around today!" she cheered. She picked up JJ, as she'd taken to calling the baby, there seemed to be too many Jacks around, and went into the kitchen.

"Will you and Amy come visit for a bit?" Ronnie asked and faced Roxy. She picked up her phone and sent off a current picture of the baby to Alex with an invitation to come over.

She and Alex remained fast friends despite the fact that Jack and Gene didn't seem to get along. Ronnie was glad. It was nice to have mates apart from her sister. She would have to plan them another girly day in the salon. Maybe this time they could get Rowan and Shaz to come along. She liked the little American a great deal, but in deference to her sister and Rowan not getting along, she tried not to hang out with the woman too much.

Alex reached in her pocket for her phone and smiled at the picture message from Ronnie. She smiled, she would take Sam with her and go and visit Ronnie and her new baby. She kissed Sam's forehead and went to get him ready then she would pop round. She fired a text back."Give me an hour :D x"

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Chris rolled off Shaz with a sigh and pulled her close.

"Oh, not sure if I have the energy to go to the launderette now," he said and kissed the top of her head.

Shaz settled in his arms and chuckled softly. "Why doesn't that surprise me..." she smiled as she slid her arms around him and sighed softly.

"Well, and I've also got this amazingly beautiful woman in my arms. Am I just supposed to let go and wander out into the cold, I don't think so," he said in her ear and kissed her shoulder. "I can't seem to keep my hands off my wife," he added and chuckled before giving her a squeeze.

Shaz smiled and hugged him closer. "I suppose that's good seeing as your wife can't seem to keep her hands off you."

"Ooooo, glad of that," he remarked. "So, I'm thinking Chinese delivery for dinner," he said as he began to slide his hands over her, "what do you reckon?"

Shaz nodded. "If we get it delivered then we don't have to move," she remarked as she reached over him and picked up his jeans, she dug in his pocket for his phone and pulled it out. She settled back against him and scrolled down his contacts list until she found the number for the Chinese restaurant and smiled.

"We'll have to at least move as far as the door," he disagreed, "but that's not too bad."

Shaz smiled, "True, but if you do it then I don't have to get out of bed," she remarked with a grin.

"How did I know?" he sighed and rolled his eyes. "How long till the food gets here then?" he asked as he pulled her close.

"Well, we've got to order it first, Chris," she smiled and waved the phone. She pressed call and ordered his favourite dish and hers too. She put the phone back on the side and looked back at him. "They reckon about half an hour," she shrugged.

"Oh good, we've got plenty of time then," he said and pressed his lips to hers as his hands slid over her flesh.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\

Gene stomped into the station and went straight to his office after checking with Adam that things were going smoothly. He pulled the bottle out of his drawer and poured himself a stiff drink. He really couldn't believe that Keats had gone so far as to kidnap Molly! He was unbelievably grateful to Rowan and Ray for happening upon the situation and calling Alex so they were able to help rescue the girl. He hadn't even thought to ask what they were doing there. He shook his head and thought he probably didn't want to know. He downed his drink and poured another and drank it down too before deciding the place was quiet.

He went and looked in on Rhys and Ginger and told them to call him at the flat if they needed him. There was a game on today and he intended himself and little Sammy to watch it.

He pulled up to the flat and after a quick smoke, went inside.

"All's quiet at that station today," he announced and pulled a beer out of the fridge. He looked at Alex.

"Where are you going? Me and Sammy have football to watch. It's City and United today, he can't miss that!" Gene complained.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\

Molly read the text and hurried along to the allotments, she spotted Peter and smiled at him as she made her way towards him and gave him a hug. "You really shouldn't have skipped College, Pete," she chided with a grin, "But I'm kinda glad you did," she smiled and kissed him and then eyed the chips and the tea greedily.

Peter gestured her into Charlie's "house" after handing her the tea and chips he'd got her.

"I am, too," he said as he kicked back on the floor. "No one knew where you were or anything, I even asked Mr. Rimmer."

He ate several chips and then looked at her. "Can you tell me what happened? Were you sick or something? Doctor's appointment?"

Molly picked at her chips as she pondered her answer. "I...umm," she shrugged. "I guess you could say I got kidnapped," she told him. "I'm okay though, Mum and Gene found me and Gene beat up the guy that did it, it was to get at Gene anyway, some sort of vendetta I reckon," she sighed.

"Kidnapped! Jeez Molly! I don't think I'm jealous that your parents are coppers anymore if that sort of thing happens. Don't care if it was just to get at Mr. Hunt," he breathed and ate some more chips. "I'm glad you're safe now, though," he told her and put his arm around her shoulders and held her close next to him.

Molly rested her head on his shoulder and nodded. "It was terrifying which is why Mum insisted I had the day off school. I think she thinks I'm traumatised or something," she shrugged. "But I'm not, I'm fine," she ate some more of her chips and moved her head off his shoulder. "You should've seen Gene's face when they found me, I honestly believed he was going to kill the guy!"

"Yeah, I believe it. That Mr. Hunt is proper scary. But you're sure you're okay?" he asked her, his tone laced with concern.

Molly nodded. "I'm fine, Peter," she promised him again.

"So, we've the whole rest of the day, what do you want to do? We could go to mine, watch tele while it's quiet, up to you," he said and finished his chips while he waited for her answer.

Molly shrugged at him and swallowed down the last of her chips. "I don't mind. I just don't want to go home, Gene's probably got the day off and Mum'll be looking after Sam, I don't want them doing that thing where they pretend they believe me, but then I catch them looking at me every so often. Mum's done that before," she told him then nodded. "Let's go back to yours," she agreed.

Peter grinned at her and stood up. He gathered their garbage and tossed it in the bin outside before slinging an arm around her waist and walking her to his house. He led her inside and went to the fridge.  
>"Coke?" he asked her and held out a can.<p>

"Pick out something to watch and I'll get some crisps," he told her.

Molly nodded and went straight to his DVD collection, she rifled through until she found one that she loved and went to set it up in the DVD player while he was busy in the kitchen.

Peter brought in a bag of crisps and the cokes and dropped onto the couch with a sigh as he put his arm around her shoulders.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\

Ronnie grinned as she read Alex's reply and then sent off the same text to Alyssa, though she thought Alyssa might be at work. She turned to Jack.

"Can you go over to the café and see if Jane could maybe throw together some sandwiches and stuff for me?"

"Your wish is my command," Jack replied and pulled his jacket back on and headed to the café.

"You going to hang around or go on back to the pub? I'd like you to stay if you want," she said to Roxy.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\

Alex looked up at him and then back down at Sam with a smile. "I was going to go and see Ronnie," she grinned at him and handed him his son. "But you can take him off my hands if you like," she said as she folded the pram back up and put it back in the cupboard. She dropped a small kiss on Sam's head then kissed Gene. "I've got my phone if you need me, enjoy the match!" she beamed before she left the flat and got into her car.

Gene waited until Alex had gone before lifting Sam up over his head and grinning at his son.

"You hear that Sammy-boy, the girls are gone, it's just us men now," he announced. He put Sam in the carrier and put it on the couch and got a bottle of juice out of the fridge. He sat down and switched on the game and tapped Sam's bottle to his beer can.

"Cheers," he said and settled back to watch the game.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\

Alyssa looked down at the text from Ronnie and could hardly contain her squeal of excitement. Her smile faded as she looked at the clock. She still had ages before she finished. She sighed sadly. "Am working :( will txt u wen I'm finished! X"

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\

Roxy shook her head sadly and checked the clock on her phone "I've got to go Ron, I left Trace in charge and I'd best get back before the rush" she hugged her sister and kissed her new nephew's forehead before giving a quick wave and dashing for the pub.

Ronnie nodded and hugged her sister back, disappointed Roxy wouldn't stay. She sighed when her sister left and settled down to feed the baby. She heard her phone beep and smiled when she saw Alyssa's reply.

She gave a small smile, unsurprised by her answer.

"Looking forward to hearing from you :)" she sent back and huddled up with the baby on the couch as she fed him, waiting for Jack to get home and Alex to arrive.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\

Alex parked up outside Ronnie's and hurried to the front door and knocked on it. She had taken a detour to the shops and picked up a soft toy for the baby and box of chocolates for Ronnie and Jack. She had debated getting Ronnie some wine, but wasn't sure whether Ronnie was going to drink anytime soon so hadn't risked it. She held her gifts in the bag and waited patiently.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\

Ronnie jumped off the couch and grabbed up the handset.

"Come up, Alex," she said and then opened the flat door.

"I'm going to go to the club, get busy, leave you two to have your girl chat," Jack said and pulled Ronnie close and kissed her.

"I'll see you later, then," she said and smiled. Jack headed downstairs, giving Alex a nod and a smile as he passed her on the stairs.

Ronnie hurried to the door as she saw Alex approach and grabbed her friend into a hug.

"Thank you for coming over, I've been going quietly insane these past couple weeks. I love Jack and he's helping a lot, but I hate being too tired to go anywhere," she said. "And today, we are drinking wine," she stated decisively.

Alex smiled and pulled out the box of chocolates she had brought with her and placed them on the counter. "I hope you're going to help me eat these as well," she grinned as she put the toy for JJ on top of the box.

"So, apart from feeling drained all the time, and believe me Ron, it does get better, how are you?" she smiled. "How's Jack coping with it?"

"I'm getting there, just takes getting used to. Jack's been brilliant. He's used to being up late at night so when gets home from the club he takes care of the baby so I can get some sleep at night. I appreciate it so much that he does that," she said as she poured them both some wine. She handed Alex a glass and took a sip from her own.

"I was thinking, maybe about setting us all up another girly day at the salon. Me, you, Alyssa and maybe we could get Rowan and Shaz to come, too. It's been so long since I've had a relaxing day like that. I could use it."

Alex nodded her agreement. "I'd like that, it's been ages since I've done anything that hasn't revolved around Sam, Molly or Gene," she smiled. Alex took a sip of the wine and sighed happily. "Gene and Sam are watching the football," she chuckled. "He insists that Sam never misses a match."

"Alyssa should be round here soon, I hope, she had to work, but I invited her, too," Ronnie said and walked to the front room, bottle in one hand and her glass of wine in the other. She dropped onto the couch with a grateful sigh and put the bottle on the coffee table next to the sandwiches.

"Well, at least you've got Molly to back you up with girly programs so you won't be stuck with football all the time. Besides, you can always come round here if it's on and you don't want to hear it, you and Molly both if she's not busy and occasionally see if you can't sneak Sam away and bring him, too. We can go shopping or just sit and drink wine and talk rubbish about our men," she giggled and took another drink of her wine.

Alex grinned as she settled back in her chair and twirled her wine glass absently. "I wonder what Gene and Jack would say if they found out we were comparing them," she chuckled. "I doubt they would be impressed," she smiled and took a sip of her wine. "You know, I think I'll take you up on that offer, though it's hilarious watching Gene and Sam in front of a match. Gene tells Sam what's happening and sets him up so he can see and everything," she smiled. "It's adorable!"

"Men know we talk about them, they talk about us when we're not around so fair's fair," Ronnie chuckled and refilled their glasses before picking up a sandwich to eat.

"Ooh," Ronnie said after she'd swallowed her mouthful of sandwich. "Now that would be something to see. I mean, he's really intimidating and to see him acting like that would be priceless. I imagine Jack would do something similar if he got the chance. Who knows, maybe all us girls can get our men to be friends, and I'm thinking of your Gene and my Jack in particular."

She took a small bite of her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully before continuing. "It would be nice if we could all get together for a meal or something," Ronnie finally said.

Alex smiled "Mmmmmmmmmmm, it would be interesting. I mean, there's something about each other that they can't stand. But there has to be something, a shared like or interest that they both have," she sighed. "I'm liking the idea of a meal together, though," she agreed.

"Well, as much as I love Jack, I have to admit he doesn't have the cleanest past, from what he's been willing to admit to me anyway. I don't imagine Mr. Hunt appreciates Jack's less than savory past," Ronnie suggested.

"But I think if we work at it, we'll find something," she added with a giggle. "If nothing else, we'll just plan something and they'll have to deal with it."

She grinned smugly and picked up another sandwich.

Alex smiled in agreement as she took another sip of wine and settled back. She had to admit it felt nice to just relax and not have to worry about Sam waking up or Molly needing something.

Alex sighed. "It must be hard for her though, first she has a kid with him, then he marries and has another child with you, it stands to reason that she thinks he'll want to spend more time with the child he had with his wife," she said. "Especially because JJ is a boy, that's what every man wants isn't it, a son," she added.

Alyssa finished her wine and put the glass back on the table and grabbed up a sandwich from the diminishing pile as she curled her legs underneath her.

Ray smiled at her and started up the car. He pulled out of the car park and planned the route first in his head as he drove through the traffic pouring out of the football stadium carpark.

Ray drove her to the station first but refused to go inside, as far as he knew DCI Litton still resided there and he was in too good a mood for a run in with their old rival. He also didn't want Litton's lecherous team leering at Rowan. He showed her the outside and told her a few of the more interesting things that had happened there before deferring to the Railway Arms and taking her inside for a pint. He was delighted to see Nelson still running the bar.

Rowan followed Ray around and listened to his stories. She didn't mind that they didn't go inside, she'd had enough of police stations. She held his arm tight and enjoyed learning about his past.

He always seemed interested when she got her packets from Gem, looking at the pictures and listening to her read some of the gossip from Gem's letters. She knew after tonight she was looking forward to the possibility of taking him to where she'd grown up in Virginia, having him meet her Kin, Gem especially.

Rowan smiled as Ray introduced her to the man, Nelson, that ran the pub Ray used to go to. She liked him immediately.

She toyed with her drink, plain lemonade, beginning to get nervous about meeting Ray's mother. What was she like, Rowan wondered. He might have been rude and rough in the beginning, but he was warm and caring underneath. She didn't mind he still had rough edges, it made her love him more. He wasn't perfect and that made him wonderful. She hoped his mother would approve of her.  
>She didn't care if he ever married her, she didn't need it. As long as he loved her and they were together, that was all she cared about. She was nervous about telling him about the baby, though. She would wait until after the visit with his mother.<p>

She began to wonder about dinner, the hot dog had been a long while ago. She also wondered if they were going to stay or go back to Walford tonight. If he wanted to stay over, she would suggest the B&B where she'd lived.

"What do you think about dinner soon? I'm getting really hungry," she told him.

Ray took a huge gulp of his pint and then looked at her. "We can grab something when we go and see Ma, there's always food going at hers," he grinned. "She's like you, she likes to see people eating," he explained.

Ray was glad that Rowan wanted to meet his Mum. He reckoned they would get on as he had never really brought anyone back to meet her before, well, Chris had, so had the Guv, but never a girl. He could imagine her face when he introduced her to Rowan. He hoped they would get along.

Rowan nodded and finished her lemonade.

"So, should we go now?" she asked him, making sure to hide her nerves. She didn't want him to know how nervous she was about meeting his mother.

"Oh, did you want to stay here in Manchester tonight or go back home?" she wanted to know. She smiled. "I think I'd like to stay personally."

Ray looked at her empty glass, then his half empty pint glass, he nodded at her in agreement and drained it smoothly. He grinned and waved at Nelson as he led Rowan out of the bar and back to the car. "We could stay at your B&B?" he suggested as he started up the car.

Rowan waved goodbye at Nelson, too, and followed Ray out.

"Yes, we could," she agreed.

Ray pulled up outside his Mum's home and smiled at the familiar sight. The tiny, neatly tended garden out front was almost exactly as he remembered with the Garden Gnome still next to the front door. He grinned at Rowan as he climbed out the door and locked it behind him. There had been a feeling in the car he had picked up and knew that she was more nervous than she would admit. He took her hand and pulled her against him in a hug. "Don't worry, Ro, you're the first woman I've ever brought home," he confessed. "She'll love you," he smiled and kissed her softly. He tugged her hand and led her up the little pathway to the front door and knocked on it sharply.

Rowan sighed as Ray pulled her close. She looked up at him and gave him a braver smile than she felt. She blanched at his confession, the first one he'd ever brought. No pressure then. She held his hand tightly as he led her to the door.

A small silver haired woman appeared wiping her hands on a tea-towel that was tucked in the front pouch of the floral patterned apron she wore. "Heya, Mam," Ray grinned at her and her face broke into a smile as she held out her arms. "Ray Carling, you come here and give your poor old Mam a love!" she demanded and Ray wrapped his arms around the woman in a bear hug.

He pulled back and let his mother go and she looked over him critically. "Look at you!" she exclaimed. "You, young man, are wasting away!" she shook her head as she patted his belly and then frowned at his hair. "And you need a hair cut!"

Ray shook his head at her. "Nah, Mam, it's fine. Besides I brought someone to meet you," he grinned and slid his arm around Rowan's waist as he encouraged her to step forward. "Mam, this is Rowan, Ro, this is my Mam, Margaret."

Margaret waved her hand in the air dismissively. "Call me Maggie dear, Margaret is far too posh and formal!" she smiled and reached for Rowan's hand and shook it. "Pleasure to meet you dear," she beamed and the frowned again. "What are we all doing still outside! Get yourselves inside, I'll put a pot on and you can tell me all about yourself, Rowan," she smiled as she retreated back inside and hurried to the kitchen.

Ray chuckled as he shut the front door behind Rowan. "I can smell sausage rolls," he murmured to her as he took her hand and squeezed gently.

Rowan's eyes widened and she rolled her lips under her teeth to keep from laughing at the woman's comments to Ray.

She smiled and shook the woman's hand back. "Nice to meet you, too, um, Maggie," she said.

She turned to Ray and chuckled. "I bet you could smell them down the street," she teased him, she knew how much he loved sausages. She squeezed his hand back and held to it tightly as she went with him to the kitchen. She looked around at the kitchen and smiled.

Ray took his seat at the kitchen table and watched his mother fuss around with the teabags. He looked at Rowan and gestured that she pull up a chair and grinned at his mother as she set a pot of tea down on the table and 3 mugs with the jug of milk. Maggie surveyed her son and then got a plate of sausage rolls and a few smaller plates too. She sat down opposite her son and Rowan and smiled at them as she made herself a mug of tea. "Now, tell me everything that's happened since Gene took you all to London with him! I want to know everything that's happened since last time I saw you."

Ray launched into a story about the more interesting and worth knowing things that had happened since he had moved to London, including details about Chris and Shaz and Alex and Gene and how Gene now had a son. He then looked over at Rowan and explained to his mum all about how they had met and finished with how they were living together and it was going along nicely.

Rowan hurriedly sat down and unzipped her jacket, but left it on. She poured herself and Ray some tea and fixed his the way he liked it as she listened to him talk. She liked listening to his stories and loved the sound of his voice. She never got tired of it.

She felt a little nervous when he told him mother about them, she wasn't sure how his mother would feel about it. She knew some people could be a bit, stuffy, about such things.

Maggie beamed at him and turned her attention to Rowan. "So, Rowan, you own a restaurant?" her eyes sparkled in amusement. "Then how is it that my son is practically skin and bone?" she asked with eyebrows raised. Ray cleared his throat and shot his Ma a scowl. "I am not skin and bone, Mam," he retorted. Maggie frowned at him. "Ray, look at you," she gestured towards his middle again and then turned back to look at Rowan.

Rowan swallowed and smiled weakly and nodded at his mother's question.

"Yes, I do, and he eats a lot, but um, he...he does get a lot of exercise," she said and then looked at Ray. "I love him the way he is," she said and then blushed and took a sip of her tea. Her fingers strayed to her mother's bracelet as her nerves threatened to take her over. At least his mother didn't seem bothered by the fact that Rowan was American. Small favors. She realized she'd been silent too long. "Everyone likes my Mexican food," she added lamely.

Maggie grinned at Rowan and nodded at her. She seemed nice enough and judging by the way Ray kept looking at her, he loved her, too. Maggie had guessed that when Ray had turned up with her, he never brought women home. She was just glad that Ray was happy. "I've never tried Mexican," she smiled. "There isn't anywhere around here," she added and took a sip of her tea.

Ray looked from Rowan to his Mum and back again. He munched his way through a sausage roll and then took a gulp of his tea. He looked back at his Mum. "You should try Rowan's bangers and mash Mam, it's great" he smiled.

Maggie nodded at him then turned back to Rowan. "Well, if you own a restaurant I'd say your cooking has to be good dear," she remarked.

"It's um, one of my most popular theme nights," she admitted. "There aren't a lot around anywhere it seems. So I generally have to make everything from scratch, I don't mind, though. I love to cook."

Rowan blushed at Ray's comment. "Thank you," she said.

"People tell me I am, I just do my best. Granny Emmeline and my mother taught me how to cook. They were both really amazing cooks. I'm not nearly as good," she admitted.

"My sausage rolls aren't nearly this good," she added. She wished her stomach would calm down. She had thought her nerves might have settled by now. Ray's mother didn't seem to dislike her so things seemed to be okay.

"I'd be happy to cook for you anytime," she offered.

"Thank you dear, but I've had plenty of practice," Maggie smiled and then nodded at her. "I'd like that," she agreed and continued to study Rowan over the rim of her mug as she took another sip.

Ray raised his eyebrows at Rowan, why was she still nervous? He casually slipped a hand under the table and took hers. He squeezed gently and held it as he took a sip of his tea. "So, Ma, what's been happening around here?"

Maggie looked away from Rowan and directed her gaze at Ray. "If you'd been here instead of London then you'd know wouldn't you!" she accused with a smile. Ray grinned. "If I'd been here instead of London then I wouldn't have met Rowan," he countered to his mother's amusement and she smiled with a nod of her head. "Touché," Maggie put down her mug. "Nothing much, that old bat Evelyn has been getting on my nerves though!" she grouched with a jerk of her head to indicate next door. "I swear, if she let's that ivy of hers grow over my fence once more I will not be held responsible for the consequences!" she finished sourly. Ray chuckled, "Mam, you can't blame the woman, she must be almost 80 by now!"

Maggie glared at him. "If she can't keep her garden under control then she shouldn't have one!" she snapped and Ray chuckled again and turned to Rowan. "Mam and Mrs Shaw have had this feud going on for as long as they've been neighbours. The pair of them," he shot his mum a look, "do everything they can to wind each other up," he looked back over at his mum contemplatively then back at Rowan. "I think once Mam picked Tabby up in mid flow and held her over the fence, ruined Mrs Shaw's gardening gloves!" he grinned.

Maggie frowned. "She shouldn't have taken my job of doing the summer flower arrangement at the Church! Everyone knows that I do the summer arrangement," she defended and looked at Rowan "She's a jealous old bat because she knows that my flower arrangements are better than hers!"

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\

"Eat some sandwiches, Jack got enough to feed an army," Ronnie said. She topped up their wine and settled back. She glanced at her watch.

"Oh, Alyssa should be here soon," she said and finally picked a chocolate from the box Alex had brought.

"So, anything terribly interesting going on?"

Alex reached for a sandwich and munched on it as she thought. "Not as such, Gene's grumpy because Ray and Rowan have gone to Manchester to watch the United/City match and he has to watch it on the TV," she grinned. "Molly's got the day off school though, she...well, she got kidnapped this morning," Alex mumbled. "An ex-colleague that wanted to get at Gene. I've never been so scared in my life Ronnie, but Molly insists that she's fine and has gone to see Peter, Gene quite rightly beat the guy to a pulp, I don't even want to know what happened to him," she shuddered. "I've never seen Gene so angry and uncontrollable before," she said softly as she cradled her glass of wine then took a larger sip and reached for a chocolate.

Ronnie let her jaw drop in shock at Alex's story.

"That's awful! But she's okay, you said, there's that at least. I remember when Roxy got kidnapped, so I can imagine how horrifying it must have been. I'm glad you got her back so quickly and well done for Gene beating him up. I don't like Jack's...um...darker side, but it's useful sometimes. Without him, I might never have got Roxy back."

She leaned over and squeezed Alex's hand.

"You are so lucky!"

Ronnie looked up as she heard the buzzer. "Oh, that's got to be Alyssa," she stood up and hit the button and opened the door to the flat so Alyssa could walk in. She went into the kitchen and got another wine glass and filled it with wine and put it on the table before sitting back down.

/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa smiled at her last customer of the day and waved at Maddie as she dashed off. She packed up all her stuff and locked up the Salon behind her as she headed to Ronnie's. She knocked on the open door as she got there and walked in.

Alyssa took the glass of wine and made her way over to sit on the sofa next to Alex.

Alex smiled at Alyssa and pointed to the food. "Help yourself if you're hungry" she said. Alyssa smiled and took one of the sandwiches from the pile. "So, what's up?" she asked as she settled back.

"Not much here, was just feeling the need for normal conversation. JJ doesn't really have much to say and Jack sleeps most of the day," Ronnie said and chuckled. "I'm not complaining, he takes care of JJ when he gets home from the club so I can sleep, but I think my brain is turning to mush."

Alyssa chuckled. "I'd be surprised if JJ could hold a conversation, you'd have a super child," she smiled. Alex grinned. "Either that or I say we call the men in white coats!" she added. "Mind you, if her brain is turning to mush I think we could forgive a few mental problems," she smiled and looked at Ronnie over the rim of her glass with a grin.

Ronnie snorted. "Glad to know my friends are so supportive," she mock-complained and tossed cushions at the both of them before bursting into laughter.

She picked up another sandwich and took a large bite and picked up the bottle of wine and checked the level.

"I think we might need another bottle," she said and held it up. "What do you reckon?"

Alyssa eyed the level of the wine and then looked at her half empty glass. "Oh definitely," she agreed with a grin and drained her remaining wine and replaced the glass on the table.

Alex nodded and turned to Alyssa. "Ronnie was thinking about another girly day at the Salon," she said. "Rowan, Shaz, Ronnie, me and you" she smiled "What d'you think?"

Alyssa beamed. "I think it's an excellent idea, we haven't done something like that in ages!" she exclaimed and turned to look at Ronnie. "When were you thinking?" she asked excitedly.

"Well, you handle the schedule," Ronnie said as she went into the kitchen and got another bottle of wine. "Does the salon have a fairly slow day coming up at all? Preferably on a day we can all go," she asked with a grin as she opened the bottle and refreshed all their glasses.

Alyssa chewed her lip as she thought "What days are we all free on?"

"Well, I can do weekends because Molly is around to take of Sam if Gene is working, and given enough warning Shaz can swap a shift," Alex offered.

Alyssa nodded. "Rowan...surely she can pull some extra staff in to manage the restaurant for a few hours on a weekend?" she mused out-loud. "If it's quiet I can get Maddie to cover the front desk, I should really hire a trainee secretary," she sighed. "They can do the desk while I do accounts and admin and stock checks and orders," she sighed but shook her head and looked at Ronnie. "What about you, Ron? When can Jack babysit JJ so you can come and get pampered?"

"Aunty Peg will babysit any time, or I can ask Roxy. There's even Jack's family I can ask. Lauren's used to babies so I can always ask her," Ronnie shrugged. "I think my time is pretty open," she grinned.

Alyssa nodded happily. "I'll find a day that's relatively quiet and check with Rowan about when she can do, she's not worming out of this one," she said slyly and glanced over at Alex. "preferably a weekend though right?" she confirmed and Alex nodded her agreement.

"Sounds fantastic," Ronnie agreed and held up her glass. "Let's drink on it," she suggested with a large smile. "It will be nice to have a big group of us. I'll even get Jane to do us some lunch so Rowan can't even have that excuse," she offered and gave a wicked chuckle as she clinked glasses with the other two and drained her glass. "Good thing I've stopped breast feeding," she remarked as she looked at her empty glass.

Alyssa and Alex drained their glasses too and Alex chuckled as she placed her glass on the table and reached for a chocolate. "Probably!" she agreed, "would not be a good idea to get JJ drunk," she chuckled.

Ronnie burst into drunken giggles.

"In fact," she said and glanced in the direction of the baby's room. "I should probably stop now before I get to the point I can't take care of the baby," she remarked and picked up another sandwich. She pushed the bottle towards Alyssa. "But some of us have some catching up to do," she said with a mischievous grin and leaned back to eat her sandwich.

Alyssa rolled her eyes melodramatically and refilled her glass then gulped down half of the contents and put the bottle and glass back on the table, she took a handful of chocolates and looked pointedly at Ronnie. "Happy now?"

"Whoo!" Ronnie cheered. "Let's see that again!" she laughed and refilled Alyssa's glass. She got up and fished her diary out of her bag.

"Okay, so we're looking at this coming weekend?" she asked and peered at her calendar. "Oh, looks like I'm free," she said and shut it decisively. "However, isn't the salon usually busy on weekends? I tell you what, I bet I could get Aunty Peg to watch both the babies," she told Alex. "Then, we could do it during the week when we know the salon is less likely to be busy," she suggested.

"And Aunty Peg is good with kids, Amy adores her. Our two are too small to crawl away from her so she'll have an easy time of it," Ronnie added with a grin.

Alyssa smiled and took another large gulp from her freshly filled glass. She nodded at Ronnie. "It is less busy during the week, and I bet the restaurant isn't so full during the week, too," she remarked with a small shrug.

Alex smiled and nodded at Ronnie. "I'm fine with that, will she be okay with Sam and JJ though? A newborn and a 3 month old? Won't it be a bit much for Peggy?"

Ronnie nodded at Alyssa. "Especially if we wait until after the worst of her lunch crowd is gone," she agreed and looked at Alex as she picked some crisps out of the bowl.

"She won't have to chase them around, which means it won't be that hard. If they were crawling and walking, I wouldn't even think of suggesting it," she replied with a smile. "Besides, Roxy will be there and can help if she gets desperate. Pat's usually hanging around too, so it will be fine," Ronnie assured her and popped a crisp into her mouth.

Alex nodded. "Ask her and let me know, if she doesn't mind then I'm fine with it," she smiled.

Alyssa dug in her handbag and pulled out her laptop, she fired it up and opened her copy of the appointment sheet. She scanned down it and looked up. "We have a free afternoon on Thursday," she smiled. "If you two, Shaz and Rowan are okay with it then I can book us all in for then," she offered.

"I'll call her tonight," she told Alex and turned to watch Alyssa.

"Thursday sounds good to me," Ronnie said with a nod. "I'll call Jane and sort us some food if you want," she offered and ate some more crisps.

"That would be good," she agreed. "And like you said, saves Ro from doing it," Alex smiled.

"We, that is, Alex and I, were also thinking of us all getting together for dinner some night. Maybe with your Jack there, my Jack and Gene will be civil to each other."

Alyssa's nod was couple with a shrug. "Gene is one of my Jack's best friends, if something did start then I couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't take sides," she sighed. "It's a good plan though," she agreed.

Ronnie listened to Alyssa thoughtfully. "I'm hoping that with Jack's experience moderating disputes so to speak, he might keep them civil with each other. Failing that, I suppose we can tell him to just give them both a good beating and make them sit in the corner until they behave," Ronnie suggested and burst into laughter.

Alyssa giggled wildly and tried not to spill her wine as she tried to get herself back under control. "What an image, can you imagine the pair of them on the bottom step because they've been naughty!" she laughed.

Alex felt the laughter hit her and she clutched a cushion to her stomach.

Alyssa had to put the wine glass down as she doubled over and her giggles came quick and fast, she panted for air as they finally subsided and she fell backwards into Ronnie's sofa with a small chortle.

"I think your Jack would do it, too," Ronnie howled. "He'd get those two in line double quick," she added and bent over to clutch her stomach as it began to ache.

Alex brushed the tears away that had leaked down her cheeks and reached for her wine glass as she calmed. Her head swivelled and she raised her eyebrows. "JJ must sleep like a rock, as much noise as that would have woken Sam," she commented.

"Well, I read in this book that it's good to get them used to background noise so you can live normally when the baby's asleep. I always make sure the TV is on or the radio or something, not really loud, but not quiet either. And he cries loud enough I have no trouble hearing him over anything," she said with a chuckle and made a face as the baby began to cry on cue.

"I should have known it would happen any minute now," she said with a grin and got up to fetch the baby from his room. She carried him in and set a bottle to warming before coming back into the front room with him. She put his carrier up on the couch and put him in it.

"He's sleeping longer all the time. I can't wait until he can sleep all night. Maybe then Jack won't work so late and we'll get some quality time," she said. "If you know what I mean," she added and wiggled her eyebrows.

Alyssa giggled again but stifled her laughter as best she could by taking another gulp of wine.

Alex grinned and nodded her agreement. "It is one of the perks of having a baby that sleeps all night, I get to..." she paused and chose her words carefully, "enjoy Gene," she smiled and sipped her wine slowly. She glanced over at Alyssa who was still laughing and raised her eyebrows. "So when are you and Jack planning of having kids?"

Alyssa calmed herself down and shook her head. "We've never discussed it but I don't want children," she said with a small shrug. Alex nodded and smiled. "Then you won't have to worry about losing out on any quality time," she grinned.

"I don't mind it. When we do spend time together, Jack is verrry attentive," Ronnie grinned. "I think he's marking days off on the calendar, but I don't know where he's hidden it so I can't be sure," she chuckled.

She got up and fetched the baby's bottle and checked it before bringing it over to feed the baby.

"I'm more worried about Roxy. She thinks Jack won't spend as much time with Amy now that he has a son. I've told her that's rubbish. Jack dotes on Amy, but she won't listen," Ronnie said with a sigh.

"But Amy is totally Daddy's girl and Roxy has JT now who also dotes on Amy so she hardly needs to worry," she said dismissively and waved her hand. She finished feeding JJ and looked at Alyssa and Alex.

"So, who wants to hold the baby while I call Aunty Peg and ask her about watching the kiddos so we can have our day," she grinned.

Alyssa immediately shook her head and grabbed another sandwich. Alex watched Alyssa then shook her head and lifted JJ out of his seat and held him gently as she leant back into the seat. She smiled as she traced a finger down his face. "He's adorable, Ronnie," she smiled and looked at Alyssa. "Sure you don't want to hold him?" she asked. Alyssa shook her head. "Positive," she confirmed and nibbled on the sandwich.

Ronnie looked at Alex at Alyssa's comment but said nothing.

"Hi, Aunty Peg, yes, I wondered if you might be willing to watch JJ and Alex's son Sam for a few hours on Thursday, we want to have a bit of a girly day at the salon," she said into her phone. "Uh, huh, okay, thanks Aunty Peg."

Ronnie snapped her phone shut and grinned at Alex.

"Aunty Peg can't wait," Ronnie told her as she walked back to the couch to sit down. "And I was right, Pat will be there so there will be two of them. I think they'll handle it fine."

Ronnie caught sight of the clock.

"It's nearly 7. Jack will be home soon. He always comes home for a couple of hours before staying most of the evening at the club."

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\

Gene rummaged in the fridge, there were no bottles ready. He sighed in aggravation. He had no idea how to make that stuff Sammy drank. He filled a bottle with some juice and took it in to him before going back into the kitchen to call Alex.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\

Alex smiled at Ronnie "Brilliant, that's the kids taken care of, we just need to speak to Rowan and Shaz and we are sorted" she looked back at Alyssa "You're sure you have a slot?". Alyssa rolled her eyes "Yes Alex, we have a free afternoon on Thursday, don't worry!" she smiled back. Alex smiled and then turned her attention to the newborn in her arms. She frowned in annoyance as her phone went off and she handed the baby back to Ronnie and pulled her phone out.

"Gene?" she asked in the phone curiously.

Alyssa looked up at Ronnie. "It's 7 already!" she said in surprise.

Ronnie took JJ back and hummed to him as Alex answered her phone. She glanced over at Alyssa.

"Yes, it is. Sorry, did you need to leave earlier than that?" Ronnie asked worriedly. "I lost track of time."

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\

"Sammy wants feeding and I don't know the first thing about sorting out this stuff you feed him. I've given him one of those biscuit things and some juice, but I don't know how long it will last," he told her gruffly.

Jack sighed as everyone finally left his office. He tiredly picked up his phone and called Alyssa to let her know he'd be home soon.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/

A knock on the door pulled Max from his reverie. He looked over at Lauren and Abi. "You expecting anyone?"

The girls shook their heads and looked back at the TV. He sighed and got up and opened the door and felt his jaw drop.

"Davina?"

"Hi, I found myself missing you. My job in France is done and I thought the first place I wanted to come was here to see you," she told him with a smile.

Max closed his mouth and stood back to let her inside.

"It's good to see you," she purred and put her suitcase down quickly so she could snake her arms around his neck and kiss him.

Max looked at Davina in surprise after she broke off the kiss.

"Aren't you glad to see me?" she asked him. He smiled.

"Yes, actually, I'm very glad to see you. How long will you be here for?"

"I'm not sure just yet. I have to return some emails on some other job offers, but at least a week or so."

He nodded. She pressed against him so he was backed up against the wall. "I'd like to stay here with you, if you want me to," she breathed.

"Yes, you're more than welcome to stay. I'd like that," he replied and kissed her again. "I'll take your case up to my room. There's pizza in there and a bottle of wine is open in the kitchen if you want some. Help yourself."

"Thank you," she said sincerely and went to do just that. She smiled at Abi and Lauren who looked at her, then shared a look and shook their heads in mild distaste before looking back at the TV.

/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa shook her head. "No, just hadn't realised it had got so late!" she smiled. "Jack should be finishing work soon, he has a meeting tonight which has probably run over again," she sighed and fumbled in her bag as her phone sounded. She smiled at the Caller ID and looked at Ronnie with a smile. "Meetings finished," she grinned and answered her phone.

"Hey, Lyss, meeting just got done so I'll be heading home soon. I'm thinking about getting pizza delivered if you don't mind, unless you're in the mood to cook. I'm knackered," Jack said when Alyssa answered the phone.

"I'll be leaving here in just a few minutes."

"No, I'm fine with pizza," she agreed. "I've been at Ronnie's since I finished work so I'll set off in a bit and meet you at home," she explained with a smile.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Alex smiled. She wasn't sure how well Gene would cope with instructions down the phone. She sighed "I'll be back in a bit, if he starts crying then try singing to him," she suggested. "I'm on my way," she added before hanging up.

Alex turned back to Ronnie and Alyssa and embraced each of them swiftly. "I need to get back, looks like Sam's about to throw a tantrum and Gene can't sort out his formula," she sighed and looked back at them after dropping a kiss on JJ's head. "Lemme know about the Salon, okay?" she smiled then waved at them as she left and climbed into her car.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Alex pulled up outside her home and locked the car before going inside. She smiled and kissed Gene's cheek as she took Sam from him and balanced the infant in her arms as she set about making his food, showing Gene what she was doing as she went.

Once Sam had a bottle made up she looked at Gene. "So, how was the match?" she asked as she gave Sam the bottle. She glanced around and listened carefully for any other noise. "Molly back?"

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Molly checked the time, they had got through 3 movies, the chips, some chocolate Peter had found and multiple bags of crisps and biscuits. Molly was feeling a lot better and she sighed as she realised it was probably time to be making her way home. She kissed Peter and thanked him before making her way home.

Gene put the phone down. Sing? She had to be taking the piss if she expected him to sing. That wasn't going to happen. He went back into the front room and watched Sammy happily gnaw on the biscuit thing. At least he'd stopped crying. He looked up as Alex came in and smiled.

He watched what she did, but had no intention of remembering how to do it.

He snorted in disgust at her question. "Match was a bloody draw," he griped. "No, she's not. I've not heard anything from her at all."

Alex sighed. "She's probably still with Peter, I'll give her a call in a bit," she said as she handed Sam back to Gene and grabbed some potatoes from the vegetable basket and got started on peeling them.

Molly pushed open the front door and smiled at Gene as she spotted Sam in his arms and glanced over at Alex as she went to say hello to her baby brother. Alex looked over her shoulder as the front door shut and smiled at Molly. "Heya, Molls."

Molly smiled at her Mum. "Helllooooooo," she beamed back as she left Gene and Sam and went over "Whatcha cooking?" she asked.

"Shepherd's pie.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

"Okay, see you soon then, love you," Jack said and closed his phone. He tidied up his desk and headed to his car, sending a text to Alyssa that it would be just as quick to pick the pizza up as have it delivered, so he would be picking it up.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Ronnie watched her friends go and then began to tidy the flat before settling on the couch again and cradling the baby.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Alyssa smiled and glanced briefly at the text before giving Ronnie a hug and leaving her flat, she said a brief hello to Jack Branning as she passed him going into the flat and walked the short walk across the Square to her home. She dumped her stuff in the lounge and went to the kitchen, she got out a couple of plates and a beer for Jack when he got in, after a moment of contemplation she decided that she had had enough wine for one evening and got herself a glass of coke and then got out the appointment book for the Salon and added their group session.

Alyssa pulled out her phone and sent off a text to Rowan. "If you've got plans on Thurs afternoon then CANCEL them, I've changed them :) xx"

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Declan pulled up in front of the house and parked. He looked at the number on the house and then checked his phone again with a nod. This was the address his cousin Jack had texted him. He glanced at his watch and muttered a soft curse. He'd promised to be here an hour ago. He hoped they wouldn't be put out by his being late. Declan was normally on time, a trait he and his cousin shared, apart from their looks.

He climbed from his car and adjusted his coat before heading to the door and knocking.

Jack sat on the chair by the counter of the pizza place and yawned. He rubbed at his eyes and glanced at his watch as he craned his neck to see if the pizzas were ready. He yawned again and felt something niggling at the back of his mind. Something was happening today. He rubbed his hand through his hair and tried to remember.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

"You all right now?" Gene wanted to know. He looked at Molly. She seemed fine, but it was hard to tell. At least Keats hadn't had her long enough to do anything to her. And either he hadn't known about Sammy or he hadn't wanted to chance taking the baby as well, which relieved Gene greatly. If he'd had to worry about them both, he wasn't sure he could have handled it.

Molly turned back to Gene and rolled her eyes. "I swear, everyone keeps asking me that and every time I give the same answer!" she sighed in an exasperated tone. "I'm fine Gene, honestly, I feel great!" she assured him and then narrowed her eyes at him. "How are you?" she shot back at him critically, earning herself a snort from Alex.

Gene looked at her.

"I'm angry and I'm tempted to go and get Keats from where I left him and tear him to pieces," Gene muttered darkly. He pushed Sam into Molly's arms, grabbed his coat and stalked outside to smoke.

Molly gulped and gave her Mum a worried glance as Gene marched out of the flat. She bounced Sam gently and took him to the front room as she started to sing him a nursery rhyme.

Alex watched Gene go and dusted off her hands as she wondered whether it was better to go after him or let him calm down on his own. But she didn't want him to go after Keats, mostly because she didn't want him getting hurt or arrested for murder no matter how much she hated Keats. She put down her spoon and peered around the door. He was still here, she sighed in relief and touched his shoulder lightly. "Gene? Please don't do anything stupid," she pleaded.

Gene glanced at Alex.

"I'm not going anywhere. Just let me smoke, woman," he growled and turned away from her. He'd got Keats out of his mind until Molly had asked that question. He sighed and took another drag.

"I promise," he added finally with a glance back at her.

Alex nodded, he wanted to be left in peace. She left the door on the latch for him and went back to her cooking.

Gene chained another cigarette and hoped Keats had drowned. He deserved it for what he'd done, even if his memory of all the events was hazy and mostly missing. He knew deep down Keats deserved it.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Alyssa looked up at the knock on the door and frowned. It couldn't be the pizza, Jack said he was going to pick it up, she didn't think she had left anything at Ronnie's and if she had then surely Ronnie would've text her. She stood up and left her laptop and the folder with the wedding plans in that she had decided to go through and went to open the door.

She smiled at the sight of Jack and gave him a quick kiss as she opened the door wider for him to get inside. She frowned slightly at the absence of pizza and raised a questioning eyebrow. "Did you decide on getting the pizza delivered instead then?" she asked curiously as she shut the door behind him.

Declan smiled as he heard the door being opened and was stuck slightly dumb by the stunning redhead that answered the door. His eyebrows flew up as she kissed him and he followed her lamely inside.

He looked at her in confusion as she asked him about pizza, then he realized, she thought he was Jack.

"What? Oh, no, I must apologize; I thought Jack told you I was coming. I'm Declan Macey, Jack's cousin," he introduced himself and held out his hand to her. "I'm sorry I'm late and I thank you for the kiss, you are quite stunning if I may say," he said to her and gave her a charming smile.

Jack finally remembered and sent off a text to Alyssa.

"Cousin arriving tonight. Might already be there waiting when you get home. Meant to say earlier but distracted by meeting. Home soon xx."

He shoved his phone back in his pocket and stood up to pay for the pizzas. He wondered as he carried the pizzas out to the car if he should have called Alyssa instead, explained that he and Declan looked a great deal like each other. No, he shook his head. Declan's wardrobe was far posher than his. She would notice the difference.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Alyssa blushed as he explained and felt in her pocket as her phone went off; she rolled her eyes at the text.

"He just got here, looks exactly like you! xx" she pocketed her phone once more and looked back up.

"It's nice to meet you Declan," she smiled. "I'm Alyssa, Jack's fiancé," she told him as she motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen. She gestured for him to sit down. "He actually just informed me about you, you do know that the pair of you look identical don't you?" she asked as she opened the fridge. "Do you want a drink or anything?" she offered. She had just kissed Jack's cousin, to be fair he was the image of Jack and she hadn't known that he was coming, she could see differences though, in their personalities and fashion choices, Declan seemed more...well, posh, in both his taste in clothes and the way that he was behaving so far.

Declan smiled. "He told me about you and yes, we know we look alike, but we stopped taking advantage of it when we were kids."

He followed her into the kitchen. "I'll have a beer thank you," he replied.

"I called him the other day, told him I was going to be in London on business for a few days and he invited me round. I haven't seen him in a good three years, but we keep in touch. He invited me to stay, he said there was a spare room, but if it's not convenient for you, I'll understand. I had thought he'd already discussed it with you before he even invited me."

Jack pulled up behind Declan's flashy motor. Yes, he had arrived. He climbed from his own car and got the pizzas out and walked past to admire Declan's machine. He sighed and went to the door and fumbled out his keys.

"Hello, I come bearing pizza," he called out as he got inside.

Declan grinned and walked out of the kitchen and took the boxes from Jack.

"So, it seems you neglected to inform the lovely Alyssa of my visit," he accused.

"I'm sorry, I got so busy with meetings it slipped my mind," he said as he hung up his coat. He walked around Declan and into the kitchen and took Alyssa's hands. "I am sorry. I also said he could stay in the spare room."

He walked over to the table, picked up his beer and opened it as Declan put the pizzas on the table. Jack took a drink of his beer and then looked at Alyssa again.

"Probably should warn Whitney as well," he remarked softly and cleared his throat as he walked over to get another plate for Declan from the cupboard. He hoped Alyssa wouldn't fly off the handle at him.

"I can go stay at the B&B if it's not convenient. I don't mind," Declan told Jack.

Alyssa made to answer Declan when she heard the key turn in the front door and the familiar sound of Jacks voice. She grinned and watched Declan walk off and she reached over and into the fridge for the beer she had put aside for Jack. She raised her eyebrows at him as he came into the kitchen and couldn't help but smile at his unnecessary apology. She turned her attention back to Declan and shook her head.

"No, it's fine Declan, there's no point forking out for a room at the B&B when there's a perfectly good room here," she smiled at him then looked back over at Jack. "I just would've liked some warning before someone who looks just like you turns up and then claims not to be you, that's all," she assured him and got down an extra plate for Declan.

"I did mean to," Jack said and leaned over to kiss her cheek as she handed him his plate.

Alyssa licked her lips as she pulled one of the pizza boxes towards her and opened it, she looked over the toppings then opened the other box and studied the toppings on that one. She left both boxes open as she took a slice from each.

"So, how long are you down here for Declan?" she asked as she handed both of them plates.

"Only a couple of days, then I have to head back to Yorkshire," he explained.

"What are you doing in Yorkshire?" Jack asked in surprise.

"Living in a village and running a large estate, being hounded by my daughter and my ex-wife who won't leave. I can't tell you how glad I am to get out of there actually. The village is nice enough, the people are friendly, but the situation at home is driving me quietly mad. I'd move out, but then Ella would probably take over and I can't have that," he explained as he took a couple of slices of pizza and sat down at the table.

Jack shook his head. "How did she find you in a little village?"

"I needed her help to get the estate, so she showed up and played a little game with me, now she won't leave," he sighed in response. "Of course, Jai and Nikhil are delighted to see her and want her to stay forever," he snorted.

"Jai and Nikhil? I haven't seen them in I don't know how long. But then, they were always your mates rather than mine," Jack said with a shrug and applied himself to his pizza.

Alyssa listened interestedly as she chewed and looked between the pair of them, as far as she could see there was very little she could use to tell them apart from each other. Jack's hair was slightly shorter than Declan's but not by much, their voices were a little different too, their clothes were different. She chewed thoughtfully as she studied the pair of them and held back a chuckle. Whitney would get a shock when she walked in.

"So what do you do that brings you down to London?" she asked curiously.

Whitney sighed and propped her chin on Brett's chest.

"I should get home now, I've not packed to stay over and I can't miss school tomorrow," she sighed and climbed out of bed and began to get dressed. She sat back down on the bed after she was finished and looked at Brett with big eyes.

"I don't suppose you would be willing to drive me home? It will take ages on the tube," she pleaded. "You can just drop me off...please?"

She smiled.

Brett sighed and sat up. He looked over her and nodded wearily. "I suppose I could," he answered as he clambered off the bed and threw on a pair of comfy tracksuit bottoms and a loose top. He fished his keys out of his coat pocket and nodded to the front door with a grin. "Come on, then," he chuckled at her.

Brett drove Whitney back to Albert Square. He pulled up outside Jack's house and his gaze was instantly caught by the flash car outside. "Who's is that?" he asked as he looked at it through the windscreen and looked over the car appreciatively.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Jane put the last container in the carrier bag and set off for Max's house. She hoped he and the girls would be surprised by her bringing round this dinner. It would be nice to have a quiet dinner with her friend and his kids. With Peter working all the time or at school or with Molly, she was getting bored eating alone and so dropped in at least once a week with a nice dinner to eat with Max.

It had become a tradition that she looked forward to now, and she thought he did, too.

She knocked on the door and waited.

Lauren heard the knock at the door and looked over at Max and Davina sitting at the table and talking and got up and went to get the door.

"Oh, hi Jane, how are you?"

"I'm fine, how are you? I brought dinner," she announced with a smile.

"Oh, well, um, okay, come in," she said uncertainly. She liked Jane, and maybe that blond cow would leave if Jane were here.

"Hey, Max, I brought dinner..." Jane began and trailed off when she saw him sitting, drinking wine and eating pizza with a lovely blond woman. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company. Thought it was our weekly buddy dinner," she stammered.  
>"Sorry, Jane, I forgot. I thought the girls would remind me," he said by way of apology as he walked over to her. Abi looked up at her father in disgust about to correct him, she and Lauren had in fact reminded him, but he silenced her with a look.<p>

"Then this mate of mine stopped in for a visit and well, you know," he finished. "Come sit down and have some pizza."

"Yeah, sure, I know. Sorry, no, I won't stay, I'll catch you next time. Give us a text okay?" she smiled to cover her embarrassment and hurried out the door, shutting it firmly behind her. She huffed out an annoyed breath. She should have known better. She looked sadly down at the food and headed for the pub. She needed a drink after that.


	2. Chapter 2

**We do not own EastEnders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 2**

Rowan smiled, glad his mother still seemed to like her. Rowan felt much better when she felt Ray take her hand, especially when his mother turned her attention to Ray. She gave an inward sigh of relief and listened to her talk about her neighbors.

She ate another sausage roll to cover her amusement, it was so much like the small town where she'd grown up. She smiled at Ray's comments and nodded along in serious agreement with his mother.

More than ever, she now wanted to take Ray to meet her Kin. Being around him and his mother made her feel her lack of close family very keenly. And she was pregnant. Would he be happy or would she lose him? She didn't know. She really needed to tell him. She should have told him last night, after she'd taken the test. But how could she know he was going to bring her to meet his mother?

She carefully slipped her hand from his and took another sausage roll and began to pick it apart and eat the pieces.

"Gem...Granny Em, is a lot like that, but her near neighbors live a couple miles away and most people are too afraid of her to argue with her," Rowan told them.

"A couple of miles away?" Maggie asked curiously. "At least she gets some relief, not me, I live a few feet away from that batty old crone every. Single. Day," she finished. Ray rolled his eyes. "Mam, you make it sound like she's some sort of devil when actually she's just a perfectly lovely old lady!"

"If she's 'perfectly lovely' then tell me why she 'accidentally cut the tops off my petunias last spring!" Maggie demanded and Ray sighed and let go of Rowan's hand as he stood up. "Because the pair of you provoke each other and enjoy riling one another, don't you dare deny it, Mam," he told her when her mouth opened to protest. "I going outside for a smoke," he informed them as he left via the back door and a tabby cat passed him into the kitchen. Maggie looked down at her cat and sniffed when she flicked her tail dismissively. She turned her attention back to Rowan. "Would you like another cup of tea, Rowan? And you'll have to tell me about these feuds your Grandmother has, see if I can't pick up a few new tricks," she smiled slyly and winked as she refilled Rowan's mug with tea.

Rowan looked after Ray longingly, she was dying for one too, and he was leaving her alone with his mother. She turned to Maggie.

"Um, thank you," she replied, as Maggie filled her cup. "Well, it's mostly farms where I grew up in Virginia, farms and a small town so there's lots of space. Most of the people in the area are intimidated by her, she's a very singular person. Bess Lewis is about the only person who faces off against her, mostly because of Bess' son, Foster. He constantly caused trouble and Gem took exception to it and decided he needed to be taught a lesson. Bess did not approve," Rowan shrugged.

"Now, Foster's nearly as bad. His daughter, Dee, is real trouble and she and her father caused a problem a number of months ago for my nephew JT. So Gem and JT's brother Junior got in touch with me and asked if he could come stay with me. I said yes. So, he works at the restaurant and he's happy."

She looked down and toyed with the pieces of the sausage roll still on her plate. "I really should go back and visit. I haven't been back in over 10 years," she admitted and sighed before looking back up at Maggie and smiling.

Maggie gaped at her. "I thought 3 years without seeing my son was a long time! 10 years! Blimey Rowan!" she gasped. "That is way too long, your poor family, I'll bet they miss you like crazy," she said seriously and glanced out the window at Ray as he leant against the small wall. "I know that 3 years without seeing my Ray and just a glimpse of him makes me incredibly happy," she said and patted Rowan's hand. "Make sure you always make time for family," she advised wisely. "You probably mean the world to them."

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Ray sat silently as he looked over the familiar small, neat, pretty garden and smoked. Rowan and his Mam seemed to be getting on okay. But Rowan seemed nervous, she would be fine, though. Maggie had taken an instant liking to her, as he had predicted. He knew that his Mam had been getting anxious that he wouldn't ever settle down, he had put her mind at ease and for that he knew Maggie would welcome Rowan easily and with open arms.

"They're Kin, rather than blood relation," Rowan explained. "My parents died and my sister disowned me and so I left and went to college. Moved here. My sister and her husband still lived there so I stayed away, but she moved away so now I'm thinking about going back," she finished. "I miss them."

Maggie nodded sympathetically. "Trust me dear, they probably miss you, too," she smiled.

"I love Ray. He means the world to me, I...I never thought I'd find someone like him," Rowan said softly. She was tempted, so very tempted to tell Ray's mother about the baby, but she stopped herself. Ray needed to be told first. But Maggie's touch made her instantly want to trust the woman. "I hope we'll have a family someday."

Maggie's face brightened. Grandchildren? She had almost given up hope. She glanced back out the window at Ray and then back at Rowan. "Have you two talked about a family?" she questioned curiously.

Rowan followed Maggie's gaze and stared out the window at Ray and felt her heart beat faster. She swallowed hard and shook her head.

"No," she said. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. "I, um, I don't know how to start."

She turned to look back at Maggie. "I was married, a long time ago, to a monster. It only lasted a year, he left me and after it was over I traveled all over the UK for ten years, by myself, avoiding any kind of relationships, any kind. Then, I moved to Walford and I ended up with a best friend who's like a sister, and bought a cafe and then I met Ray and everything changed," she paused, "for the better. I wanted to stop moving, I wanted to stay. Then I sold the cafe back to the woman I bought it from and bought a restaurant with a flat over it and Ray moved in. This is all still so new to the both of us, being in a relationship. We've both been mostly alone a long time."

Rowan watched him walk away from the window and heaved a sigh and unthinkingly put a hand to her belly. She quickly raised it and pushed her hair behind her ear.

Maggie listened silently as Rowan talked. She was glad Ray had someone who loved him and that he was with someone he loved. "Regarding talking to him about a family, just wait until you're ready and the moment feels right," she advised with a small smile and followed Rowan's gaze to Ray. "he might surprise you," she shrugged.

"He's softened quite a bit since we got together, but I don't know..." she trailed off and looked down and toyed with her teacup. "I wasn't sure I could have kids, my ex...damaged...me. When a friend of mine got pregnant it made me think, about the possibility. So I went to see a doctor and found out I can, it will just be a bit difficult, take longer, she said..." Rowan trailed off again and looked at Maggie. "And I don't know why I'm telling you all this when I haven't even told him about it," she said and swiped at her eyes and sniffed.

She was tempted once again to tell Maggie. She fought the urge back. Ray deserved to know first, he had to know first.

Maggie nodded and cradled her mug. "He knows about your ex, yes? So, all you need to do is tell him exactly what you just told me," she smiled supportively "And I'm always here to talk of you need to, okay," she squeezed Rowan's hand.

Rowan smiled at Maggie and nodded as she squeezed the woman's hand back.

She let go of Maggie's hand and reached down to fish in her bag. She pulled out a cigarette and her lighter.

"I need...I'll...I'll be right back," she stammered and brushed her cheeks with her sleeve as she stood up and headed outside. She blew out a long breath let herself half-lean, half-fall against the wall as she lit up. She took a long drag and blew it out slow as she glanced over at Ray, who was chatting to his mother's neighbor. She took several deep, cleansing breaths, telling herself not to cry. It wouldn't do, not here, not now. She took another drag and quickly put her hand down to hide its shaking.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Ray glanced through the kitchen window and saw the pair of them in conversation. Maybe this wasn't wise, what were they discussing? He hoped it wasn't about him, that could be embarrassing. Especially some of the stuff his mother had a tendency to spout. He sighed as he took a long drag on his cigarette.

"Ray Carling!" a voice exclaimed and he turned to see the plump figure of Evelyn Shaw peering over fence. "Is that you? Come over here and let me have a look at you!"

Ray grinned and stubbed out his cigarette before going to the fence to greet his mother neighbour.

Ray noticed Mrs. Shaw's attention suddenly move to something behind him and he beamed at Rowan as he saw her. He turned back to the elderly woman and met her questioning glance with a grin "Rowan," he said simply and received a knowing nod before Evelyn Shaw turned and tottered back into her house. Ray chuckled and turned to make his way over to Rowan. He leant against the wall next to her and smiled down at her. "So, what d'you think?" he asked merrily. "And please try not to be so nervous, Mam likes you Ro," he told her gently as he slipped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead.

Rowan put out her cigarette and leaned into Ray and closed her eyes with a sigh. She straightened then and looked up at him.

"It's not your mother I'm entirely nervous about," she told him and bit her lip. She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "I have to talk to you. If…if I'd known we were going to come here today I would have told you last night, but I…I needed to get it into my head and pick my moment, but I nearly said something in there so I have to tell you now."

She realized she wasn't making much sense and stopped talking. She gnawed the inside of her lip and forced herself to meet his gaze. "I...um…well, you know I'm like clockwork and well, I was late, so I did a test last night, and um…." she looked down and then back up at him. "I'm pregnant," she finally said, the words barely above a whisper. There, she'd done it. No matter how he reacted, she'd finally got it out.

Ray blinked at her. Had she just said...? She had. He wasn't sure how to react. They had never discussed kids; they hadn't discussed having a family. He gaped down at her, a baby? He didn't know anything about kids, he didn't know how to change a nappy or even hold a baby!

Ray's hand slid to rest on her stomach in awe, there was a baby in there? Really? He would never have guessed.

Did she want a baby? He didn't know, his gaze went to her face and studied her features, did she think this was a good thing or a bad thing? He had had to strain to hear he say the last bit: that she was pregnant. He pressed his lips to her forehead lightly and then pulled back and looked down at her face.

"Is being pregnant a good thing or a bad thing, Ro? We've never talked about kids, I don't know if you want them or not," he told her softly.

She could see the shock and a little bit of fear in his eyes. She felt the same. She'd babysat a lot growing up, but mostly small children, never babies. Not because she couldn't, but all the small kids liked Rowan and she rarely had time for the babies. Her sister usually minded babies when it came to that.

She looked into his eyes. "I know we haven't, to be honest, I wasn't sure if I could. Brian…damaged me. I did go see a doctor to find out. I thought…if we ever did decide to discuss it I could tell you that I can, but it just wouldn't be as easy. I should have taken precautions, but I kept getting busy and distracted and I forgot. I'm sorry for that."

She reached up and touched his cheek.

"I want it to be a good thing, Ray. I'm only a few weeks along, six at the most, so if you're not ready, I'll understand, I will. I love you so much and I didn't intend for this to happen. It was an accident. So, please, if we need to wait, I promise I'll understand. But, I want a family with you."

She traced her fingers over his cheek and along his chin before lowering her hand and waited, keeping her gaze fixed on his.

Ray's eyes widened at her and he slipped his arms around her waist.

"Rowan Tremaine, if you are pregnant then we are having this baby, and we are going to be bloody good parents an all," he told her decisively and nodded at her. She wasn't going to even contemplate getting rid of a child, because it wasn't going to happen.

"Besides, what if this is our only chance and when we decide we are ready then you can't! I'm not prepared to take that risk," he told her seriously and pulled her against him. "So, now do you feel less nervous?" he grinned at her.

Rowan slipped her arms up around his neck and smiled up at him.

"Yes, now I'm terrified," she chuckled and pulled him to her and kissed him.

"I want you to promise me one thing," she said after she slowly broke off the kiss. "You will not treat me like an invalid. Queen, yes, invalid, no," she said and smiled a slow smile. She raised an eyebrow at him.

Ray nodded his agreement. "I solemnly swear never to treat you like an invalid," he told her somberly then grinned down at her.

"Now we really have something to celebrate," she commented and pressed herself against him as she gave him a look. She glanced at the door and back at Ray.

"We can celebrate later," he said as he kissed the tip of her nose then glanced back at the house, the biscuit barrel was now on the table and a hand could be seen pulling out a biscuit.

"We should go in before she wonders what we are doing out here."

She slipped her arms from around his neck and took one of his hands in hers, lacing her fingers with his.

"Should we tell her?"

"I think she has the right to know she's gonna be a grandma, don't you?" he smiled at her "You may just make her week more than you have already," he said and pressed another kiss to her lips.

"Then I guess you're telling her today," she agreed and kissed him back. She remembered the look on Maggie's face that this news would even be possible, she would be excited, no question.

She broke off the kiss regretfully and held her face close to his. "Now, as much as I love standing here and kissing you, we should go back in before she comes looking for us."

She brushed her lips against his and looked into his eyes. "Besides, I'm not sure I can control myself much longer," she breathed and then stepped back and flashed him a smile.

She moved towards the door, giving his hand a gentle tug to get him to follow.

Ray grinned at her and opened the back door to go back in the kitchen and grinned. "Caught in the act!" he chuckled and gestured to Maggie's hand in the biscuit barrel. Maggie raised her eyebrows at him and snorted. She withdrew the biscuit and took a bite defiantly.

Ray tugged Rowan's hand and led her to the table and decided to sit down. "Mam, we've got some news," he said with a smile.

Maggie looked between the pair of them and raised her eyebrows. "Go on," she encouraged with a smile. Ray grinned at Rowan and squeezed her hand. "Ro's pregnant!" he told her. Maggie's face stayed blank for a moment as she looked from Ray to Rowan and back a few times. Then her face split into a massive smile and she stood and hugged Ray tightly then turned to Rowan and enveloped her in a hug, too.

"Congratulations!" she said excitedly and brushed a few tears from her eyes.

"Mam, why are you crying?" Ray asked.

Maggie slapped his shoulder lightly. "I'm happy, Ray!" she shooed at him to move out of her way.

Rowan sat and held Ray's hand tightly. She knew Maggie's reaction was likely being caused by the conversation she and Maggie had had earlier. That maybe they were just kidding.

She hugged Maggie back and gave her a small smile.

"It's really early days yet, I only found out last night," she told Maggie and took a drink of her tea. "But, we're happy," she said and glanced at Ray.

She put a hand to her belly and realized the two sausage rolls she'd eaten hadn't been enough. She was still hungry. She would have to convince Ray to stop somewhere to get something to eat on their way to the B&B, maybe at the cafe she used to work at.

Maggie beamed at them. "I'm glad at any rate," she pointed her finger at Ray. "It's about time you settled down, young man!" she told him as she seated herself once more. Ray nodded at her bashfully and looked at Rowan; a baby. He could see himself settling down with Rowan and their kid, he wondered whether it would be a boy or a girl. Ray blinked a few time, that was getting too far ahead, he had only just found out she was having his kid and he was busy choosing what they were having.

Ray finally drained his mug if tea and noticed that Rowan's was empty too. He wanted to find somewhere to eat and as much as he loved sausage rolls and biscuits they didn't fill him up. He carried their empty mugs to the sink and then leant and gave his mum a swift kiss on the cheek. "We'd best be off, Mam," he told her and she nodded at him, she didn't want him to go, she hadn't seen him in 3 years and one measly visit for a few hours wasn't enough "Don't you leave it another 3 years before you come back to see me!"

Ray shook his head. "You are joking, we wont be able to get rid of you when this baby's born!" he grinned and smiled at Rowan. Maggie swatted him. "Don't go getting ahead of yourself, Ray, take each day..."

"As it comes," he finished for her. "I know, Mam," he said and kissed her forehead before straightening and Maggie stood, too.

Rowan watched Ray interact with his mother. She was sure few ever saw him like this, likely no one.

She smiled broadly at Rowan as Ray made to leave and she cleared her throat. "Ahem, you can't leave without a hug," she told Rowan. "Dems the rules" she shrugged and Ray chuckled to himself.

Rowan gladly hugged Maggie back and smiled at the woman. She pulled a card out of her pocket and handed it to Maggie.

"Anytime," she told the woman. "And there's a spare room. My number is on the back."

Maggie let go of Rowan and held her hands on her shoulders as she beamed at her. "You ever need anything you give me a call alright, even if it's because you need to talk to someone about Curlylocks over there," she smiled and patted Rowan's shoulder before letting go and waving her hands at them "Go on, off with the pair of you," she smiled and Ray blew her a kiss before pulling Rowan out of the house and leading her back to the car.

Rowan nodded at Maggie's comment and chuckled at her nickname for Ray. She grabbed hold of Ray's hand and followed him out after a final wave at his mother.

"So, that was my Mam," he smiled as he buckled himself in.

"I can't wait until I take you to meet Gem, then you can have a taste of the same nerves I just had," she teased him.

"Now where'd you want to go, I dunno about you but I'm starving."

She heard her stomach growl in agreement with Ray's remark and blushed.

"Well, the cafe I used to work at is just around the corner from the B&B where I lived," she rummaged in her bag and pulled out a small plastic box. She flipped through it and found a card and handed it to Ray. "Wasn't sure I could remember the address exactly, so I brought my business card collection," she told him as she gave it over. "Think you can find it okay?"

Ray took the card from her and read the address. He nodded at her and handed her back the card as he started to drive.

Ray pulled up outside a Cafe and looked from the building to Rowan."Is this the place?" he asked with a smile.

Rowan nodded and smiled.

"Let's go, I'm hungry," she said and climbed out of the car. She waited for him to walk around the car and then slid her arm around his waist and walked inside the cafe with him. She smiled at the girl behind the counter.

"I'll have the chicken pie and chips, please," Rowan ordered, "and a cup of tea."

She looked at Ray and then her attention was distracted by someone coming out of the back.

"Oh my god, Rowan is that you?" the woman cried and came running around the counter to grab Rowan in a hug. Rowan hugged the woman back and let go.

"How are you, Diane?" she asked as she met the woman's bright blue eyes.

"Oh, you know how it is, busy as usual," Diane sniffed and tossed her long, black braid over her shoulder. She spotted Ray and looked at Rowan, raising one of her eyebrows.

"And what's this then? I didn't think men existed in your universe," the woman teased.

Rowan blushed. "This is Ray," she introduced.

Diane smoothed the front of her apron and held out her hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you," she said kindly and looked at Rowan.

Ray grinned at Diane. "You too," he said back and looked at the menu once Diane let him go. "Steak and kidney pie, please, and another cup of tea," he smiled at her and took the mug once it was done and went to join the two women at the table.

"I can see the attraction," she said in an approving tone as she looked Ray up and down. She let go of Ray's hand, grabbed up the cup of tea the girl had placed on the counter and handed it to Rowan.

"Let's sit down. Iris will bring the food over," Diane said as she put an arm around Rowan's shoulders and led her to a table. "You know, our Joey pined for you for months when you left."

Rowan gave her a look.

"Hey, I told him on a constant basis that you weren't interested, but do you think my idiot brother would listen? Of course not," she pushed Rowan to sit and then sat down with her. "He finally moved to the other side of town and met a girl, so all's well. Now, tell me what you've been up to. Where did you go?"

"I went to London, Walford to be exact. I met Ray and I own a restaurant now," Rowan summed up. Diane's jaw dropped.

"Well," she huffed in surprise. "You've been busy."

Rowan grinned.

"So," Diane began as she leaned over to Rowan while Ray was still at the counter. "How did you meet _him_?" she asked, her tone envious.

"He used to work with a friend of mine, well, he still does. She had left her job, moved to Walford, I met her and convinced her to go see this man she was in love with, who happened to be her boss. I went with her and met Ray. We've been together ever since," Rowan explained.

Diane looked over at Ray as he got his tea from Iris.

"I want a job there," she muttered.

"He's a DI, Diane," Rowan chuckled and took a sip of her tea.

"And a copper, I don't think I like you anymore," she groaned and smiled as Ray approached.

"Rowan tells me you're a DI," Diane said as she put her elbows on the table, laced her fingers and propped her chin on her hands.

Rowan shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Ray took a sip of his tea and nodded with a smile at Diane. "Yup, work down in Walford," he told her and sneaked a look at Rowan: she was going to have his baby, he still couldn't quite believe it.

Diane raised an eyebrow and looked at Rowan with a smirk.

"So, you went all the way to London and ended up with a Northern bloke," she teased.

Rowan sighed and ran her hands over her face.

Diane looked up as Iris brought the food over.

"Well, I'm going to leave you to it," she said as she stood up. She walked around and gestured Rowan to stand up and gave her a hug.

"It was good to see you. Believe it or not, I missed you working here."

"Thanks, Diane, it was good to see you, too," Rowan said as she patted Diane's back fondly and let the woman go.

"And it was very nice to meet you," Diane said to Ray and then winked at Rowan. She flashed them both a smile and then headed back to her kitchen.

Rowan looked at Ray as she took a sip of her tea. "So, this is where I used to work, before I went to Walford," she remarked and took a bite of her pie.

Ray grinned at her. "I got that much when everyone seemed to know you Rowan, also that you gave me the address to show me in the first place," he snorted playfully but looked around and smiled.

Rowan chuckled and gave him a joking punch in the arm. "Cheek," she snorted back.

"It's nice, you cooked? Or were you on the main desky bit?" he asked and gestured vaguely to where they had ordered their tea. He studied her as he took a bite out of his pie and nodded. It was good. "Food's good," he commented as he took another mouthful.

"I did both. Diane's the one that helped me perfect my steak and kidney pie," she told him. "I loved it here, but her brother drove me a bit nuts. He was convinced he was in love with me. I hated to do it to Diane, but I had to go. Glad I did, because shortly after, I met you," she told him and took his hand and squeezed it.

Ray squeezed back. "Then I'm glad too, but Ro, I'm gonna be needing that hand back, I'm starving," he grinned as he let go of her hand and eased his out of her grasp. He resumed his eating and glanced around again before looking back at her curiously. "So how long did you live up here for?" he asked.

She huffed out a breath and let go of his hand, shaking her head at him. She wondered what had him in such a playful mood. Seeing his mother after so long? The baby? She ate some more of her food and watched him look around.

"Um, only about five months. When I finished going around Scotland, I started in the Northeast and worked my way west and ended up here. I liked it here actually. Diane was always very good to me and she was friendly, but never pushy which I appreciated," she told him. "I think I probably told her more about my personal life in that conversation I had with her than I did the whole time I was here," she chuckled and shrugged.

Ray smiled at her as he mopped up the last of the gravy on his plate with a piece of the pastry. He finished his meal and pushed his plate away from him a little. "It's nice, Diane seems alright," he nodded. "I think she was a little shocked at seeing you after all this time," he remarked then raised an eyebrow at her curiously. "Do you not keep in touch with people you know?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Walford has been an all around first for me. I traveled. I didn't stay in places more than a few months, I didn't make friends. I just...I don't know. I was friendlier with some people, Diane for example, but I didn't share intimate details about my life or anything. It was just so hard to trust people and I always felt...I don't know...out of place. And you get used to it after awhile. Being alone and going wherever the mood takes you, nothing to tie you down."

She toyed with her tea mug and shrugged.

"Now, I don't think I could stand it," she told him and turned to meet his gaze. "I couldn't sleep for one thing, not alone, not without you. And I would miss my friends now that I've made some. It's like a whole new family," she trailed a finger down his cheek and smiled before taking one of his hands and putting it on her belly.

"And this, too," she added as she held his hand. She blinked back tears and stood up and leaned over and began to whisper in his ear.

She kissed his cheek before hurrying up to the counter to pay for their food. She handed Iris her card.

"If you could give that to Diane, the food was excellent as usual," she told the girl and flashed her a quick smile before turning to Ray.

Ray smiled at her and linked his hand with hers as he walked her back to the car and opened the door for her to get in. He climbed in the other side and eyed her as he sat behind the wheel. "So, where d'you want to go now? We've gone to my old workplace, my old local, my Mam's, your old workplace," he shrugged at her. "Where now?" he smiled.

Rowan kept her jaw firmly shut. Where now? As if he didn't know. Clearly he needed more persuading, not that she minded. She shifted in her seat and wound an arm around his neck and pulled him close. She pointed out the windscreen.

"Go that way, turn right at the end of the street, the B&B is on the left side of the road. I want us to go there and then I want..." she trailed off and began to whisper in his ear again, this time, sliding her hand up the inside of his thigh. She leaned back to look at him and smiled before kissing him, a soft, lingering kiss.

Ray couldn't control the small growl that left him at her words and touch of her hand. His eyes darkened as he fired up the engine and pulled away from the cafe and drove them around the corner to the B&B. He tossed her the keys as he slammed his car door shut and stalked into the building to get them a room.

Rowan let out a small yelp as she fell back into her seat as the car leapt from the curb. She barely caught the keys as she tossed them to her. She climbed out of the car, locked it and followed him inside. She walked up and stood next to him at the desk, wrapping her arm around his with a small smile.

Ray almost snatched the key off the guy at the desk in his haste to get upstairs, he tugged Rowan's hand and half-pulled her along with him as he marched along the landing and found their room. Ray opened the door and pulled Rowan inside with him then shut the door behind him and turned his gaze to her with undisguised greed!

Rowan bit back another remark as he pulled her, stumbling up the stairs, behind him. It was a good thing he had hold of her, she reasoned, her legs were shorter and his hand was keeping her from falling. She caught her balance and managed to keep up once they were in the hall but couldn't help another cry of surprise when he pulled her into the room behind him.

She staggered slightly and caught her balance as he shut the door and then met his gaze. She knew the same look was in her eyes and she felt herself shiver and slowly pulled her hand from his to unzip her jacket and pull it off. She tossed it aside, moved towards him and put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself as she unzipped her boots and pulled them off. She tossed them aside and then put her other hand on his shoulder as she pressed herself to him.

She tilted her head, leaning it back slightly as she looked at him, before pulling him down for a kiss.

Ray immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her as close as he could. It wasn't enough; he needed to feel her skin: his hands journeyed downwards and then underneath her top and travelled up the soft skin of her back, pressing her to him even more. He broke the kiss reluctantly, but seized the hem of her top and pulled it over her head, discarding it on the floor as he walked her backwards to the bed.

Ray kicked off his shoes as the backs of Rowan's legs hit the side of the bed and he lifted her so she was sitting on it as he pulled off his own top and encouraged her to lie down. His eyes trailed over her torso greedily and he pressed his lips to the soft skin of her neck and trailed his way down until he met the swell of her breasts. He frowned as he came into contact with her bra, but removed the obstruction easily before running his hands down her and kissing his way back up to her face.

Rowan gasped out Ray's name at the feel of his lips on her body. Even after all this time he still ignited more desire in her than she had thought possible for a person to do. She was desperate for him.

She clutched at his shirt and clumsily dragged it over his head as he pulled off her bra. Her breathing quickened at the feel of his skin under her hands. She loved to touch him. She let her hands travel over his back as she arched herself towards him, the feel of his lips and occasional tickle from his moustache already beginning to drive her insane.

Ray breathed her name against her neck, then detached himself and looked down at her face. She was perfect, his eyes ran over her again and his hands flew to her trousers and began to undo them and pull them off her. He threw them down onto the floor behind him and ran his hands down her legs.

"Rowan," he murmured as he crawled onto the bed next to her and then rolled on top again. He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and took her lips once more.

Rowan wound her fingers into his hair and kissed him back deeply. She broke off the kiss, moving her lips to kiss the line of his jaw and to his neck.

"Oh, Ray," she breathed in his ear and moved her lips to his neck again. She pulled her lips from his neck and trailed her fingers down his chest and to his waist as she looked up at him. She slid a finger into the waist of his trousers and tugged at them gently.

"You're wearing too many clothes," she whispered, her voice thick with lust as she eyed him. He was so magnificent.

Ray looked down at his trousers then at her and his hands went to his belt buckle and his trousers dropped, he kicked them off the bed onto the floor. Ray took her lips in a kiss again as he divested himself of his boxers and threw them away too.

He pulled away and looked at her again, the mixture of lust and love he felt for this woman was unbelievable. It was a wonder that he could control himself at all whenever she was around.

He started at her neck and kissed his way down her body, teasing her breasts as he made his way down to the elastic of her knickers, he eased them down her legs slowly then discarded them.

Rowan met his gaze and shivered again as her breath came in harsh rasps.

She cried out helplessly as he kissed his way down her body. His touch was all it took to make her burn.

Ray took her face in his hands and kissed her as he thrust into her, a groan escaping him as he traced one hand down her side.

Rowan cried out into the kiss and wound a leg around his as her hands went around his neck slid along his shoulders as she reveled in the feel of him inside her. Every time it was new and thrilling and wonderful.

Ray groaned as she wrapped herself around him and deepened the kiss, she was incredible. He didn't think that he would ever get enough of her.

Rowan arched herself to meet his every thrust. She felt herself nearing the edge and couldn't hold back anymore. His name began as a low moan in her throat and became a scream.

Her release set him off and Ray cried out her name as he came and clutched her to him tightly. He panted against her forehead and planted a soft kiss there as he pulled away, he smiled down at her and gathered up a handful of the duvet and pulled it over them as he held her to him and placed a protective hand over her tummy. "Love you, Ro," he mumbled into her hair.

Rowan cuddled against him and put a hand over his where it rested on her belly.

"I love you, too," she breathed and pressed a kiss against his shoulder. She sighed contentedly as she looked up at him and squeezed his hand gently. "I'm...I'm so happy I'm having a baby with you. It's something I never even thought about until I met you and fell in love with you."

She pressed her face against his shoulder and met his gaze again with a small smile.

Ray smiled down at her and pressed his lips against hers gently before sighing and pulled his head away from hers to rest his chin on the top of her head. "Me too, Ro," he said softly and smiled.

Rowan settled her head against him and moulded herself to him, moving the hand that had been holding his and winding it around him. She always felt happiest when she was in his arms, now more than ever. She felt a tear trace its way down her cheek and closed her eyes.

Ray held her close and brushed a kiss over her hair as he settled comfortably into the pillows and sighed happily once more as he fell asleep.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\

"Oh, just a bit of personal business. My assistant organized some appointments with some contacts of people interested in booking some pheasant hunting and things like that. I don't really have to see to it personally, but I had to get out of there, for a few days at least," Declan replied with a smile. He had to envy Jack, Alyssa was so lovely. He grabbed another piece of pizza and tried not to stare.

"I hope you'll come to our wedding, it's in June," Jack reminded him.

"I think I can probably manage it. I'll check with my assistant to make sure, but I'll make it. Will it be here?" Declan wanted to know.

Alyssa smiled at him and stood up. "Hang on, we've got a couple of the invitations back yesterday," she said as she left them in the kitchen and made her way into the lounge. Alyssa dug around in the folder until she found the small pile of invitations they had got printed. She grabbed a pen and wrote Declan's name on the top of one then brought it back to the kitchen. She handed it to him and sat back down with a smile. "That should have everything on it," she smiled as she picked another slice of pizza.

Max and Davina went to the pub. Max was tired of the tension with her and the girls being there and needed to get out.

Whitney's jaw dropped at the sight of the car.

"No idea, but, wow, it's nice, yeah?" she remarked. She tore her gaze away from the car and looked at Brett and gave him a quick kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said and climbed from his car.

She walked up to the door after giving Brett a quick wave and let herself in. She could smell pizza and realized she was hungry. She dropped her bag onto the table near the stairs and headed into the kitchen.  
>"Hi, Jack, hi, Alyssa," she greeted as she opened the fridge and pulled out one of her diet sodas. She turned around and blinked. She looked at Declan, then at Jack, and back again.<p>

"Um, hi, who are you?" she asked curiously.

"This is my cousin, Declan, he's here on business and is going to be staying here for a couple of days."

Her eyebrows went up, but she walked over and shook Declan's hand. A man just as fit as Jack, but clearly minted. She had Brett now, though. But it didn't stop her from drooling.

"This is Whitney, she rents the other spare room," Jack explained.

"Nice to meet you," Declan said as he shook Whitney's hand.

"Ah, thank you. I'll email my assistant the details and she can make sure it gets on my calendar. She can be snappy, but she's fairly efficient," he remarked to Alyssa and glanced at Whitney who kept staring at him.

She couldn't help but smile at Whitney's reaction to Declan, but she turned and grabbed down another plate. She handed it to Whitney. "So how did the project go? It was the presentation today right?" she queried.

Declan turned to Jack and started discussing old times.

Whitney jumped slightly and looked at Alyssa.

"Yeah, it was. I think I did all right. I'll know for sure tomorrow. Brett was a great help. Then we'll find out what the next project will be, although everyone is saying it will be something for children. If it is, I'm getting Tiffany...or Morgan...depending on if it will be for boys or girls," she shrugged and grinned before leaning over to Alyssa.

"I really can't believe how much he looks like Mr. Rimmer," she whispered. "I mean, he's obviously minted and a lot more posh, but still," she glanced over at Declan and Jack again before applying herself to her food.

Alyssa smiled and shifted her chair away from the two men so she was sat closer to Whitney. "I know," she murmured back. "I didn't know he was coming so when he turned up I thought he was Jack, I may have kissed him before he got the chance to introduce himself," she admitted. "I've been trying to find a difference between them but there isn't much to go on," she added as she moved her gaze to the two men once more.

Whitney gasped and put a hand over her mouth at Alyssa's confession. She bit her lip, glanced at Jack and Declan and then back at Alyssa.

"Was he a better kisser than Jack?" she asked with a large, wicked grin.

Alyssa smiled. "It wasn't the kind of kiss you can compare," she explained. "It was just a brief kiss, he was a little shocked," she added then smiled then looked back over at the pair of them.

"Ooooh, I'll bet he was!" Whitney whispered back. She grinned. "If I wasn't with Brett, I'd certainly give it a try," she added.

"What are you two whispering about over there?" Jack asked, narrowing his eyes at the pair of them. Declan raised his eyebrows and looked over curiously, but stayed quiet.

Alyssa grinned at Whitney and then looked over at Jack with an innocent expression. She raised her eyebrows at him. "Nothing important," she shrugged. "Just discussing Whitney's plans for her next project," she smiled mischievously and looked back at Whitney before hiding her smirk by taking a bite out of a slice of pizza.

Whitney grinned back. "Yeah, I think the next one might be child related," she added.

"So, you're a fashion student?" Declan asked.

"Yeah, I have a stall on the Square and website and I sell t-shirts I designed," she explained.

"Ambitious," he remarked and drained his beer.

"How about we go to the pub for a bit?" Jack suggested.

Whitney picked up her plate and put another slice of pizza on it. "If you will excuse me, I have homework to finish," she said. "It was nice to meet you, Declan."

"You too," Declan said back to her.

Whitney grinned at Alyssa and headed upstairs.

"So, what do you think?" Jack asked and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa smiled at Whitney as she ran off then turned her attention back to the two identical men in front of her and nodded. "Sure," she smiled and looked down at herself. "I'm just gonna go and get changed," she added as she realised she was still dressed in her work clothes. She smiled at them as she left the table and ran upstairs.

Declan looked over at Jack.

"You are one lucky man. She's really something, Jack."

"Yeah, she is. I'm crazy about her. I can't believe I got so lucky," he said and grinned.

"I can't either. I mean, look at you, you're hideous!"

Jack burst out laughing and clapped Declan on the shoulder.

Alyssa changed out of her smart skirt and blouse into a pair of jeans and a random top she picked from her wardrobe. She ran a brush through her hair and slipped on a pair of ankle boots before making her way back downstairs.

She went back into the kitchen and grabbed the last of her pizza off her plate then placed the plate in the sink. She looked over at the two of them and smiled. "Ready?"

Max went in and got their drinks and then brought Davina back outside so he could have a quick cigarette. She stood and chatted with him idly, telling herself over and over again that it was Max she'd come back to see.

Jane snorted in aggravation when she saw that Max was at the pub with Davina. Why couldn't they just have stayed at his house? She turned back to her brother and Syed and took a sip of her wine before laughing at one of Christian's jokes.

She shouldn't have let herself get so soft on Max.

/\/\/\\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\

Brett pulled away from the house once Whitney had got inside and raked his eyes over the car outside as he drove past. He blew out a breath appreciatively as he tore his gaze away and wondered whether it was time to get a new car himself, he loved this one, but the one parked outside Rimmer's place...wow! He would have to have a chat with his Dad.

Brett drove past the pub and a familiar figure caught his attention. He slowed down as he went past. Davina Shackleton! No Way! Not only was Jack Rimmer here, but now Davina too! He smirked, poor Jack, added complications for him. He smiled and beeped his horn as he drew close to get her attention and winked at her as he drove past.

Max and Davina looked up as the person driving past the pub honked at them. Max frowned at the kid, he thought it was that boy Whitney was seeing, but Davina had gone white as a sheet!

He put a hand on Davina's arm as the vehicle left the Square, her gaze following it. Brett Aspinall! What the bloody hell was he doing here? Surely he didn't live here! Jack would have said last time. She looked at Max finally, and gave him a small smile.

"I'm fine, that just...looked like an old student of mine," she said blithely and sipped her wine.

"Ah," was all Max said. Davina glanced back after Brett, but he was already gone. This could put a crimp in her plan. Brett was the last person she wanted to see. She turned to Max again and smiled cheerily.

"Should we go back to yours when we've finished these?"

/\/\/\\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\

Brett puzzled the situation through in his mind, not only was Jack Rimmer here, but Davina was too. Davina, the woman Jack had stolen from him, but now Jack had Alyssa. So...he put a stop to that thought immediately: he had Whitney now. Davina had looked as though she was with that man outside the pub.

/\/\/\\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\

Gene finally calmed down enough to go back inside. He hung up his coat, grabbed a beer from the fridge and pressed a quick kiss to the back of Alex's neck before heading into the front room to sit down. He stared at the TV blankly, feeling slightly drained and tired. He would be glad when dinner was over and he could go to bed.

Alex dished up the food as Molly came out of Sam's room. "He's asleep, Mum," she informed Alex quietly. Alex nodded and handed Molly a tray with a plate for Gene and a can. "Give that to Gene, Molls," she replied, she didn't think that he was going to be in the mood to join her and Molly at the table but gave him the option anyway. Molly took the tray and set it down on the table in front of Gene with a small smile then went back over to the table to join Alex and eat her own food.

Gene glanced at the tray and then back at the television with a sigh. He picked up the beer and popped it open. He wasn't really hungry now.

Alex watched him go with a sigh and then directed her gaze back at Molly. Molly gave her mum a worried look. "He'll be fine Molls, he's just frustrated and a little bit angry," she explained.

Alex and Molly finished their dinner and Alex left Molly watching TV once she had promised to be in bed before midnight and retreated to the bedroom. She gazed at the shape in the bed that she automatically identified as Gene and got herself changed into her nightshirt then crawled into bed next to him. She sighed as she looked at his face and stayed facing him as she fell asleep.

Gene shifted when he felt Alex get into bed with him and rolled over to wrap his arms around her. He pressed a kiss to her lips and held her close.

/\/\/\\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\

Max leaned over to Davina.

"You know, the girls should be asleep now. Fancy an early night?" he asked her. Davina looked at him a moment, smiled and drained her wine.

"I'm ready," she stated.

Max double-checked the girls weren't downstairs and then turned to Davina with a smile before pulling her into his arms.

"Shall we go up?" she asked him. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before letting her go, taking her hand and leading her up to his room.

/\/\/\\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\

Jack grabbed his coat and tossed Declan's over to him.

"Ready," he said and grabbed her hand. He pulled her from the house and looped her arm through his as he started walking to the pub.

Declan pulled his coat on and followed behind them.

Jack led Alyssa and Declan into the pub and ordered the drinks.

Jane looked up and saw Alyssa and excused herself from the table.

"Hi, Alyssa, Jack," she said and smiled. She did a double take when she saw Declan, but recovered quickly.

"How are the wedding plans going?" she asked.

Alyssa nodded at Jane. "Good, thanks, we got the wedding invites back yesterday so I don't think there's much left to sort. Rowan is catering for the reception," she smiled.

"Tell her if she needs any help to let me know. I don't have any gigs for a couple of weeks at that time so I'm happy to help. Peter will be done at school so I won't have to give him any help at the chippy either."

She grinned. "I've got my final dress fitting this weekend," she added adage reached for her glass and took a sip.

"How're you?" she asked.

Jack sipped his pint and looked at Jane.

"Don't you have your weekly dinner with Max tonight?"

Jane looked at Jack in surprise, but nodded.

"Yeah, normally, but he has company it seems. Tall, leggy and blond company," she shrugged. She didn't want anyone to suspect she was upset. "So, I gave the food to Christian and Syed and I've had some drinks and I'm going to head home now." She smiled cheerily and gave Jack a wink.

"I'll see you later," she said and headed out of the pub.

Jack saw Declan as he looked at Jane as she left. "That's Jane, she owns the cafe," Jack explained.

Declan nodded.

Alyssa waved at Jane as she left and turned back to Declan with a smile.

"Jane sold the café to my sister originally but Rowan sold it back to her and bought herself a restaurant," she explained.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Whitney got up to her room and immediately sent off a text to Molly.

"OMG! Rimmer's cousin visiting-looks just like him-totally identical!"

Molly nodded and grabbed her phone from her pocket as it went off. She grinned at Whitney's text.

"WOW! Really? Single? Lucky you! ;)" she sent back.

"I KNOW! Single Fit and MINTED! U shud see his car!" Whitney sent back to Molly then saw Brett's text. She grinned.

"YUM!" Molly sent back with a grin.

"You know it!" Whitney texted back to Molly.

"Nearly tempted 2 throw Brett over for him LOL"

"LOL! don't blame you! :D"

"But Brett is fit and rich too...lol" she sent to Molly.

"Point :D" Molly replied.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Whitney then sent off the same text to Brett that she'd sent to Molly before pulling her papers out and finishing her work.

Brett pulled out his phone as the ringing brought his thoughts back to earth. He raised his eyebrows at the text.

"Awesome! He own the car? Xx"

"Yes, it's his. He's from Yorkshire and he is sooo RICH!" she sent back to Brett.

Brett raised his eyebrows at the text back from Whitney.

"Identical but rich LOL! He's from Yorkshire? Does he talk funny? Xx"

"He sounds like Mr. Rimmer only more posh," she sent back to Brett

"Posher and Richer! Wow :)"

"He's going to be here a few days." she sent to Brett.

"Will hav 2 come round urs and c :D xxx" he sent back.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I see," Declan said in response. His eyes lit up at Alyssa's comment about a sister. "So, is she as lovely as you and single?" he wanted to know.

Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. Declan looked at him.

"She's pretty yes, but she is very much not single. If you looked at her wrong her boyfriend would probably pummel you," Jack explained and looked at Alyssa. "Tell me I'm not wrong! She's practically family and I'm afraid to hug her sometimes."

Declan thinned his mouth and looked at Jack, not quite believing him. He leaned over to Alyssa.

"You do know he's mad right?" he asked her and pointed at Jack, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

Alyssa chuckled and nodded at him. "Yes, but I think mad is a bit tame," she smiled and looked at Jack. "I'd choose the word, insane," she said and grinned at Jack but looked back at Declan. "He's not wrong about Ray though, if you eyeball Rowan then he will warn you off," she smiled.

Declan laughed at Alyssa's remark about Jack.

"Yes, I suppose insane is a more apt description," he agreed.

"So, I suppose I'm supposed to be denied at every turn," he sighed and drained his pint. He turned to Tracy at the bar.

"Can we get another round here?" he asked her and handed over the money.

Jack frowned. "Great, now he's going to gang up on me, too. I just can't get a break wherever I turn," he sighed.

Declan snorted a laugh. "Why should we go easy on you?"

"I don't have to let you stay in my house you know."

Declan chuckled and winked at Alyssa.

Alyssa smiled back at Declan and grinned at Jack. "I think you should count yourself lucky that Ray took Rowan up to Manchester. If she was here you would be in trouble," she commented with a chuckle as she drained her drink and took her new one off Tracey with a smile of thanks.

"And surely you couldn't be so heartless as to throw your poor cousin out on the street, Jack," she pouted playfully at him, her eyes dancing with amusement.

"He what?" Jack exclaimed. "They went to the bloody match didn't they?" he added with a howl of disappointment.

"And he's hardly poor!" he argued with a gesture at Declan.

"He's right about that, I'm not very poor at all," Declan agreed with a smirk. Jack shoved Declan's shoulder. Declan looked at him and shook his head.

Alyssa couldn't help but smile at Jack's reaction. "You couldn't go anyway, you were at work," she reminded him and chuckled at the pair of them.

After a few more drinks, Jack and Declan were finally ready to go home. Jack slung his arm around Alyssa's shoulders and led her from the pub.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rowan shifted and woke up with a soft sigh. She slid a hand across Ray's chest and kissed his shoulder before moving her hand to her belly.

She was going to have a baby, Ray's baby. She couldn't quite believe it. It was so exciting. And she'd met his mother. The only downside was the match had been a draw. She looked over at the clock. They were going to have to get moving. She propped her head on her fist and gazed at Ray. She never got tired of looking at him. She ran her thumb along his moustache and lips and leaned over to kiss him softly.

Ray snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him as the feel of her lips on his woke him. He responded immediately and broke the kiss lazily. He smiled at her as he rubbed his hand up her back.

"Morning," he smiled and dropped another kiss on her lips before letting go of her and stretching. His gaze caught the clock and he frowned slightly.

"Morning," she said after kissing him back and gave him a small smile.

"What time d'you have to be back?" he asked curiously as he forced himself to sit up.

She shrugged. "We should probably get moving," she remarked with a small sigh. "I need to see about getting a doctor's appointment booked for this," she told him as she patted her still flat belly. "Once we know everything is okay then we can start telling people if you want."

Rowan actually couldn't wait to tell people.

"We can take a shower together if you can keep your hands to yourself," she teased.

Ray grinned at her as he tumbled off the bed and stood up. "I'm making no promises," he told her with a smile as he took her hand and made her get out of bed.

He led her to the bathroom and let go of her hand as he switched on the flow of hot water and pulled her underneath with him.

Rowan chuckled at his remark. "I'm not sure I can keep my hands off you either," she said as he pulled her into the shower with him.

She looked him over appreciatively before grabbing up the shampoo and handing it to him after putting some in her hair. She was well aware of how she looked with her arms up and what happened as she vigorously washed her hair.

She noted the direction of Ray's gaze and turned her back on him as she continued to shampoo her hair. She kept turning her head to sneak glances at him. He was hard to resist when he was dripping wet.

Ray forced his gaze away from her as she turned her back, but it was hard. He kept sneaking glances at her back as he rubbed the shampoo into his hair. It took all of his self control to keep his hands to himself, the sight of her with water running down her body was hard to resist. But they didn't have time: They had to get back to London and the journey would take about 3 hours.

Ray turned his back to her in an attempt to stop himself pulling her against him and having his way with her. He hummed to himself to distract his mind as he stared intently at the tiled wall of the shower.  
>He rinsed the bubbles from his hair and washed himself over quickly, then stepped around her and grabbed himself a towel. He avoided looking at her as he dried himself and moved to the bedroom to get dressed.<p>

Rowan smirked as Ray turned his back on her. She admired his muscular back and legs as she felt her heartbeat speed up. She fisted her hands in the washcloth to keep from touching him and tried to wash as fast as she could.

She smiled as she listened to him humming and renewed her resolution to get him to sing for her.

She gazed after him longingly as he went to get dressed and quickly got herself rinsed and dried before going into the room to get dressed. She did so quickly and looked over at him.

"So, breakfast? Or hit the road?" she asked him. "I at least need some coffee."

Ray tugged on his socks and looked up at her. "Well, seeing as this is a Bed and Breakfast I'm sure we can have food, I'm starving," he shrugged at her and looked over the room to see whether they had forgotten anything, not that they had brought anything with them.

He looked over at her as he reached the door. "We eat breakfast, pay and then we are outta here," he smiled as he went out the door and headed down to the main reception area.

Rowan finished pulling on her boot and nodded. She picked up her bag and followed him downstairs. She sat down next to him and slipped her hand into his.

"I'll make this morning up to you later," she whispered to him before turning to order coffee and breakfast.

Ray nodded at her with a wistful smile and added his order too. He let go of her hand once they reached the table and he sat himself down.

"So, this doctor's appointment? You'll book it when we get back?" he asked curiously. They were going to have a baby. He couldn't quite get his head around it. It excited him as much as it scared him. What happened when you had a baby? The closest he had got to knowing was Gene's behaviour when Alex was pregnant and after when she had given birth to Sam. He wasn't sure how kids worked either. Again, the closest he had ever got was Alex's kids. And he didn't have much, if anything, to do with them at all.

Davina woke up and smiled at Max.

"Where you off to?" she asked.

"Have to get to the car lot. What about you?"

"Suppose I'll get out my laptop and see any job offers that have come in."

She climbed from the bed and walked over to him and looped her arms around his neck.

"And maybe having lunch with my favorite man," she smiled and kissed him. Max kissed her back.

"Sounds good. We can go to the cafe."

She nodded and went to get a shower.

Max headed off to the car lot. Davina breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone. She got ready for the day and grabbed her laptop and headed for the cafe.

Declan woke up and rubbed at his face. He got out of bed and pulled on his robe and checked the hall to see if anyone was about before slipping across to the bathroom to get a shower. He got showered and got dressed and then headed downstairs. He was dying for a cup of tea.

He went into the kitchen and switched the kettle on before looking around for the bread to make some toast.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alyssa wriggled in Jack's arms as she woke up to the sound of somebody moving around the hall. She groaned softly and snuggled into Jack's chest as she waited for the noises to stop. She sighed at the sound of footsteps finally retreating downstairs and raised her head to look at the time. She grumbled and reluctantly climbed out of Jack's arms.

Alyssa spared a fond look at her sleeping fiancé as she grabbed down her dressing gown and left the bedroom to go and get him a cup of tea for when he woke up. She made her way downstairs with a small yawn and waved at Declan as she spotted him in the kitchen.

"Morning," she smiled as she grabbed down two mugs and dropped a couple of teabags into them. She looked over at Declan. "What are your plans for today?" she asked as she waited patiently for the kettle to boil.

Declan looked up as Alyssa walked into the kitchen.

"Morning," he greeted. "I'm not entirely sure. I have a meeting in a couple of hours but apart from that..." he trailed off and gave her a small smile as he shrugged. "Did you have something in mind?"

Alyssa shook her head. "I've got work, otherwise I'd be more than happy to show you around," she said.

The kettle boiled and she turned around to make Jack's tea. She added a drop of milk to both mugs and turned back to Declan with a smile. "Help yourself to food," she told him as she left him in the kitchen and went back upstairs where she was greeted by the sound of the shower. She left Jack's tea next to the bed and went into the bathroom to grab her towel and then crossed the hall to the other bathroom.

"Well, that's a shame," he remarked, his voice tinged with regret. He watched her walk away and sighed.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jack woke up and swore as he looked at the clock. He jumped from the bed and hurried to the shower and hurriedly got ready for work.

Jack got out of the shower and smiled when he saw the tea Alyssa had left for him. He hurriedly got dressed and headed downstairs and grinned when he saw Declan.

"Morning, cuz," Jack greeted.

"So, I suppose you work today, too," he asked curiously.

"Yep, but we can meet up for lunch if you like. Rowan's restaurant is pretty good, unless you want something really posh," he teased.

"Sounds fine," Declan agreed and bit into his toast.

"Okay, I'll text you when I'm ready."

Declan nodded.

Alyssa dried her hair and dressed herself for work. She drained her tea and glanced at her reflection briefly then slipped on her shoes and made her way downstairs. She listened idly to the hum of conversation in the kitchen as she went around the front room and collected up her papers and packed her laptop into it's bag. She left her things resting against the side-table by the front door and went back into the kitchen.

Alyssa refilled her cup and grabbed herself a piece of bread which she placed into the toaster as she took her seat at the kitchen table with the two men and sipped her tea.

"Right," Declan began. "I'll see you at lunch then," he said to Jack. "I'm off."

He gave Alyssa a cheeky wink and headed out.

Jack gave him a quick wave and turned to Alyssa.

"See you later, love," Jack said to her as he pulled on his coat. "He and I are going to meet up for lunch at Rowan's if you want to come along. If not, I'll see you later."

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and smiled.

Alyssa waved them both off and sighed. Identical cousins. And the only ways she had of identifying who was who was the way they dressed, spoke and their voices. She jumped as the toaster popped and stood up to get her breakfast.

Alyssa ate her way through her food before grabbing her stuff from the sidetable and heading to the Salon.

As soon as she got to work Alyssa updated the appointment book and added in the new appointment for Thursday.

She decided that if Jack and Declan were eating at Rowan's then she would go along too. She wanted to make sure that Rowan would be at the Salon Thursday afternoon.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Declan drove through the Square and took note of the tall blond walking to the cafe before heading to his meeting.

Davina watched the flashy car drive by. That could NOT have been Jack driving! Could it? It looked like him but there was no WAY he could afford such a car. She told herself she was seeing things and headed into the cafe to get some breakfast and check her email.

Jane smiled and greeted Davina in a friendly enough manner, but inside she was seething! She forced herself calm. It wasn't Max's fault. This woman was more his "type" than Jane. Besides, did she really want romantic entanglements so soon after divorcing Ian? She sighed and set about getting Davina's order ready.

After dropping Molly off at the cafe, Gene went to the station and groaned in aggravation when he found out he was going to be in meetings with the Super all day.

Molly ordered herself a hot chocolate from Jane and waited patiently in the café for Peter.

Peter headed into the café and waved at Molly.

"You ready?" he asked her as he walked over to her.

Molly drained her hot chocolate and nodded at Peter. She grabbed up her bag and slung it over her shoulder as she handed the empty mug back to Jane and followed Peter out of the Cafe.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rowan sat down beside Ray and nodded at his question as she leaned her head on her hand and placed her free hand on his, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb.

"I'm a little nervous, well, scared might be a better word," she let out a small chuckle. "But I'm so excited, too."

She was silent a moment as she stared at his hand then looked at him. "You know, Alyssa will probably kill me if I don't fit into my dress," she said and bit her lip to keep from laughing. "At least I won't be showing yet, at least I don't think so."

She thanked the woman who brought their drinks and lifted her head from her hand so she could take a sip of her coffee; she was reluctant to let Ray's hand go just yet.

Ray started on his food and glanced up at her as she spoke. She was scared too? Good, at least he wasn't the only one. He looked down at her tummy and then back to her face.

"Surely you can get it taken out to fit you?" he asked.

Chris dragged Shaz with him to help pick up the station breakfasts from the restaurant before heading in.

Ffion greeted them cheerily when she saw them and brought the boxes the food was packed in over to them.

"So, how's it feel to be home? Did you have fun in Cardiff?" she wanted to know.

Shaz smiled at her. "It feels great to be home. And Cardiff was fantastic!" she beamed. "We went everywhere!"

She took the boxes from Ffion with a smile.

"Oh, it's weeks since I've been back home. Did you go to that club I told you about? Oh! And that restaurant? It's lush, it is," she bubbled enthusiastically. Chris put his box down and made a brief gesture as Shaz before going to use the bathroom. This was clearly going to take some time and he couldn't wait.

Shaz nodded in answer to Ffion's rapid fire questions. "Yes we did, and yes, it was," she grinned. "Thanks for all the recommendations by the way. They really helped, I mean, that one restaurant, the one on the pier, it was amazing!" she smiled

Ffion bounced and clapped her hands.

"Oh, I'm so glad," she said excitedly. "I thought you'd like it."

She glanced over at the floor of the restaurant. "Well, I better get back to work. Oh, I wish I could talk to you all day!"

She came out from behind the counter and gave Shaz a quick hug before hurrying off to see to her customers.

Shaz chuckled to herself as Ffion dashed off and managed to move both boxes to the small area next to the front door, she leaned against the wall and waited for Chris.

Chris hurried back out and noticed Shaz was ready to go. He grabbed up the larger of the two boxes and led her from the restaurant to the car. He loaded his box in the back and took the box from Shaz and put it in the back as well.

"Off to work we go," he remarked as he climbed into the car.

Shaz smiled and climbed in the other side.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Shaz climbed out of the car once it had stopped and went to get the smaller box from the back of the car. She carried it into the station and handed it to Adam. "That one's for the PC's," she smiled and pointed to the name on the box so he could see. "Chris has got CID's box," she told him as she held the door to the office open for her husband.

"Thanks, Shaz," Chris said and headed into the main workroom.

"Breakfast is here," he said and put the box down.

"Brilliant," Rhys said excitedly and jumped up to rummage in the box. Ginger rolled his eyes and waited for Rhys to get finished before he grabbed out the container with his food in it.

Shaz grinned at the pair of them and waited for them to get out of the box before retrieving her own food and settling at her desk.

Davina finally finished in the cafe. She bit her lip as she walked across the Square, one of the job offers was in London, not too far from the Square. She could stay with Max and take that job. She shook her head. No, she should take the room for rent that was being offered by the woman she would be covering for. It would make her plans easier. She just wondered if Brett would end up being a complication.

She sighed and looked at her nails. They needed tending. She headed for the salon, eager for a bit of pampering. She bustled inside.

"Hiya, I'd like to see if I could get my nails..." she trailed off and stopped short at the sight of Alyssa. She'd forgotten about that. Jack's girlfriend, partner, fiancé...whatever...worked here.

Jack sat in his office and flipped through his diary. He skimmed through April and stopped short. Alyssa's birthday was coming up fast! He immediately grabbed up his phone and called Rowan.


	3. Chapter 3

**We do not own EastEnders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 26**

Rowan frowned as she heard her phone ring and reluctantly let go of Ray's hand to answer it. She rolled her eyes at the caller.

"Yes, Jack, what do you want? The match was a draw so don't even think about starting anything," she warned him.

Jack chuckled. "No, it's not about the match, which I hate you for getting to go and see it in person, just so you know," he told her.

Rowan covered the phone and looked at Ray. "Jack is cross that we went to the match," she snorted and uncovered the phone.

"Sucks to be you, doesn't it Rimmer? Now, what do you want? My breakfast is coming and I'm hungry."

"It's Alyssa's birthday next month, the 18th. I really think a party is in order," he told her.

"Really, the 18th?" she remarked and took a sip of her coffee. "Yes, I agree, I think a party is in order. I'll throw together some ideas when I get home okay?"

"You're the best, Ro, really, I love you terribly," he said in a jokey posh accent. Rowan sighed.

"Yes, yes, I know. Later, Jack," she said firmly and flipped her phone shut.

"It seems Alyssa's birthday is next month and Jack thinks a party must be planned," she told Ray before starting on her food.

Ray nodded and shrugged.

"Now, about the dress, yes it can be let out, but..." she trailed off and nibbled at some bacon. It wasn't as crisp as she liked, but she kept it to herself. "You sort of have to see the dress," she explained lamely and shrugged. "Can't be helped. It's not like I did it on purpose to spite her," she chuckled.

Rowan felt excitement and happiness bubble up in her and she stood, grabbed Ray's face in her hands and kissed him soundly. She let go and let him feel how she was feeling', the mix of fear/pure joy/love/anxiety/excitement tinged with lust as she gazed into his eyes. She put her forehead against his with a small sigh and then let go of him and sat back down.

Ray watched her go and sit down in wonder! He shook his head to help clear it and gazed at her.

"No one person can feel all that Ro! How are you not exploding?" he asked with a grin and reached over for her hand.

"I'm the same," he smiled. "But not all at once," he chuckled at her before releasing her hand and going back to his breakfast.

Rowan chuckled and ate some more of her food before answering.

"I don't know. Right now, I'm mostly very happy, but it's all always there, though I'll admit, it was mostly nerves and outright terror until I told you and you were happy...well...not upset...about it," she gave him a small smile.

Ray smiled at her. "Why would I be upset? I think its fantastic," he assured her.

She picked up a slice of toast and put it back down. "I want to plan a trip back home. Just for a few days, maybe early May, after Lyss' birthday, but before the wedding. I want to tell Gem in person and I want her to meet you and...well...I want everyone to meet you," she told him and finally took a bite of her toast.

Ray nodded at her. "I'll admit I'm curious about where you used to live," he said. "But if they all talk like JT I'm gonna have to concentrate when I listen to them," he grinned as he ate the final piece of sausage and drained his tea. "So, you good to go?" he asked as he studied her plate and looked at her questioningly.

Rowan drained her coffee.

"Yes, I'm ready," she said and stood up and took Ray's arm.

"Some are worse than others. Junior is pretty easy to understand. He runs a charter plane so he's worked on his accent so he's easier to understand. Junior is JT's older brother. Gem is easy to understand, I think," she shrugged and tightened her hands on his arm and smiled up at him.

"They won't find you terribly easy to understand either," she told him and chuckled.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her. "I can't see why not! I'm easy to understand, I speak English, don't I?" he scoffed at her as he led her out to the car. He opened the car and encouraged her to get inside. He followed suit and climbed in the driver's side to drive them back to London.

Rowan chuckled. "They speak English, too," she told him and got into the car.

"But your accent is going to be just as difficult for them to understand as theirs is for you," she told him as she fastened her seatbelt. She settled back in the seat and gazed at Ray. She tilted her head at him.

"So, would you like me to dance for you tonight?" she asked him playfully.

Ray looked over at her "You really need to ask that?" he asked incredulously then grinned and shook his head disbelievingly before pulling away from the kerb.

Rowan bit her lip around a smile. She fished in her bag and pulled out the most recent packet Gem had sent her and began to read it. She'd got it just yesterday and hadn't had a chance to read it yet.

She read bits out she thought Ray might find interesting and glanced at her watch. She thought they would make it back in time for lunch rush.

Ray listened to Rowan speak as he drove and managed to get them back to Walford with plenty of time for Rowan to get her stuff for the Restaurant sorted. He parked up outside and waved briefly at Ffion and JT before heading upstairs to change his clothes.

Alyssa looked up and prepared a smile as the door opened. Her face froze at the sight of Davina and she had to stop herself from clenching her fists. She took deep breath and resolved to treat Davina just like another customer: as much as she could anyway.

She didn't smile though; she couldn't smile at this woman, so she kept her face impassive and skimmed through the appointment book. She looked back up at Davina and fought hard to keep her voice as impassive as her face. "We've got a free slot at 2pm today?" she said. She would not let Davina's presence get to her.

Davina cleared her throat and blinked. So, Jack's...whatever...was going to be civil, Davina could be civil, too.

She forced a smile on her face and nodded. "2 is fine, thank you," she forced out and then turned and left. She took a deep breath as the door to the salon closed behind her and she walked back to Max's to get her car and head off to the job interview.

Alyssa nodded and added the appointment to the book then watched Davina leave, and finally let out a breath she hasn't realised she had been holding. She reached for her phone and sent off a text to Jack.

"She's back."

Jane left Bianca in charge and headed for the salon. The blond highlights she'd had added to her hair and the style she had chosen both needed touching up. She paused with her hand on the door as she noticed that woman who was at Max's last night walking away. She frowned briefly then smoothed her expression, determined not to let it bother her. She walked into the salon and flashed Alyssa a smile.

"What did leggy blond want?" Jane couldn't help but ask, then instantly regretted it. It had flown from her mouth before she'd had a chance to think. She didn't want anyone to know that she'd started to go soft on Max, especially now. She would need to get over it.

Alyssa smiled back at Jane. "Don't worry, I don't like her either," she admitted and looked after Davina with a scowl on her face. "She's Jack's ex," she explained and then looked back at Jane.

"Sorry, that was Max's visitor last night. I wouldn't have minded so much if he'd at least had the decency to call and cancel. We're supposed to be mates," she added. "So, anyway, I need the hair done."

"What? No text or anything? Rude much!" she commented with a frown then skimmed down the appointment book. "Umm, Kim's free in 20 minutes or Gayna's next slot is at 1." she said. "And Davina wanted her nails done," she added. "Her appointment's at 2 so if you want to avoid her I'd go for Kim," she advised.

/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Jack furrowed his brow at Alyssa's text. Who was back?

"Who's back?" he sent in reply.

"Ahhh," Jane nodded.

She listened to her choices. "Yes, I'll take Kim. I don't want to be here when she's here. I mean, I can understand, but it's still annoying. I might do the same if I were in his shoes, not that that's likely," she chuckled.

Alyssa smiled back at Jane and added her appointment in then glanced down as her phone went off. She gave Jane a smile as she read the text and frowned.

"Davina," she sent back and put her phone down again and looked back at Jane. "You've only got 15 minutes before Kim's ready for you, you're welcome to hang around," she smiled as she left the desk to let Kim know about her new appointment.

/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Jack groaned as he read Alyssa's reply. Davina. That was the last thing he needed.

"What is she doing here" he sent back in reply.

"Thanks, Alyssa," Jane said and went to sit down and wait.

Alyssa came back down with a chuckle at the conversations going on upstairs, they always amused her, especially Kim's incessant chatter. She smiled at Jane as her phone went off again.

"Getting her nails done," she sent back. How was she supposed to know why Davina was here? It's not like she wanted to talk to the woman!

She looked back at Jane. "D'you want a coffee or anything?" she asked.

/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Jack sighed and shook his head. He hoped Davina wouldn't be around for long and that he would be able to avoid her.

/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

"Oh, no thanks, I'm fine," Jane replied.

She hurried upstairs when it was finally her turn.

Alyssa watched Jane disappear up the stairs and sighed. Davina was back. Brilliant. Things turned out so well the last time she was around! At least this time she knew for certain that Jack didn't want Davina. That was a consolation, but still, Davina's presence made her anxious. She really didn't like the woman, not one bit.

Alyssa looked around and went to tidy the pile of magazines in the seating area, she was looking forward to lunch now, she could talk to Rowan and see Jack. She wanted to see Jack. Lunch could not be here quick enough.

/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Declan finally returned to the Square just before lunch. He wondered where the restaurant Jack was talking about was located. He sent off a text and Jack replied with the address. Declan rolled his eyes. The address didn't help if he didn't know where anything was.

He sent off another text asking for directions and Jack sent them back and said he might be a bit late.

Declan found the place somewhat easily and parked his car before heading inside the restaurant.

"It's nice to see you, Jack, how are you doing?" Ffion asked as she led Declan to a table.

"I'm not Jack," he corrected her, keeping his tone kind.

"Oh, um..."

"I'm his cousin. My name is Declan," he told her as he sat down.

"Right, of course. Well, I'm Ffion and it's nice to meet you. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Tea, please," he replied and she nodded.

Jane came downstairs happily, feeling much better now her hair was fixed. She handed her money over to Alyssa and gave her a quick wave before going back to the cafe. Max came in to eat and apologized profusely to Jane for the previous evening.

"It's fine, Max," Jane told him. "But we are mates and it would have been nice if you'd at least texted me or something to say dinner was cancelled."

"I'll make it up to you, alright?" Max offered and Jane reluctantly nodded. Davina came into the cafe a few minutes later.

"Hiya, Max," she said and slipped an arm around his waist.

"Oh, Davina, this is my friend, Jane. You didn't really get to meet properly last night," he introduced. Jane gave Davina a nod and turned away.

"Sorry, but it is lunchtime and I'm quite busy."

"Oh, it's fine," Davina said, making sure not to show she was bothered by the way Jane was snubbing her. She turned to Max.

"So, I've got the job," she told him. "Not too far from here either. So it looks as though I'll be around for awhile."

"That's great news," Max said and pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

Jane got out her phone and sent off a text to Alyssa.

"Bitch got job. Staying"

/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Alyssa smiled at Kim as she went off for lunch and Alyssa put the closed sign up as she left the Salon. She checked the time on her phone and read the text that she found there. She scowled and hopped on the nearest bus. Davina was staying! Brilliant! She picked a seat near the back of the bus and fired a text back to Jane.

"Brill! That's all we need! FFS"

Alyssa looked up as she got near the restaurant and quickly made her way to the front of the bus and got off. She walked the short walk to the Restaurant and spotted Jack, or Declan inside. Alyssa smiled and waved at Ffion as she made her way over to the table and then turned her attention back to the man sitting there. She judged by his clothes that it was Declan: she had also noticed Jack wearing his blue tie this morning and Declan wasn't.

She slipped into the chair opposite him and smiled. "Hiya, Declan," she turned her attention to the kitchen and tried to see if Rowan was back yet.

Rowan followed Ray up so she could change into clean clothes. She tossed her letter packet on the kitchen table and got changed. She went over to Ray and kissed him thoroughly before going into the bathroom to put her hair in a ponytail and hurrying downstairs.

She saw Jack and Alyssa seated at a table and went over.

"Boo," she said to Alyssa as she walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder. She grinned as she dropped into the chair next to her. "That was a road trip I won't soon forget," she remarked and flashed a smile at Jack. Declan smiled back, wondering who this petite, pretty American was. He mulled over her road trip comment and realized it was possible that this was Rowan. He drank his tea and simply sat and listened.

Rowan looked back at Alyssa.

"So, what are you up to?"

Alyssa beamed back at her and failed to hold back a chuckle. She glanced at Declan and realised that Rowan hadn't noticed it wasn't Jack. She looked back at Rowan and shrugged.

"Not much, except, I don't know whether you've got my text, but Ronnie, Alex and I have re-planned your Thursday afternoon for you. And don't even think about wriggling out of it Ro, because we aren't letting you off this time!" she said then looked back at Declan and smiled.

"Yes, I got your text which is why I came straight over here instead of the kitchen," she told Alyssa. She sighed.

"Okay, I'll go along if it will make you happy."

"Jack's cousin's down from Yorkshire for a bit, too, Ro this is Declan and Declan this is my sister, Rowan," she introduced.

She glanced over at Jack...no Declan...at Alyssa's introduction.

"I did wonder why Jack was being so subdued," Rowan said as she shook Declan's hand. "Very unlike him."

"Yes, we look alike, but that's about the extent of it," Declan agreed and let go of Rowan's hand. This was the one with the scary boyfriend according to Jack and Alyssa. Not that Declan was scared, but he didn't fancy getting a fight started today.

Rowan looked around to see if Ray had gone. She'd forgotten to ask him what time he'd be home from work. Or did he have today off as well? She really needed to start writing it down.

"Look, I better get in the kitchen, lunch rush will be starting soon. I'll try to talk to you after and let me know what time Thursday," she told Alyssa. She looked at Declan.

"It was nice to meet you," she told him.

"You, too," he replied and smiled.

Rowan turned to walk back to the kitchen, but didn't make it. Jack arrived at that moment and grabbed her up and spun her around.

"It was a draw," he teased her as he swung her around. Rowan thinned her lips as she looked at Jack and went limp in his arms. Jack saw her face and put her down.

"You have to stop doing that Jack," she told him. "I don't like it."

"I know, but I love winding you up, Ro," he said back and flashed her a grin. She sighed.

"I know you do," she said and went into the kitchen. She walked over to the calendar and flipped to April. Hmmm, the 18th was a Monday, she'd have to see if the 17th was okay. She walked around and checked everything in the kitchen, smiling at JT and Syed as she did so.

"I really appreciate you guys keeping this place ticking over for me so I could leave," she told them.

"You never take a proper day off," Syed said in response.

"Nope, you don't. So, we're happy to do it. Did you have fun?"JT agreed.

"Yes, it was great. The match was a draw, but still enjoyable. We want to this pub he used to go to all the time and I saw where he used to work and I met his mother," she told him.

"What was that like?"

"I like her, and Ray says she liked me. I told her she was welcome to come and stay anytime."

JT grinned and hugged her. "I'm glad. So, when..."

"Am I going to take him to meet Gem?" she finished his sentence for him. "As soon as possible. There are many reasons I can't go into right now. I have to make a phone call and then we'll get ourselves in gear for lunch."

She left the kitchen and went to the stairs that led up to the flat to call Dr. Bond.

"Hi, Dr. Bond, I'm glad I caught you. Um," she glanced into the hall to make sure no one was nearby, but kept her voice low. "I need to get an appointment booked. Yes, well, I've had a positive pregnancy test and so...oh, thanks, yes, I'm more excited than I can say."

She peered around the door again to make sure no one was nearby.

"Well, tomorrow would be better. I've just got back from Manchester and I've got a lot to do. Okay, yes that's perfect, thank you," she said and flipped her phone shut. She went back into the kitchen.

"Oh, one more thing, JT," she said as she began to rapidly chop chicken. He looked at her expectantly.

"We need to start planning a birthday party for Alyssa. Jack called and asked me this morning. Her birthday is the 18th, which is a Monday, so I'm thinking we can have it on the 17th. I think he wants it to be a surprise so we'll have to keep it quiet."

JT nodded. "Easy doings," he said and glanced over at Syed, who was making salads on the other side of the kitchen.

"What about yours?" he asked her and raised an eyebrow. "Pretty interesting it's the day?"

Rowan snorted and shook her head. "I haven't celebrated in over 10 years. I'm not bothered, JT. Just forget about it, okay? It's just another day."

JT looked at her a moment, then reluctantly nodded. Of course he would forget about it. Until he had the chance to speak to Ray and Alyssa alone. He went back to cooking the soups and said nothing more about it. Rowan watched him walk away and hoped he would keep his mouth shut. She didn't do birthdays anymore, not her own at any rate.

Jack watched Rowan head towards the kitchen and then went over and dropped into the chair she'd been sitting in.

"Sorry I'm late, sometimes getting out of there is impossible," he remarked. Declan nodded.

"It's fine. I've been enjoying the company of the lovely Alyssa," he said. "I've met Rowan and kept the handshake short, though I don't see this supposed hulking boyfriend so am forced to wonder if you were lying."

Jack glanced around. "No, he could be up in the flat or at work," he turned to Declan. "He's a DI, did we mention that?" he asked and grinned.

Declan sighed and shook his head before looking back at the menu.

Jack reached over and grabbed Alyssa's hand and kissed it before smiling up at Ffion as she approached.

"So, everybody ready?" Ffion asked.

Gene gratefully left the Super's office and went outside to smoke as he pondered his situation. When he finished, he went looking for Alex.

Alex looked up for a moment as Gene came back and finished writing down the details of the spa afternoon for Shaz. She smiled at her friend and then stood and went to fiddle with the duty rota to see who could cover for Shaz; Alex had Thursdays off anyway so that wasn't a problem. If they couldn't get someone to cover then she would talk to Gene and see whether he could spare Shaz for an afternoon.

Gene spotted Alex and went over and grabbed her arm.

"We need to talk," he said and dragged her out of the room and into the hallway. He held up a hand to forestall any questions as he pulled her down the hall to the room where their offices were. He sat her on her desk and folded his arms, then shut the door.

"It seems I am going to be made DSI," he told her. "I'll be taking over for the Super when he retires next month," he told her gruffly.

Alex's eyes widened at his news, whatever she had been expecting him to say it wasn't that, she beamed at him and threw her arms around his neck, "Gene that's wonderful news, Congratulations!" she exclaimed and pulled away with a smile, then furrowed her brow. "Next month?" she questioned. "They've only given you a month?"

"No, what do you think all these meetings and trips with the Super have been about? Why do you think I needed you back at work? This started just a couple of weeks after you had Sammy. The Super told me what was going on and has been setting it up for me to take over for him. I've had more than a month. But he's going to announce it today and I wanted to give you fair warning," Gene told her.

Alex sighed. "And here was I just thinking you missed me," she smiled at him and linked her fingers with his. "Are you ready for this Gene? D'you want to do it?" she asked gently.

After lunch, Max walked with Davina back to the house and let her in so she could get her suitcase.

"Now, the flat where I'll be living isn't far from here so I'll be coming around often," she promised.

"That's great news," he said and kissed her.

"I thought so, too," she said and kissed him back. She hurried upstairs, grabbed her case and tossed it into the back of her car.

"I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah, later."

She kissed him again before climbing into her car and driving off.

/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Alyssa watched Rowan attempt to get to the kitchen and grinned as Jack caught her. She raised her eyebrows at him as he sat down opposite her and smiled. "You have to wind her up don't you," she grinned. "It serves you right if she does something nasty to your food," she said and looked away from him as Ffion appeared.

"I'll have whatever Ro's doing as the special today please, Fee," she asked.

"She won't do anything nasty to my food," Jack protested. "She loves me."

He stuck his tongue out at her and grinned as Alyssa ordered the special.

"She's doing fajitas," Ffion replied.

"Oooh," said Jack, "having that. Chicken."

Declan nodded. "Chicken for me too, please," he added. Ffion jotted it down and nodded at Ray as she passed him.

She smiled and wrote Ray's order down and headed back into the kitchen and handed Rowan the ticket. Rowan snorted when she saw what Ray had ordered. She hung the ticket up so JT could start on the order and pulled her phone out.

"I'm making fajitas Sure you don't want beef?" she texted Ray and chuckled.

/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Ray came out of the bedroom and walked downstairs, he figured that as it was lunchtime, he could have his lunch here as usual and then go to work afterwards, he could tell the Guv that he had only just got back and that way not get into trouble about it. He nodded, good plan.

Ray scanned the restaurant as he entered and sighed, the lunch rush hadn't started just yet, but he wouldn't disturb Rowan until after it was done, he knew how she got when she was cooking and he didn't want to be on the receiving end. He looked around and his gaze caught hold of a mane of red. Alyssa. He shrugged, it beat sitting by himself.

Ray made his way over and took note of the two men, one had to be Jack. He grinned at Alyssa and caught Ffion before she vanished. "Bangers and mash please, Ffion," he smiled at her before taking the spare seat at the table and doing a double take. Two Jacks?

"Either, I've hit my head or had too much to drink or there is actually two Jacks sitting there," he said to Alyssa as he pointed at them. "And I haven't been drinking today, yet anyway," he added with a frown.

Alyssa smiled. "That's Jack," she pointed and then turned to Declan. "And this is Declan, his cousin," she introduced. "Declan, this is DI Ray Carling, Ro's partner," she said with a smile.

Ray nodded at him and then looked back at Alyssa. "They do look the same right? I'm not hallucinating or anything?"

Alyssa gave him a funny look. "Look the same...?" she questioned. "What d'you mean look the same?" she asked with a frown.

"He..." Ray gestured vaguely at Declan. "Looks exactly like Jack!" he explained and Alyssa studied the pair of them, her eyes dancing as she fought to hold back her laughter. "Really? I don't see it," she said as she looked back at Ray. "Are you sure?"

Jack grinned at Ray as he sat down and then looked at Alyssa as she introduced Declan. He sighed as she wound Ray up and chuckled as he reached over and put a hand over Alyssa's mouth.

"It's not nice to bait the bear," Jack whispered to her and smiled apologetically at Ray.

Declan held out his hand to Ray.

"Nice to meet you, Ray, and yes, we do look alike, sadly. However, I'm not crazy," he said.

"I'm not crazy, either," argued Jack. Declan turned and looked at him.

"Of course you're not," he said soothingly to his cousin, then looked back at Ray as Jack frowned and took his hand from Alyssa's mouth.

Ffion came over and put a mug of tea in front of Ray and re-filled the others' drinks before heading off to another table.

Alyssa frowned at Jack as he covered her mouth to stop her speaking but stuck her tongue out and licked the palm of his hand by way of retaliation.

Ray nodded at Declan as he shook his hand and then looked at Alyssa with a frown. "You're hilarious," he told her dryly and she grinned at him. "It was a stupid question, they look identical," she shrugged at him.

Ray frowned at her. "You could've given me a straight answer," he grumbled.

Alyssa shook her head "Where would be the fun in that?"

Ray looked at her a moment and struggled to find a response to her questions, then reached over and deliberately messed up her hair. Alyssa glowered at him once he finally let go of her head. "What the hell, Ray!"

Ray admired his handiwork for a moment with a smile and then shrugged. "Well, I could've left you alone..." then he grinned and imitated her voice. "But where would be the fun in that?"

Alyssa scowled at him and set about fixing her hair so that it resembled something other than a bird's nest.

Ray looked down at his phone and raised his eyebrows at the text from Rowan, he glanced over at the kitchen and caught small glimpses of her through the serving hatch as she darted around.

"Nope, I'm sure I want B&M :) x"

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\

Rowan shook her head at Ray's reply and stuck her phone back in her pocket. She peered out of the kitchen and saw Ray muss Alyssa's hair and put her hands over her mouth to stifle a chuckle.

JT put the plates up on the pass-through and hit the bell so Ffion would know the food was ready. He glanced at Rowan, whose attention was elsewhere and hurriedly sent a text to Alyssa.

"Ro Bday Apr 17-help?"

Syed walked over and looked at JT.

"What are you up to?" he wanted to know. JT waited until Rowan had gone out of earshot with the food and then gestured Ffion into the kitchen as well. He looked at the pair of them.

"You keep this to yourselves, cause she might kill me if she finds out," he paused and glanced back into the dining room. "Ro's birthday is April 17, I'd like to do a party for her." He glanced out again.

"Now, Alyssa's birthday is the 18th, and Jack's already asked Ro to plan a surprise party for her, so I say we do a double party, for them both," he grinned.

Syed and Ffion looked at each other and nodded.

"Great," he told them and waved them to get back to work when he saw Rowan turn to head back to the kitchen.

Jack and Declan chuckled at the interplay between Ray and Alyssa. Jack leaned over to Alyssa. "See, I told you not to bait the bear," he said and tried to help her smooth her hair as he looked over at Ray and grinned.

"Nice one, mate," he said appreciatively and jumped away from Alyssa in case she tried to smack him. Declan sighed and looked over as he saw Rowan wave off Ffion grab up the plates and walk towards them with the food.

Rowan handed around the plates and pulled a hairbrush from her apron pocket and handed it to Alyssa. She leaned over to Ray's ear.

"I've got an appointment for tomorrow," she whispered and kissed his cheek. "What time are you home from work?" she asked.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her. "Really, that was quick," he furrowed his brow as he thought and then looked back at her. "Around 5 I think," he told her. "What time did you book it for?" he asked curiously.

"Simon is going to call back to confirm the time, but I asked for late afternoon, after lunch rush," Rowan whispered back.

Declan ignored the others and started on his food. "This is fantastic," he remarked after swallowing his first mouthful.

Rowan glanced over and blushed. "Thank you," she said and looked back at Ray.

"I'll see you when you get home," she told him, her voice full of promise. She pressed a soft kiss to his lips causing Jack to make gagging noises.

"Get a room," he said in mock disgust.

Rowan looked over at Jack, then at Ray, her eyes taking on a wicked glint as her lips curved into a smile. She looked at Jack again.

"But I thought you liked to watch," she said tartly.

"Oh! Rowan, that is just so wrong!" Jack wailed and covered his head with his hands. "So wrong!"

Rowan looked at Declan and winked then at Ray. "I win every time," she whispered to Ray gleefully and kissed him again before heading back to the kitchen.

Alyssa gratefully took the brush from Rowan and ran it through her hair determine to get it looking decent again. She sighed as it finally fell back into place and slipped the brush back into Rowan's apron with a word of thanks.

Alyssa burst into laughter at the pair of them and couldn't make herself stop at the look on Jack's face. She shook her head to herself as Rowan walked away and picked up a fork as she swallowed back the rest of her laughter. She chuckled as she started on her food.

Ray grinned at Jack as he pulled his plate towards him and mixed the mash with the gravy. "You dug yourself into that one," he remarked as he started to shovel mash into his mouth.

Alyssa pulled out her phone as she felt it go off and raised her eyebrows as she looked towards the kitchen and then nudged Ray and showed him the message. "Did you know?" she asked and he shook his head. "No," he frowned and looked towards the kitchen, too. Why hadn't she told him her birthday was coming up?

She looked over at Jack and pushed her phone towards him. "Ro's birthday is the 17th of April," she told him. "She never said."

Jack looked at the text and shook his head, too.

"She'd hardly confide in me would she?" he asked Alyssa and turned to Declan.

"Did you know about this?" he demanded.

Declan sighed. "I don't even know her, Jack."

Jack flashed him a grin. "It seemed only fair not to leave you out of the conversation," he said and looked back at Alyssa. "So, what? Plan a party?" he shrugged and looked at Ray.

JT waited until Rowan was immersed in cooking and slipped out into the dining room as the rush was tapering off.

He carried the pot of tea and pretended to refill their drinks.

"Whatever you do," JT said, "do not tell her I told you. Trust me, she'll know it was me that told. I'm the only one here who could possibly know it," he told them. "I thought maybe we could plan just a little party for her since it's a Sunday," he said quietly and gave Jack a look.

Jack nodded as he understood.

"She didn't say about it to be mean or anything. She stopped celebrating it and she said to her it's just another day. I don't think it occurred to her to say anything. But I made a comment cause she's got yours writ on the calendar," he told Alyssa. "So, now..." he trailed off and shrugged.

"I better get back there before she wonders what I'm doing," JT said and hurried back to the kitchen.

Jack looked at Ray and Alyssa. "I think a small party would be nice," he said.

Ray nodded at Jack. "Nothing massive, she's not big on that sort of stuff and if she didn't want us to know about it then we have to keep this quiet," he smirked.

Alyssa nodded. "So, where do we have this party?" she asked. "We've got the pub, our place, here..." she trailed off as she tried to think of any other possible places. "The club," she added as an afterthought.

"Here might not be a bad idea," Jack said. "We might have an easier time fooling her."

Declan watched them plan. This wasn't his thing. He focused on his food.

Jack looked at Ray and then at Alyssa.

"When do you think we should have it?" he wondered.

"We should have it Sunday," Alyssa decided.

"You know, your birthday is the day after hers, what if we pretend to be planning a party for you?" he asked Alyssa. Of course, he already had JT planning a surprise party for Alyssa, diverting her attention this way would help tremendously. He would see about getting the club or something for Alyssa's party. She wouldn't suspect a thing. He smiled.

Alyssa nodded. "That's not a bad idea, plan a party for her, but my birthday is a brilliant cover," she agreed with a smile.

Ray looked curiously from Jack to Alyssa, he was pretty sure that Jack had wanted to plan a party for Alyssa, he frowned slightly but shrugged to himself, he would ask when Alyssa wasn't around. He didn't want to ruin anything by blurting it out. He let his mind travel and wondered what to get Rowan for her birthday, it would have to be something amazing, something beautiful, something she would love. He sighed as he thought.

"See, I'm not a complete moron," Jack said smugly and set about finishing his food. Declan looked at him and raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "These fajitas really are fantastic," Jack mumbled then looked up.

"We know JT will make the food, but how do we keep her from trying to help?" he looked at Alyssa. "You're going to have to keep her distracted," he said. "You and all," he said and pointed at Ray.

Ray grinned. "I don't think I'll have a problem keeping her distracted," he said and his grin widened as he looked back over at the kitchen and smiled happily.

"I can't do it, she'll automatically think I'm up to something," Jack explained.

"I wonder why she would think that?" Declan snorted and drained his tea. Jack looked over at him and grinned.

"Look, I've got another meeting to get to. I'll pay for this and see you later," Declan said. "It was nice to meet you, Ray," he added and clapped Jack on the back before picking up the check and heading to the register to pay.

Jack snorted laughter as he watched Ffion flutter over Declan again.

"Is it because he's rich or because he's handsome do you think?" Jack asked curiously with a brief gesture at Declan and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa snorted at Ray and then raised her eyebrows at Jack. "Definitely the money," she grinned. "I don't think he's all that good looking," she sniffed indifferently and shrugged at Jack.

Alyssa waved at Declan through the window as he got into his car and then looked back at Jack. "Definitely not good looking at all."

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\

"Well, of course I missed you, woman," Gene said and pulled her tight against him. "But I wanted to tell you that, too. Care to go celebrate?" he asked and nodded in the direction of his office.

"You'll have to be quiet though, I'll have a reputation to protect now," he grinned at her.

Alex wrapped her arms around him and gave him an incredulous look. "I'll have to be quiet?" she gaped at him. "You make more noise than me!" she scoffed.

Alex looked over her shoulder at the office full of people and then back at Gene. "I'm sure they can spare us for a while," she smiled.

Gene walked over to the door leading to the hall from the office and closed it. Then took her hand and led her into his office and closed the door and dropped the blinds before pressing her up against the wall and taking her lips with his as his hands slid over her torso.

Alex wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer to him. She couldn't help but love him, she wasn't sure what she would do without him: she loved his brash attitude at work, his tender side that he rarely showed to anyone but her, Molly and Sam. She loved the way he made her feel: loved, needed and safe. She could see all his faults, yet loved each one as they made him who he was.

Alex ran her fingers through his hair and then down his chest as she pushed his jacket to the floor and loosened his tie. She broke the kiss and gazed at his face for a moment with a smile.

Gene slid his hands under her shirt and over the soft skin of her back. He couldn't imagine wanting anyone but her. She was truly the most amazing woman he'd ever met. His hands moved to her front and began to caress her breasts as his lips moved to her neck.

"Bolly," he murmured against her neck.

Alex's eyes rolled shut as she clung to him. "Gene," she breathed. He made her feel weak at the knees every time. She ran her hands down his back and tugged his shirt out of his trousers and undid the buckle to let his trousers fall.

She ran her hands up his chest, under his shirt, and rested them on his shoulders as she gasped out his name again.

Gene's hands flew to her waist as he un-tucked her top. He unfastened her trousers and pulled them and her knickers down. He grabbed her leg and pulled it to his waist as he pressed her against the wall and thrust into her, groaning into her neck as he did so.

He knew he shouldn't do this here, but he didn't care. He slipped his hand over her leg and held it to him as he moved inside her.

Alex moaned softly and used both him and the wall behind her as support. She ran her hands up his back and held onto him as she tried with all her might to be quiet. She buried her face in his hair as she murmured his name over and over.

Gene clutched her to him and breathed her name. He began to speed up as he felt himself getting close.

"Bolly," he groaned as he felt himself go and slammed his lips down on hers.

Alex clung to him and kissed him hard. She pulled away when the need for oxygen became too great and rested her forehead on his shoulder as she fought for air. Her eyes closed and she smiled. "Congratulations, again," she breathed.

Gene chuckled. "Thank you," he murmured and wrapped his arms around her tightly. He kissed the side of her head.

"I guess we'd better get back to work," he rumbled softly, regretfully. He wanted to stay here with her in his arms. He never seemed to get time for that anymore. He wondered if he would get more time or less when he was Super.

He reluctantly let her go so she could fix her clothes and bent down to pull his pants and trousers back up and belted them quickly.

Alex pulled herself back together and made sure she was looking presentable. She smiled as she reached over and fixed his tie for him as he buttoned up his shirt.

Alex kissed him again once they were both dressed and looked at him. "So, when is this being announced officially?" she asked as she went to open his office door.

Gene followed her out of his office and to her desk. He paused a moment and then went to open the door that led onto the hallway before turning back to her.

"I think he plans to do it sometime today. After lunch maybe, he wasn't very specific. I'm not moving to his office though," he decided. "I'm staying right there," he pointed at his office door. "Where I can keep an eye on you," he finished and grinned at her.

Alex raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. "Don't trust me Gene?" she asked as she sat herself down at her desk. "Or just can't live without my presence?" she grinned.

Gene raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you think? Why have a picture of you on my desk when I can look out my office and see you in person," he chuckled and went to go have a smoke.

Alex grinned as he walked away and smiled to herself. She turned to her desk and grabbed up the folder waiting for her attention.

/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Chris looked over Shaz' shoulder at what Alex had written down for her.

"Do you want me to come in and cover that afternoon? I'd be willing since I have that day off," he offered. He hated it when they didn't have the same days off. It made it harder to plan trips to visit Shaz' family. He swore to take her once a week if she would agree not to move from Walford. He fully intended to keep that promise. He liked it here. Ray was his best mate and the Guv was like a father to him.

Shaz turned to him with a smile "Are you sure?" she asked "You'd rather work than take your day off?"

"Why would I mind? You're not doing this until the afternoon right?" he asked as he tapped the paper. "So it's only half a day," he shrugged. "I don't mind doing that for you."

Shaz smiled at him and reached over to kiss him. She pulled back with a grin. "Thank you, I'll make it up to you," she promised and kissed him again.

"Oh really," Chris grinned. "Well, then, I'll make sure to get here plenty early so you have time to leave. I want to make sure you have plenty to make up to me." He chuckled as he kissed her back. He leaned down to her ear. "We could go home for lunch and you could thank us properly," he whispered and trailed a finger down her arm.

Shaz ran her hand up to stroke down his cheek and she glanced over at the Guv's office. Her eyes widened. "Looks like the Guv and Alex aren't going to noticed if we're missing," she smiled and stood up from her desk and took his hand. "Let's go," she smiled.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Jack looked at her in dismay as she waved at Declan through the window. He watched Declan smile and wave back.

"But..." he trailed off and looked down at his food. "Maybe you should marry him instead if you want a rich man," he huffed and slammed down his cutlery and stalked out. He slammed into his car and drove back to the school.

Declan started his car and watched Jack drive off in a state. He wondered what had happened. He drove to his appointment, deciding it would be better to leave it.

Rowan came out of the kitchen at the sound of the restaurant door slamming.

"What happened?" she wanted to know as she saw the look on Alyssa's face.

"Lyss? You okay," she whispered and grabbed Alyssa into a hug. She looked at Ray.

"What the heck?" she mouthed at him.

Alyssa watched him storm out in shock and confusion. What the hell was that and where had it come from? She stared at the restaurant door, dumbfounded. She had only been teasing, she hadn't expected him to storm off like that. She felt her mood plummet and found she couldn't tear her gaze away from the door.

She felt Rowan pull her into a hug and clung to her. She didn't want a rich man, she wanted Jack: her insane, gorgeous, overly sensitive fiancé!

Ray shrugged at Rowan, in all honesty he wasn't sure what had happened, he was glad Rowan had showed up though, he wasn't good at the whole comforting thing.

Alyssa took a shaky breath, Jack was angry and upset with her and now she had to face Davina, what if Jack actually believed that she wanted Declan, what if he left her and went back to Davina! She pulled away from Rowan and picked up her fork, she pushed the last mouthful of fajita into her mouth and chewed unenthusiastically, fighting to stay calm and not let it get to her.

She swallowed her mouthful and looked back up at Rowan. "He just told me to marry Declan," she said "I was only teasing, he just snapped," she said and pulled out her phone. She pressed Jack's number into the phone and called him. She wanted him to know that it was him that she wanted, he was the one that she loved, not Declan! "I don't want a rich man," she muttered to herself as she pressed her phone to her ear.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jack stalked through the school, his face like thunder. Everyone moved from his path. He heard his phone ring and pulled it from his pocket. Alyssa. He was in no mood to talk to her. She had likely only been joking, but he'd always been jealous of Declan's skill with women. He rejected the call and dropped it back into his pocket before slamming into his office and flopping onto his chair with a sigh.

The last thing he wanted was for Declan to have any sort of chance with Alyssa. She was his!

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Declan went to his meeting and when that had finished, he decided to check out the pub. He smiled at the pretty blond barmaid when he ordered his pint and nodded at the tall man who walked up protectively behind her.

Seemed all the women here had overly protective men, he sighed and carried his pint over to a table. He sat and watched idly as people came and went. He finished two pints and then went outside. Where to go now? he wondered. He glanced around and noticed a lovely, tall blond walking towards him. She was looking right at him and smiling.

"How are you?" Davina purred as she walked up. She couldn't believe Jack was here, standing outside the pub, all alone. Max was still at work, now was a good chance.

"I'm fine," Declan replied. "How are you?"

"Missing you, Jack," she told him and tilted her head. Declan sighed.

"I'm not Jack," he told her. She furrowed her brow.

"Don't play games with me, Jack," she said in a warning tone.

"I'm not, my name is Declan. Jack is my cousin. We look alike, but I'm not him," Declan told her regretfully.

Davina rolled her eyes and grabbed Declan's face and kissed him thoroughly. Declan's eyebrows flew up, but he kissed her back. She pulled away and looked at him.

"You're right, you're not Jack," she agreed.

"What do you want with Jack anyway?" he wanted to know.

"We were engaged once. I ran into him again a few months ago, and realized I still had feelings for him. When my job finished up I decided to come back here. I've got a job nearby and I'm going to do my level best to get him back."

"I see," Declan said and gave a small nod. If Jack went back with this Davina woman, it would leave the field to Alyssa clear for him. Declan smiled.

"I might be able to help you a little bit. I'm only here for a couple of days, but I'll do what I can."

"Really?" Davina asked him in surprise. Declan shrugged.

"Don't see why not. Damsel in distress and all that," he said with a slow smile.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rowan let Alyssa go and moved closer to Ray and slipped an arm around his shoulder.

"How was your lunch?" she asked him softly so as not to disturb Alyssa. She picked up his empty plate and touched his cheek. "You should get to work. I'll see you when you get home," she said and leaned down and kissed him. She couldn't get enough of kissing him and didn't care who watched. She broke off the kiss and smiled at him as she gazed into his eyes.

Ray nodded at her. "Brilliant as always," he told her and sighed. Work! He wanted to stay with her.

"Go," she said softly.

He reluctantly stood and kissed her forehead before waving at Alyssa and leaving the restaurant.

Rowan stacked the dishes after Ray had left and then sat down and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa bit her lip as she put down her phone: he hadn't picked up. She looked down at her phone helplessly and her eyes widened slightly as she caught the time, she really didn't want to go back to work and figured that she could delay it for a while. She looked across at Rowan as Ray left and managed a small smile.

Declan talked with Davina for a few minutes and then went back to Jack's house. He only had a couple of days before he had to go home. But he could come visit again. He flipped through his diary and called Nicola to update it. He was free the weekend they had discussed having the party on and told Nicola to write down he would be in London for personal reasons that whole weekend. He also added the wedding in June before hanging up.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rowan gave a small sigh and smiled back at Alyssa. "I'm sure it's fine. I think maybe he's a bit overly sensitive where that cousin of his might be concerned, you think?" Rowan toyed with the cloth napkin and put her chin in her hand. "Give him some time to calm down and he'll be fine, I'm sure," Rowan added reassuringly.

Alyssa sighed and nodded "He's sensitive, anyway" she agreed "Now Davina's around again, and if he is sensitive where Declan is concerned then..." she sighed again. "I don't want Declan," she huffed.

"Oh, no, when did she get back?" Rowan asked in disgust. "He's already rejected her though, last time he was here," Rowan said hopefully.

Alyssa nodded. "She's got an appointment at the Salon this afternoon, Jane overheard her in the café and apparently she's staying," she grouched. "I know, last time he said he would rather go with Bianca than Davina," she smiled.

"Oh, ugh, I'm so sorry. She was with Max before right? So, maybe she'll stick with him. But I tell you what," Rowan said, her accent thickening slightly. "If she goes after Jack, she'll have both of us to deal with."

Rowan was silent again for a few minutes as she watched the lunch crowd trickling out. "Did I tell you I met Ray's mother when we went to Manchester? She's quite a lady," she said with a chuckle. "She's got a feud going with one of her neighbors."

She looked up and raised her eyebrows. "He took you to meet his Mum?" she smiled. "That's good right?" and she beamed at Rowan. She knew that Rowan and Ray were crazy about each other and was happy for the pair of them.

Rowan grinned. "I think it's good. She seemed extremely happy he'd brought a woman to meet her. He said she liked me. I told her she could come visit anytime," she added with a shrug.

"Now I want to take him home with me. I haven't been back in so long. I read Gem's letters to him, but I really haven't told him a whole lot about when I was growing up. I think it would be nice. Spend a few days there, show him around," she smiled dreamily and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa smiled at her and grinned "It's good that she likes you though!" she smiled happily. "And I bet meeting your family will be an experience for him" she said as she drained her mug.

Rowan snorted out a laugh. "Meeting my Kin would be an experience for anybody."

"You know what you should do, you should go to the school, catch him when he's done for the day and lock him in his office with you and have your wicked way with him. I don't think he'll have any doubts after that about how you feel," Rowan giggled. She picked up the stack of dishes.

"Now there's an idea, I may just have to do that," she chuckled.

Alyssa smiled at Rowan and pulled her into a hug. "I'll see you tomorrow Ro, I need to get back and mentally prepare myself for Davina, I've also got a leg waxing appointment at 1 so I need get back sharpish," She smiled at Rowan and waved at JT and Syed as she left and headed back to the Salon.

"Speaking of work, I best get back to it," she said with a sigh.

Once the lunch mess was tidied, Rowan sat down in the kitchen. Simon called her back to confirm her appointment with Dr. Soames. She texted Ray to let him know the appointment would be at 2:00 tomorrow. Then, she borrowed Syed's laptop and started checking plane fare prices to Virginia and emailing her old friend Louisa to plan a possible visit home.

/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rowan finished looking into the trip and then stood up to help make the dinner orders that would be picked up at 5. She discussed taking a week off with JT and Syed. Syed suggested Christian might be willing to help out if things got too busy while she was gone. Rowan nodded. Not a bad idea. Now it just remained to see if Ray could get the time off. If they went the first week of April that should give him time to ask. They could leave on a Friday night. She smiled and felt the excitement bubbling up inside her. Louisa had insisted she and Ray stay with her and Junior. Rowan liked the idea of staying in the house where she'd grown up and she was interested to see what Junior and Louisa had done to the place.

They could stay a night or two with Gem as well. She could take him to eat in the restaurant her mother used to run, take him swimming at the pond and she would have to take him up to Gem's hayloft. She'd never gone there with a boy when she was growing up. She couldn't wait to go there with Ray.

She cooked up some beef fajitas for dinner and carried them up to the flat and put the plates on the kitchen table. Ray would be home soon. She smiled and patted her still flat tummy. Tonight, she was going to dance for him. She pulled a can out of the fridge and put it by his plate and fixed herself a glass of iced tea, then sat down to wait.

Rowan toyed with her food then picked up Ray's plate and put it in the microwave so she could heat it up when he got home. She looked at the clock and sighed. He could at least let her know he was going to be late. He hadn't responded to her text about the time of the appointment either. She hoped nothing was wrong.

She sat back down and started to half-heartedly eat her dinner.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Davina went to the salon at 2 for her appointment and avoided so much as looking at Alyssa. She even gave her money to the nice woman who had done her nails rather than give it to Alyssa at the desk downstairs before hurrying off to meet Max.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Jack stayed in his office and pretended to occupy himself with paperwork while he let thoughts of Alyssa run through his head. She had to have been joking with him, he chastised himself. He nearly picked up the phone to call her and apologize, but stopped himself. He knew he was being pathetic, but he just couldn't help it. With Davina back in town, the last thing he wanted to be doing was fighting with Alyssa. But they weren't really fighting, not yet. He'd thrown a tantrum and stormed off like an adolescent. He put his face in his hands and berated himself once again for being such an idiot.

He would apologize to Alyssa when he got home. And he would cook for her. He nodded. Yes, that always helped. He grabbed his cigarettes and then dropped them back in the drawer. He was trying to quit as a wedding present to Alyssa. He wanted to surprise her. But it wasn't easy. He had hated the idea of buying cigarettes so he kept one new pack at all times and the open one he was pretending to smoke from, and occasionally really smoking from, on him at all times to make it look like it was business as usual. He shut the drawer with more force than intended and stood up and began to pace.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa took the money that Davina had paid from Maddie and put it into the till, the woman didn't even have the balls to face her. It would have made her laugh if she wasn't in such an awful mood. She was hurt that Jack had told her to marry Declan, he made her sound like she was only marrying him for money which wasn't true, she was marrying him because she was in love with him and didn't want to lose him. Ever! She hugged herself for a moment as she tried to calm down. She was glad that the last appointment was in an hour. Then she could close up the Salon and go home and have a drink. She sighed as she set about checking the work stations for any used up cosmetics that she needed to replace. She needed to keep busy.

Jack finished at school and drove to the salon. He'd snuck out early, but he didn't think anyone would notice. He drove past slow at first to make sure he could see Alyssa through the window and then parked just past the salon before getting out and going inside. He shoved his hands in his pockets and approached the desk quietly as he watched her count items on the wall. He cleared his throat quietly to let her know he was there and waited for her to turn around, a small, ashamed smile on his face.

Alyssa stopped what she was doing as she heard him behind her, and closed her eyes, willing herself to turn around. She straightened herself and turned around to face him, Alyssa looked at him reproachfully and then sighed as she returned to her desk and sat down behind it. She looked back up at him and raised her eyebrows at him expectantly.

"Are you going to tell me what all that was about in the restaurant? Because no matter how much you might want me to marry Declan it isn't going to happen, because I don't love him," she told him quietly.

Jack walked around the desk and dropped to his knees in front of her, grabbing her hand in both of his.

"I'm sorry. I get overly sensitive sometimes. I don't know what I was thinking. I acted like an idiot," he sighed and looked up at her. "Let me cook dinner tonight and make it up to you," he offered. He slid one of his hands slowly along her leg and up her skirt as he met her gaze.

"Are they gone upstairs?" he asked and gave her a slow smile.

Alyssa couldn't help but smile down at him and shook her head. "Gayna is still with someone, a body scrub," she explained and knelt down opposite him, she slid her arms over his shoulders and pressed her lips to his gently. "Don't do that to me again Jack, don't accuse me like that," she told him with a sigh. "I don't want a rich man unless he's you," she added and kissed him once more before taking his hand and making him stand up.

"I'm sorry," he said again and pulled her tightly to him. "With Davina here and Declan showing up and he fancies you, I can tell, I guess I'm just on edge," he explained. "I guess I just never feel like I'm good enough for you."

He bent down and brushed his lips against hers. "You're such a posh bird," he said and gave her a half-smile. He kissed her more thoroughly.

"So, I'm thinking we could take our little trip the last week of April, how does that sound?" he asked her.

Alyssa tilted her head "The trip to Birmingham?" she asked with a smile and then nodded "Yeah, last week of April will work, you've got that week off right? Easter?" she grinned and looked up as she heard footsteps upstairs.

Alyssa looked back at Jack. "Sounds like Gayna has finished," she smiled. "I'll be done in a bit," she told him and moved her face closer to his. "You're perfect for me Jack, stop worrying," she told him and kissed him again. She smiled and broke the kiss at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs "Now, move out the way so that I can work!" she grinned as she let go of him.

Jack nodded in reply. "I'll see about getting us a place to stay then, or you can, I don't know the area," he confessed.

Jack quickly moved out of her way. He didn't want her more upset with him.

Alyssa gave Jack another smile then turned to sort the woman that Gayna had accompanied downstairs. She waved both Gayna and her last client off and then turned to tidy up her desk and get the appointments written up for the girls for tomorrow.

He sat and looked out the window as she finished working and stood up when she grabbed her jacket.

Alyssa finished working and got her stuff packed up then looked back at Jack with a smile as she grabbed her jacket from the stand.

She took his hand and looked up at him. "Home? You did promise to cook for me."

"I did indeed promise to cook," he agreed and led her to the car.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Whitney got home from school and gave Declan a friendly smile. She rummaged in the fridge to get herself a drink and tried not to think about him sitting on the couch in front of the TV. She had Brett. But he looked like Mr. Rimmer. She'd fancied Mr. Rimmer since he'd come to the Square. Now here was this bloke who looked just like him, but was single and rich to boot.

Declan smiled back at Whitney and turned his attention back to the news. He could tell the girl seemed to fancy him, but she was a bit young for him. He preferred someone a bit older, someone like Alyssa. He sighed. Jack had all the luck! He wondered if this idea of Davina's would work at all.

Whitney eyed him as she stood in the kitchen and drank her soda. She wouldn't know what to talk to him about anyway. She grabbed up her laptop bag and hurried upstairs.

"Declan here alone! Yikes! Soooo tempting," she sent to Molly.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Jack went straight to the kitchen after a quick wave at Declan and started pulling ingredients from the fridge. He hoped pasta would suit her, there wasn't much to be had.

"Whitney is here," Declan told Jack as he came into the kitchen and watched Jack for a few minutes. "Are you actually going to cook?" he wanted to know.

"Yes, I can cook you know," Jack replied huffily.

"You are full of surprises," Declan said and grinned.

Alyssa followed Jack inside and went upstairs to get changed. She dumped her things on the floor next to the bed and changed out of her work clothes to her jeans. She came downstairs with a smile and went to the kitchen and saw both Jack and Declan there.

She went behind Jack and wrapped her arms around his waist as he worked and peered over his shoulder to see what he was doing. "So, what're you cooking me?" she asked.

"I am cooking pasta," he said, "and there will be some sauce and…." he trailed off and looked in the oven. "And some chicken," he grinned. "I hope that suits."

Declan made a gagging noise and left the kitchen.

"You can go elsewhere you know," Jack called after him and turned to wrap his arms around Alyssa's waist.

"What do you think about taking your dad out to dinner when we go? I mean, we can invite your mother too, if you want, but I like your dad and we should make sure he's still coming to the wedding," he shrugged.

Alyssa shrugged and nodded "Sure, I'm not going to the house though, I'll text him so he knows we are coming up and invite him," she agreed. "I'm pretty sure he's still coming to the wedding, Jack," she smiled and kissed him happily.

"Sounds good to me," Jack replied merrily.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alex grinned as he walked away and smiled to herself. She turned to her desk and grabbed up the folder waiting for her attention.

Gene was right. After lunch, once everyone was in the station, the Super gathered everyone into the main room and announced that next month, Gene would be taking over. He clapped Gene on the back and made sure everyone toasted him with a drink before leaving. Gene grinned around at everyone and then went over to Alex.

"I think we should get Molly and Sammy and go out to dinner. What do you think?" he asked.

Alex smiled at him and nodded her agreement, a family celebration, she beamed and kissed his cheek. "I think that's a lovely idea."

"Can we buy you a drink at the pub, Guv?" Chris asked and looked at Shaz with a grin. Ginger and Rhys stood up and nodded excitedly at the idea of going to the pub.

"They aren't going to bring in a new DCI are they?" Rhys wanted to know. "I mean, with respect, the old Super was a bit old to be going out on cases. But with the Guv here, and you know, two DI's, we don't really need one do we?"

Gene shook his head. "Just me," he grinned.

Ray grinned at the chatter going on and caught sight of his phone on his desk. He grabbed it as he saw the texts and read them. He smiled at the appointment and hastily sent a text back that he would be there and then one about the Guv's promotion with an explanation about why he was late. He promised her that he would be home soon and then put his phone back down.

"Right then, one drink at the pub," Gene announced and wound his arm around Alex's waist, "then I'm taking my family to dinner."

"Let's go then," Rhys said and pushed Ginger out the door in front of him. Chris grinned at Shaz and looped his arm with hers and led her out.

"Any excuse for the pub," Ginger sighed and pushed back at Rhys as his friend kept trying to shove him down the hall.

Alex slipped her own arm around Gene and she grabbed her coat.

Ray grabbed up his stuff. One drink at the pub to celebrate the Guv's promotion then back home to Rowan. The appointment was tomorrow, he would go with her. He sent a text saying he was going to have one drink then go straight home. He followed the others to the pub.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Rowan heard her phone beep and picked it up. She smiled at the message and sent back her congratulations to Gene and sighed. She picked up the can and put it back in the fridge. She gnawed her lip. She went and took a quick shower and put on the outfit she planned to wear to dance in and put her dressing gown on over it. She would do her hair and put on some make up while Ray was eating his dinner. She went and sat at the computer and started checking flight prices and chatting with Louisa as she waited.

/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Since they could only get him one drink, Chris, Rhys and Ginger all put in a bit of change to buy a pint for Gene. It seemed silly but they didn't want to incur Alex's wrath by getting Gene drunk and keeping him from taking her to dinner. They could always take him out for a proper drinking session after his promotion was final.

Gene looked at Alex. "Better make sure Molly knows we're going to dinner. I'm guessing she's at Peter's so we can pick her up from there and then go fetch Sammy. Think about where you want to go," he finished as he picked his pint up from the bar and took a sip.

Alex nodded and smiled at him as she whipped out her phone and sent off a text to Molly "Gene got promoted to DSI, we are all going out to Celebrate :)"

She picked up her glass of wine with a smile as she watched her colleagues.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Molly picked up her phone from Peter's coffee table and rolled her eyes at Whitney's text.

"RESIST! LOL :)"

She then read her Mum's text with a smile. "Tell him Congrats! Am at Peters"

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

"I am but it's HARD! " Whitney sent back and looked back at her homework. She heard Jack and Alyssa come in downstairs and felt a sigh of relief. It was easier to avoid him with them around. She really liked Brett and didn't want to mess things up.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Molly chuckled at the text and sent one back. "Man up and try not to think about him!"

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

"Am doing homework :P" Whitney sent back and chuckled.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Davina and Max frowned at each other as the rowdy officers came into the pub.

"We can go if you want," he told her.

She thought about it a moment and then nodded.

"I should get home, early day tomorrow and I offered to cook Julia dinner. Why don't we get together Friday night?" she suggested. Although, if her little plan worked, she might be spending it with Jack instead of Max. She smiled.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Rowan was thoroughly enjoying her conversation with Louisa. They'd been best friends growing up and Rowan had missed her terribly over the years. She would just have to make sure Louisa didn't tell too many embarrassing stories about her when Louisa met Ray. Not that Rowan had ever been caught with a boy, but there were other embarrassing things that Rowan would prefer to forget. She was glad she would get to take him to meet Gem, but it hurt that her parents wouldn't be able to meet him. She knew her father would like him. She thought her mother would, too. She was sure they would approve.

She glanced at the clock and started printing out the prices she'd found for flights. She called the bank and checked her balance. The restaurant had been doing well enough that Junior's payments for the house had just been sitting in the bank. She could easily afford the airfare. And Junior would pick them up at the airport and fly them to the town at no charge. She got everything together and went to dry her hair before it dried too much on its own and was unmanageable.

Ray would likely be home any minute now. She started heating up his food in the microwave and got the can out of the fridge and put it on the table. She knew some women might say something about the way she seemed to wait on him, but she liked taking care of him. He always appreciated it, he showed her all the time even if he didn't come right out and say thank you. If he ever took her for granted she would put a stop to it right quick. She put her hands to her belly. And now she was having his baby! She couldn't wait until her appointment tomorrow. Once she knew all was well, she could start telling people.

She would tell Alyssa first. Alyssa had been there for her when she'd gone to see if having children was even possible.

She did a bit of stretching and then started looking through the CDs for some music to dance to while she waited.

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Alex patted Gene's shoulder as she spotted the level of his pint getting lower and lower. "I'm going to get Molly," she told him and kissed his cheek before leaving the pub.

Alex crossed the road and the Market to the Beale's house and rang the doorbell.

Molly looked up at Peter as the doorbell went and leant off him so that he could answer the door.

Peter went to the door and opened it.

"It's your mum," Peter called to Molly and stood aside to let Alex in.

Molly looked up at Alex as she came in and raised her eyebrows. "We're going now?" she asked as she grabbed her things and shoved them into her school bag.

"So, it's nice Mr. Hunt got promoted," Peter said for lack of anything else to say as he watched Molly pack up her books.

Alex smiled and nodded at Peter. "Yes, it seems he and the Super have been discussing it for ages but never said a word to anyone," she smiled and then looked over at Molly. "Yes, Molls, before Gene gets too pissed, the department is celebrating."

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Gene let them buy him one more pint and he quickly drained it and headed out of the pub with a quick wave.


	4. Chapter 4

**We do not own EastEnders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 4**

Ray congratulated Gene one final time as he drained his pint and passed on Rowan's congratulations, too. He left the pub and climbed into his car hoping Rowan had cooked something. He was starving.

Ray pulled up in his usual spot outside the restaurant and got out of the car. He hurried inside and up to the flat. Ray pushed open the front door with a sigh and inhaled with a smile. She had definitely cooked something. He dumped his coat in the closet and looked around. "Ro?" he called out as he wandered into the front room.

Rowan pulled the plate out of the microwave and put it on the kitchen table. She smiled when she heard Ray come in.

"Over here," she said and turned from the table. "I had to re-heat the fajitas in the microwave, hope they still taste good," she said as she walked towards him. She patted his backside as she passed him to go and shut down the computer. She watched him sit down and turned to shut off the machine after a quick goodbye to Louisa.

Ray made his way over and took his seat at the table after kissing her forehead. He licked his lips at the sight of the food and dug in heartily.

She walked back into the kitchen and sat down across from him. "So," she began, "I was online today and checking prices. Here's what it would cost to go the first week of April. It gives you a week to see if you can get the time off and we'd be back before I have to do Alyssa's surprise birthday party for Jack," she told him as she pushed the pages across the table to him.

"I've got enough money to pay for the tickets and Louisa wants us to stay with her and Junior, although Gem would probably like us to spend a couple of nights with her. What do you think?" she asked him.

Ray pulled the papers and read them through thoroughly. He looked up and nodded at her. "I'm game." he agreed with a grin. "Going on everything you read out to me from those packages you get from them they all sound really...interesting," he smiled.

"Well, a lot of that is being told from Gem's point of view and she's got her own ideas about things. She always says she's being neutral, but whether she likes someone or not has a lot of bearing on how she talks about them. Generally, the nicer she is the more you have to worry."

She pointed at the pages. "Now, we can't fly directly there. However, Junior does run a charter plane and he is very willing to come and pick us up from the little airport and fly us to the town. There's a small airstrip just outside of town next to where he hangars his plane when he's working on it. I thought we could leave on Friday and come back on Saturday. It's a long flight though," she said hesitantly and shuffled through the pages and pointed. "First class wouldn't cost much more and it's not as though we'll be spending a lot of money when we're there. It's a small town and mostly farms. So, we don't really need much in the way of cash, I thought it might be nice to splurge on the flight," she suggested.

Ray raised his eyebrows "You want to go first class?" he said in surprise, "You sure?"

"Why not?" Rowan asked. "We can afford it and I think it would be fun. More comfortable surely, it is a long flight," she added.

Ray shrugged. "If that's what you want, Ro," he smiled at her.

She noticed he was nearly done with his dinner and stood up.

"I'm just going to go brush my hair and get ready to dance. Go sit on the couch when you're done," she told him as she moved around behind him. She kissed the back of his neck.

"Maybe we can join the mile high club," she breathed in his ear and kissed his earlobe before heading to the bathroom to put on a bit of makeup and brush her hair out. She waited until she heard the sound of his plate and silverware going in the sink and peered around the bathroom door to watch him walk from the kitchen to the front room.

Ray did as she said and grabbed up his empty plate and cutlery and dumped them in the sink and then took his place on the sofa. He grinned inwardly at her mention of the Mile High club, that would definitely have to be done.

She adjusted the dressing gown and turned off the lights as she came into the front room so the only light was from the candles she'd lit earlier. She pushed the coffee table over against the wall so it would be out of the way and then turned on the music. She faced him and dropped the dressing gown revealing the tight halter top she was wearing and the matching long, sheer, split up both sides skirt worn low on her hips.

She smiled at him and began to dance.

He held his hands in fists and then sat on them to prevent himself from touching her, and forced himself to simply watch in awe.

Ray suddenly reached out and grabbed her onto his lap and kissed her. His hands flew all over her body as he kissed her, appreciating every part of her. That dance had to be stopped, it was slowly killing him: stopping himself from touching and savouring was pure torture.

Rowan let out a small squeak of surprise as Ray grabbed her. She kissed him back, melting under his touch.

He broke the kiss and gazed at her with a slow grin. "You're incredible Ro, but that was killing me," he smiled and lifted her in his arms. He carried her through to the bedroom and laid her on the bed.

She looped her arms around his neck and smiled at him as he carried her to the bedroom.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she replied. She loved dancing for him.

He left the bedroom and carried in some of the candles she had lit and placed them on her dressing table and then turned to her in the half darkness. He divested himself of his clothes and left them on the floor as he made his way towards her, eyeing her in that outfit. He held back a desperate groan as he crawled on top of her and ran his hands over her again.

She leaned back on her elbows and watched appreciatively as he undressed. She never tired of looking at him. She let out a soft moan at the feel of his hands on her again and squeezed him back when he wrapped his arms around her.

"Rowan," he murmured as he moved his lips to her neck and slipped his hands around her to hold her tightly to him. "I love you."

"Oh, Ray," she said and put a hand to his cheek as she gazed into his blue eyes. "I love you so much," she whispered and pressed her lips to his. "I never imagined I could feel this way about anyone," she told him.

His hands found the waistline of her skirt and eased it gently over her hips, stroking her legs as he guided the material down and onto the floor.

She lay back as he removed the skirt and then a wicked smile crossed her face as she sat up and put her arms around him and shoved him down. She straddled his hips and put her hands on his shoulders and leaned over him.

"My turn," she said with a slow smile and began to kiss her way slowly down his neck, shoulders and over his chest, her fingers tracing over his flesh. She moved lower, splaying her hands over his chest before combing her fingers through his chest hair. She pressed a kiss against his belly and slowly moved her hands lower and over his thighs.

She looked up at him again and gently took the hardness of him in her hands and began to caress him. She bent again and teased the soft flesh of his inner thighs with her lips and teeth before nuzzling the base of his erection. She took her hands away and gripped his thighs before taking him in her mouth.

Ray's head fell back and he groaned, he loved it when she did this. He closed his eyes and simply enjoyed what she was doing to him. Ray curled his hands into the duvet and held on tightly so as to let her do what she wanted to him, she really was amazing!

His hands flew to hers as he felt his orgasm building and he breathed her name, he forced himself to sit up and stopped what she was doing. He looked at her face feeling breathless. He pulled her back up to him and rolled her over onto her back and planted kisses up her neck to her ear.

Rowan gave an inward smile and went to work on him. It thrilled her knowing how much he was enjoying what she did. She looked at him in surprise when he stopped her, but when he rolled her onto her back she decided not to argue.

"My go," he breathed as he kissed the shell of her ear and then plucked at the halter top. He frowned as he tried to work out the best way to get it off and made her sit up so he could pull it over her head. He threw it away and eased her back down.

She chuckled as he tried to work out how to get the halter off and laughed out loud as he pulled it off over her head before she could take it off.

He smiled at her and kissed his way back down her neck and paid attention to her breasts.

She closed her eyes as his lips returned to her neck, making her breath quicken. She lost herself in the feel of his lips burning across her flesh.

Ray smirked as he heard Rowan's breathing speed up and continued what he was doing, he moved on from her breasts and kissed his way down her body slowly. He looked up at her face briefly with a smile and pulled her legs apart and kissed up her inner thigh before moving them elsewhere.

Rowan cried out and shuddered at his mouth between her legs. It drove her wild when he did this to her. She gasped his name between her cries and moans as the pleasure overwhelmed her. It was glorious. She drew in several harsh breaths as she felt herself getting close and couldn't hold back screaming his name as she went over the edge.

Ray crawled languorously up her body and indulged in a kiss, cradling her face with his hands. He broke the kiss and smiled down at her, his hands slid from her face and trailed down her body until they came to her legs and he lifted them and wrapped them around his waist. He grinned down at her as he thrust inside her and slid his hands from her legs to her sides and then around her back to hold her to him.

Ray kept his gaze fixed on hers as he moved and allowed himself to feel what she was gradually letting him feel. He loved that they could share their feelings like this, it made everything that little bit more special. He loved that he ignited these emotions in her, they were powerful to say the least. He took hold of her hands and let go of everything he was feeling at once so she could see exactly what she did to him.

Rowan fixed her gaze on his and smiled back as he thrust into her. She let out a soft, low moan and wound her arms around his neck.

"Ray," she breathed and arched her body to meet each thrust exactly. She held his gaze, keeping her face close to his, lips parted as she gasped for breath, nearly brushing his lips with hers. She slid her hands up into his hair, twining them in his soft curls that she never tired of touching.

"You feel so good," she moaned. "You're wonderful, oh, Ray."

She continued speaking softly; slowly letting herself go so he could feel what she felt, keeping her eyes focused on his. She couldn't look away. She loved seeing him, feeling him.

Ray kept his gaze fixed on hers as he moved and allowed himself to feel what she was gradually letting him feel. He loved that they could share their feelings like this, it made everything that little bit more special. He loved that he ignited these emotions in her, they were powerful to say the least. He took hold of her hands and let go of everything he was feeling at once so she could see exactly what she did to him.

Rowan felt his feelings wash over her and her eyes opened wide. She often forgot how intense he was and it was more than she was ready for. She slammed her head back into the pillow as their auras met and melded and his name burst from her lips in a long shriek. Her hands closed tightly on his as her body writhed and half-convulsed beneath him, overcome and lost in him as she came again and again.

She gasped noisily for air as her body shuddered in the aftermath, her hands twined tight with his, her legs tight around his waist. She couldn't seem to let go. She sniffed suddenly and realized her cheeks were wet with tears from the sheer beauty of it all. She closed her eyes and forced her body to let go of him and she suddenly relaxed beneath him with a relieved breath.

Ray fell onto the bed next to her, he felt drained and drowsy. He smiled as he reached over and gathered her to his chest and held her there. He always felt happier when she was in his arms.

Ray kissed her forehead and gathered up the duvet to pull on top of them as he held her close.

Rowan huddled close to Ray. She looked up at him and slid the curls at his temple through her fingers.

"I wish my parents could meet you. I think they would love you as much as I do," she told him softly, her throat a bit sore from screaming. She drank in his face, his eyes and sighed contentedly.

"That was really quite unbelievable just then," she added and smiled at him.

"I forget how intense you are, you quite bowled me over," she added as her eyes flicked over his face and then to his hair as she toyed with it. She kissed him softly and then shifted so she could bury her head against his chest.

Ray tightened his grip on her then loosened it so he was comfortable and she was still being held to him. He let go with one hand and reached for her hair. He combed his fingers through it gently, pausing when he reached a tangle and teasing it out with his fingers. The movement slowly lulling him to sleep.

"Mmmmm," Rowan sighed softly as she felt Ray's fingers stroking her hair. She shifted comfortably against him and drifted off.

/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Molly nodded knowingly and hurried herself up. She kissed Peter goodbye and followed her mum out. "So, Are you the new DCI or is it Ray?" she asked curiously. Alex shook her head. "Neither of us. The old super was old and couldn't manage cases. Gene's decided not to have a DCI and with 2 DIs we don't really need one. Ray, Gene and I are going to handle cases, the only difference is that Gene will have more to do," she explained.

Molly chuckled. "Detective Superintendent Hunt," she smiled. "I like it."

Alex nodded at Molly. "I do too," she agreed as she led Molly to the Quattro. Molly spotted Gene coming out the Pub and ran towards him. She hugged him tightly and beamed up at him "Congrats!" she told him as she let go.

"Thanks," Gene said gruffly. "So, dinner where?" he wanted to know as he climbed into the car and drove to the flat to pick up Sammy. He got out of the car and smoked while Alex went in and got the baby.

Alex shrugged and looked in the back at Molly. "How d'you feel about going to the Wilsons?" she asked. Molly looked up. "The Carvery place?". Alex nodded. Molly nodded. "Sure," she smiled.

Alex went into the house and went to sort out Sam and the child minder.

"How's school going?" he asked Molly curiously.

Molly shrugged. "S'alright," she replied. "I'm failing Geography, but I'm not going to ever use it anyway so," she shrugged.

Gene snorted at Molly's remark.

"You will if you ever plan to go somewhere. Surely you'll want to know where it is you're going," he told her.

Alex came back and handed Sam to Gene then went and got the car seat she had in her car and put it next to Molly in the back of the car. Alex took Sam back off Gene and strapped him into the seat.

Gene frowned at Alex putting the car seat in the Quattro; he had thought they would take her car to dinner, especially since he had no idea what this place was they were talking about. He gave Alex a look and climbed back into the car and growled low in his throat as he started the car. A baby in the Quattro! That was blasphemy.

Molly shook her head at him. "No, thats what the map of the world is for, and the internet, what do I need Geoggers for?" she retorted and moved over to so that Alex could get the car seat all sorted.

Alex strapped herself back into the front seat and raised her eyebrows at the expression on Gene's face "Just drive Gene, let Sam enjoy his first ride in the Mighty Quattro," she smiled at him.

Gene grunted at Alex and pulled away from the flat.

"Suppose you better give me directions. I have no idea where we're going," he told her.

Alex gave him an amused smile and proceeded to direct Gene to the restaurant. She had debated going for a curry, but the spices had made her doubt it, she didn't think taking Sam to an Indian restaurant was a good idea. So a carvery was the next best thing. Molly undid the buckles holding Sam in place the second Gene had parked the car and Alex climbed out of the Quattro and carefully got Sam out of the car, too. Molly waited impatiently for Gene to hurry up and then had to fight hard to keep her pace at a walk as they made their way inside. She hadn't been here for ages!

Gene looked around at the place. It looked all right, he decided. He sniffed at the air, smelled all right. He decided it would do. He glanced back at Molly nearly running to keep up and slowed down so she could catch up.

Molly smiled at the pair of them and waited patiently for the waiter to seat them.

Alex followed the waiter to the table for them and thanked him as he pulled up a high chair for Sam, she strapped him in and took the menus from the waiter and ordered herself a glass of red wine then turned to the menu.

Molly asked for a glass of coke, but rejected the menu. She knew what she wanted.

Molly nodded and looked at Alex who rolled her eyes at her daughter's impatience and got the waiter's attention. Molly sat up in her seat and waited as patiently as she could for the waiter to make his way over and take their orders.

Both Alex and Molly ordered themselves a carvery, and the waiter told them to go up when they were ready. Alex looked back at Gene expectantly and waited for him to place his order too.

Gene looked carefully over the menu. After a lengthy deliberation and a pint, he finally decided what he wanted.

He grinned at Molly apologetically, since she clearly knew what she wanted. "I'm ready," he said.

Gene frowned and ordered what he wanted and handed his menu over.

"So," he said and took another drink of his pint. "Did you know she's failing geography," he said to Alex with a gesture at Molly.

Alex widened her eyes and looked from Gene to Molly. "She's what?"

Molly gaped at Gene and made to stand up but Alex caught her shoulder and made her sit down again "Molly Drake, why are you failing Geography?"

Molly sighed and looked up at Alex. "Because I don't understand it," she admitted. Alex frowned. "And why don't you understand it?" she asked.

Molly raised her eyebrows and folded her arms. "Well, if I knew that then I wouldn't be failing would I?" she snapped back. Alex sighed. "Okay, so which bits don't you understand, is it the whole subject or just certain parts?"

Molly sat back in her seat, resigned. She glanced at Gene and then back at Alex. "Mainly the stuff on rivers, then there's all that population crap which I think has nothing to do with Geography at all!"

"Language, Molly," Alex reprimanded quickly and earned herself a cheeky eyeroll. "Don't roll your eyes at me Molly, you know I don't like you swearing."

"Saying crap is hardly swearing, Mum."

"Not the point, not only is it bad language, but I don't want Sam picking up bad habits!" she explained. "But now we've gone off on a tangent," she sighed. "Have you asked for help?"

Molly shook her head. "Nope!" Alex held in a groan. "Molls, that's what you need to do, you need to go to your teacher and tell them that you're struggling! When do you next have Geography?" she pressed.

Molly shrugged. "Tomorrow, before lunch," she mumbled. Alex nodded. "So you wait after class and explain to her..."

"Him," Molly cut across.

Alex nodded. "Explain to him where you think you're going wrong and ask him to help you."

Molly nodded and looked at Alex. "Can I go and get food now, please?" Alex nodded and Molly hurried over to join the back of the queue by where the Carvery was served.

Gene watched Molly and Alex argue. He felt a bit bad for getting Molly in trouble, but he hadn't realized she wasn't intending to tell her mother.

Alex watched her go then looked at Gene. "A bit of common sense from her wouldn't go amiss," she sighed and got up to join Molly in the queue.

"I wasn't the best in school, so I have nowt to say on that," he told her and got up to go get food with her. He was feeling very hungry.

Gene got his food and went to sit back down. He hoped Molly wouldn't stay mad at him.

Alex and Molly made their way back to the table with Gene and sat down. Molly ate her food with relish, she loved coming to this place: the food was always amazingly good. She glanced up at Gene and sighed at the expression on his face, he was blaming himself for her getting in trouble with Alex. She sighed, she knew that Alex would have found out sooner or later, she supposed it was best that it was sooner, get the lecture out of the way.

"Well," Gene said once they'd got back in the car. "That wasn't too bad, I think I could see going there again," he said to Alex and Molly as he drove them all home.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\

"I spoke to my assistant and made sure my calendar is clear so that I can make it," Declan called over from the front room.

Jack grinned at Alyssa and silently mocked Declan, knowing Declan wouldn't be able to see him.

"Stop mocking me, Jack," Declan said.

"I'm not," Jack said defensively and mocked him again.

"Just because I can't see you, doesn't mean I don't know what you're up to, besides I can hear Alyssa giggling," he argued.

Jack snorted and turned back to the stove and stirred the sauce and mocked Declan again.

Alyssa kissed Jack's cheek through her giggles and shushed him quietly as she patted his bum and wandered through to the front room. She smiled at Declan briefly before digging in a draw and pulling out a folder. She sat with it on her lap and started leafing through the papers making sure that they had everything sorted and confirmed for the wedding.

She wondered what Jack had planned for the honeymoon. She had left that part up to him, she didn't really mind where they went if she was honest and she had told him as much.

Jack hummed to himself as he finished cooking dinner. He glanced over into the front room and saw Alyssa leafing through the wedding plans again. He chuckled to himself. With how prepared she was he began to wonder if they shouldn't get married sooner and then go on the honeymoon when school was done. The way she was nearly obsessing, he was sure something would go wrong if they kept waiting. Even her dress was nearly done and they still had almost three months to go!

No, she wanted June 17 and that's what she would get. He just hoped she wouldn't make herself crazy in the meantime.

Jack quickly dished up dinner and put the plates on the table.

"Food's on!" Jack called. He walked to the stairs. "Food if you're eating Whitney," he called up to her.

He heard a sound he took to be an affirmative and went back into the kitchen.

Declan got up and wandered into the kitchen. He looked at the food as he sat down.

"Well, it looks edible at any rate," he commented.

"You can go elsewhere," Jack told him and poured them all wine as he heard Whitney thundering down the stairs.

Alyssa made sure all the papers were organised then left them on the coffee table and followed Declan through to the kitchen, hearing the sound of Whitney running down the stairs. She took her seat and smiled, she had to admit, even though Jack's talent at cooking was limited he did make good pasta, she remembered the first time he had cooked for her.

She glanced over at Declan and rolled her eyes at him.

"It looks delicious," she said. Alyssa reached for her knife and fork and made a start on the food with a smile, taking her first mouthful slowly and cautiously then continuing with a smile as she ate, she glanced up at Jack with a grin. "Tastes alright, too."

Declan shook his head and chuckled at Alyssa and took an experimental bite.

"Not bad, old man," he remarked and began to eat in earnest.

"I think Jack makes brilliant pasta," Whitney commented and started on her dinner.

Jack beamed at the two women and started on his own food. It had turned out pretty good this time.

"Shame Rowan found that restaurant with its own flat to buy. When you agreed to move in here I thought I could talk her into being our live-in chef," he grinned at Alyssa.

"So, how are you going to keep from going completely mental between now and the wedding?" Jack wanted to know. "I mean, you've got everything arranged and your final dress fitting is Saturday, then you have three whole months till the wedding."

Alyssa sighed and shrugged. "Well, there's always work, and of course there's Rowan's surprise birthday party to sort and organise," she smiled and shrugged again.

"I'll think of something, besides, you've got Easter Half Term off anyway, I'm sure you can find a way of keeping me entertained, Jack," she grinned and reached for her wine glass.

"And you could never have Rowan as a live in chef, you'd drive her crazy!" she chuckled at him as she peered over the rim of her glass.

"Well, I don't think her party will be too difficult, not if it's supposed to be small," Jack cautioned her. He took another bite of his dinner and chewed contemplatively as he listened to her.

"Yes, I know I have time off and we are going to Birmingham if you will remember, but that still leaves the whole of May and two whole weeks in June, I don't think you'll make it," he replied in a tone of finality and grinned at her. He sighed at her remark about Rowan.

"Yes, I think she might have ended up killing me and serving me in a stew or something," he said and Declan burst into laughter.

"That little American who runs the restaurant where we ate lunch?" he wanted to know.

"I wouldn't say that to her face," Whitney warned and heard Jack chuckle.

"Agreed, she's not one to be messed with," Jack added.

"That big bloke of hers wouldn't always be around," Declan snorted.

"Not talking about Ray, talking about her!" Whitney said. She looked at Alyssa.

"You remember what she did to Mr. Hunt at his and Alex's engagement party!" she implored. "I think I've got the video on my laptop."

She jumped up and hurried upstairs to get her computer while Declan looked at Alyssa in disbelief.

Alyssa nodded at Declan. "Trust me, Rowan doesn't need Ray to defend her, she's more than capable of doing that herself," she told him seriously. "You wait until you see this video, she floored a guy bigger than Ray without breaking a sweat!" she smiled and went back to her pasta.

"And she'd been drinking," Jack put in.

Alyssa looked up at Jack. "So, apart from that week in Brum that gives me, what, 6 weeks, to keep myself entertained! I'm fairly sure that I can find something to do with myself," she shrugged. "Either that or I'll just drive you insane, not that you need me to," she grinned. "You're already mentally impaired without my help."

She looked up as Whitney came back and smiled as she set up the video.

Alyssa finished her meal too and raised her eyebrows at Jack "And how much are you willing to bet on that Mr Rimmer?" she challenged as she reached for her wine glass and took a sip. She narrowed her eyes at him playfully as she put her glass back down and looked at him expectantly.

"I'm not willing to bet anything, just making an observation," Jack shot back and grinned at her. His smile fell away at her comment to Declan.

"He has got some mental problems, though," she sighed as she turned to Declan. "I am considering having him sectioned," she added conversationally.

He took a drink of his wine and snorted. "I am not mentally impaired."

Declan burst out laughing. "Keep telling yourself that mate," he chuckled.

"Now that is uncalled for, especially after I made you this nice dinner and everything," Jack whined. "You are all always against me," he sighed and gathered up the empty plates and trudged over-dramatically to the sink.

Declan looked at Alyssa. "I'm sure I could help with that," he told with her with a chuckle and then bit his lips against more laughter as he watched Jack's antics.

Declan glanced curiously as Whitney put her laptop on the table and played the short video Molly had recorded all those months ago. She'd saved a copy for herself, but they had all agreed never to post it publicly.

Declan watched the video and shook his head.

"Well, seeing is believing," he said, still not sure he believed what he saw.

Whitney grinned and closed her laptop and went back to her food, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"I don't think you'll be able to last six whole weeks," Jack told Alyssa as he swallowed his last bite of pasta. "You might re-plan the whole wedding in that time."

Alyssa grinned back at Declan and nodded then looked over at Jack. She rolled her eyes at Whitney and Declan. "He's so easy to wind up," she told them as she stood and made her way over to Jack

Alyssa slid her arms around his waist and hugged him from behind for a moment then rested her chin on her shoulder and moved her lips to his ear. "You were right, Jack," she told him quietly. "Christmas Eve, when you proposed," she explained with a smile and kissed his cheek. "You are high maintenance."

Jack chuckled. "I was sort of kidding when I said that," he replied as he glanced over at her while he waited for the sink to fill with water. He shut off the tap and turned to slip his arms around her waist.

"I'm not so sure," she replied with a smile as he turned to face her. "I'm prepared to believe that weren't 'kind of kidding' when you said that," she grinned at him.

"I'm only crazy about one thing, and that's you," he told her and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

"Oh, yuck," Whitney howled jokingly and got up. Declan grinned at Whitney as she walked away then looked back at Jack and Alyssa.

"So you proposed on Christmas Eve? That is pretty romantic I have to admit," he remarked.

"Well, a bit, yeah," Jack said agreeably.

Alyssa smiled up at Jack as Declan spoke and gazed at him dreamily. "Mmmmmm, under the mistletoe," she said as she gazed up at Jack, then slid her hands up to his shoulders and pulled him down to her for a proper kiss.

Jack winked at Alyssa and turned back to the sink.

"Oh, no, not under the mistletoe," Declan groaned.

"Yes, under the mistletoe," Jack replied after breaking off the kiss with Alyssa.

"I've lost all hope for you, Jack," Declan sighed and shook his head as he picked up his beer and went into the front room.

Jack chuckled, dropped a kiss on Alyssa's nose and began to wash up.

Alyssa sighed as Jack released her and pulled a face at Declan's retreating back. She had loved his proposal, even though afterward he had admitted that he hadn't planned it like that. She didn't mind, it had been romantic and wonderful and she loved him.

She grabbed up a tea towel and made a start on drying the plates and cutlery that he had washed.

Declan finally glanced at his watch and realized how late it was getting. He had an early meeting tomorrow and then Davina wanted to meet up with him around lunchtime to put her plan of Alyssa seeing Davina and "Jack" kissing. He felt a small twist of guilt, he really shouldn't do this. Not to Jack. He should just go to the meeting, come back, get his few things together and head home to see what sort of mess had occurred in his absence.

He stood up.

"Early meeting for me tomorrow, good night," he said to Jack and Alyssa where they sat cuddled on the couch.

"Good night," Jack replied and held Alyssa a little tighter.

"Night," Alyssa called after him and smiled as Jack's embrace grew a little tighter, she snuggled into his chest happily

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Davina woke up early and smiled. Declan had agreed to help her get Alyssa mad at Jack later today, she couldn't wait. She hurriedly got ready for work and then set off. She had a succession of tutorials before lunch and then she was to meet Declan over on the Square and let Alyssa see them together at some point. She just hoped Declan wouldn't forget he had promised to keep Alyssa off her. She remembered the beating she had taken on New Years Eve.

Declan got up and quickly got ready for the day. He stood in the kitchen and listened to Jack getting ready upstairs and felt a heel. He took a sip of his tea then drained it. He left for his meeting before Jack came downstairs and resolved to text Davina right after and say he wasn't going to be able to meet her.

Whitney arrived at school and discovered one of her lectures had been cancelled, meaning she'd be getting a long lunch today. She grinned and fired off a text to Brett telling him about it and asking if he wanted to join her and perhaps go out to lunch somewhere to celebrate the fantastic grade she'd got on the shirt she'd made for him.

Jack glanced at the clock as he heard Declan leave. He wasn't kidding early meeting! He grinned as he looked at Alyssa still sleeping and slowly pulled the covers back. He pulled the towel from around his waist and tossed it aside as he knelt over her and bent his head to her breasts as he slid a hand along her thigh and up to caress between her legs.

Alyssa woke to a warm feeling slowly making its way along her body. She fought against the hazy realms of sleep that kept beckoning and tried to understand what the familiar sensation was. She realised what was happening as she felt Jack on top of her and she let out a small sigh as she moved her hands up to stroke down his back, he was wet. She smiled as her hands went to his hair and found it was damp: he'd just got out of the shower.

"Morning," she breathed as she moved his face to look at her and pressed her lips to his softly, then harder as she became more and more awake.

"Morning," he purred and kissed her back soundly as he slipped inside her and began to move slowly. He trailed kisses to her neck as he moved his hand to caress her breast. He couldn't touch her enough.

Alyssa tilted her head back and moaned his name softly as she moved her legs around his waist. She sometimes couldn't believe how much she loved this man, but she did, irrevocably. She loved it when he made love to her slowly, even though it was sometimes torture, she still loved it. Her fingers ran through his hair and she smiled as she arched against him.

Jack began to move faster. He wound a hand into her hair and whispered her name as his lips crashed on to hers and he kissed her hungrily. He couldn't wait until the holiday. All day, every day with her, he still couldn't think of anything he'd rather do with his time. He didn't want to do anything else with his time, apart from spending it with her.

Alyssa pulled him even closer and clung to him as she met every thrust he made. She was looking forward to the trip to Birmingham with him and showing him everything she grew up around. Then there was wedding, the day that would bind them to each other. She couldn't wait! Alyssa pulled back from the kiss and stared up into his eyes, certain parts of him she loved more than others, his voice was her absolute favourite. She could sit there and just listen to the sound of his voice without actually hearing the words he was saying. Then his eyes, that beautiful shade of blue that held her gaze so perfectly. His crooked grin and mad nature, his sensitivity and the way he held her in his arms when she needed him to.

Alyssa moaned his name softly and buried her face into his neck, she pressed her lips against his neck and shuddered in his arms as she felt her release hit her and his name left her in a long cry.

Jack slammed into her a final time and felt himself explode within her.

"Oh, Alyssa!" he cried out and clutched her close. He finally pulled back and kissed her gently.

"I hate to love you and leave you, but I have to get to work," he sighed.

Alyssa sighed and stared up at him regretfully. "I know," she agreed but held on to him regardless. It was times like this when she wished that time would stop and she could stay in this one moment with him for as long as she wanted.

Jack held her close. Some days he just wished he could be late to work and it not cause an uproar.

She pressed her lips to his chest and closed her eyes for a moment then released him with a sigh and let him get off her. She sat up, dragging the bedcovers with her and looked over at the time. She still had time. She watched him scrambled upright and leant back against the headboard and sat with a small smile as she watched him get dressed.

He let go of her as she moved away from him and rubbed his hands through his hair and started getting dressed. He bent over and brushed a quick kiss against her lips and stroked a hand down her cheek.

"I'll call you later, no meetings today so I shouldn't be too late," he told her and headed out.

Alyssa nodded and watched him leave. She got up and out of bed once the front door slammed and glanced around the room. She couldn't wait for the days that she could spend with Jack, all day with him. She sighed again and then frowned at herself in the mirror, she wasn't going to get all forlorn and dreamy.

Alyssa made her way to the bathroom to get ready for work.

Rowan woke early and was immediately aware that she was sore. She carefully stretched her aching limbs, biting back a groan. Last night had been truly mind-blowing. She had tried to tell Ray, but he'd not even spoken. She chuckled inwardly. He'd no doubt been overcome, too. She rubbed at her face and yawned, and with a great deal of reluctance, carefully slipped from the warm circle of Ray's arms.

She planted a soft kiss on his shoulder and gazed at him for a few moments before going to take a shower and getting ready for the day. She carefully stretched her sore muscles as she stood under the wonderful hot water of the shower and sighed. She wouldn't be too sore to work. She felt a smile bubble up as she shampooed her hair. Her doctor's appointment was today. She was going to need to book the plane tickets too, while she could still get that good price.

She hoped Ray would find out early in the day about taking that week off, she didn't want to book the tickets before she knew. She bounded downstairs and put the coffee on and started her baking for the day.

Ray clambered off the bed with a yawn and listened carefully for any sign of life in the flat. He sighed when he found none and assumed that Rowan was downstairs in the kitchen of the restaurant. He stumbled through to the shower and cleaned himself off before getting dressed ready for work and dragging himself downstairs.

He leaned against the door frame in the kitchen and watched Rowan cook for a bit, she seemed to drift into her own world when she cooked. He came up behind her and kissed her cheek before smiling at her.

Rowan felt Ray at the kitchen door and quickly finished the biscuit dough she was kneading and set it aside as he kissed her cheek.

"Lemme know when the breakfasts are done for the station, I'll take them in this morning," he told her with a smile. "I'm going back upstairs and getting some toast," he told her and kissed her before smiling at her and going back upstairs to get breakfast.

"They'll be ready just before you have to go," she said and happily kissed him back. She grabbed his hand to stop him leaving.

"You can eat down here," she told him. "I've already got a pot of tea made. And I have biscuits ready to come out of the oven if you'd like one instead of toast," she cajoled and gave him a cheesy smile.

Ray weighed up his options, homemade biscuit and watch Rowan down here, or back upstairs to a piece of toast and silence. Hard choice!

He beamed at her and took his place against the counter. "Think I'll wait for a biscuit, then," he said happily then his gaze moved to the tea urn and he shrugged. Ray got himself a mug and busied himself pouring them both a cup of tea.

Rowan smiled and wrinkled her nose at him and turned to go get the biscuits from the oven. She quickly sliced one of the piping hot biscuits open and put it on a plate and carried it over to the small table she kept in the kitchen for them to sit at during break time. She made sure the dishes of butter, jam and honey were out on the table and went to the doorway.

"Food's up," she called through the doorway to Ray and then went to begin shoving pans of muffin batter into the oven to bake. When they were in, she got herself a biscuit and sat down at the table with him.

"So, let me know as early as you can that you can get that week off work. That way I can get the tickets booked before the prices go up."

She took a sip of her coffee and stifled a yawn. "I got on the computer in the dining room earlier," she said with a gesture. "Louisa emailed me back and she and Junior are very excited about the visit," she told him and smiled. "She's going to put us in my old room up in the attic. I mean, it won't be like it was when I was growing up obviously, they've done a lot of improvement work on the place, but, you know," she shrugged and took a bite of her biscuit.

Ray took his seat at the table and deliberated over his choice of condiment. He grabbed the honey after an internal debate and drizzled it carefully over his biscuit. Ray glanced up at her before taking a bite and chewed quickly as he looked at her.

"I'm sure I can bribe Alex to cover for me, or Chris at least, especially if I take his shifts when Shaz is free, that way he gets to spend more time with her," he shrugged. "We can work something out, Ro, it'll be fine," he assured her with a smile.

She really couldn't wait to spend a whole week relaxing with Ray. It felt like forever since their trip to Paris. The weather would be warmer too. She eyed Ray and couldn't stop the blush she knew was covering her face at the direction her thoughts had taken. She took a drink of coffee to calm herself and glanced over at the timer before looking back at Ray.

He eyed her curiously as she blushed, but didn't press her, if she wanted him to know then she would tell him. He took another mouthful of biscuit and gulped down a generous amount of tea.

Rowan saw the way Ray looked at her when he noticed her blush and she gave him a small smile and bit her lip.

"Sorry, I was thinking about going to the swimming hole with you," she explained and gave him a look before she took a sip of her coffee.

"I'm looking forward to it actually, the trip" he commented "It's going to be interesting, though, I'll admit..." he trailed off and studied her for a moment. "I'm a little apprehensive about meeting everyone," he confessed. "I mean, from their letters they sound alright and nice and everything, but, well..." he sighed. "I guess I don't want to let you down," he told her and stuffed more food into his mouth.

She furrowed her brow at his admission. She pulled her chair over and so she was sitting close to him and took his hand that wasn't holding his food.

"Ray, they're going to love you, I've told Gem and Louisa and tons about you," she reassured him. "They're all really looking forward to meeting you. I love you and you love me and that's all they care about. You're not going to let me down."

She stood up and pressed a long lingering kiss on his lips.  
>JT came walking into the kitchen and turned his head.<p>

"This is hardly the place for that," he snorted. Rowan lifted her head and shook her head and fought back a blush. She still remembered a few months ago when JT had caught them at it on the stairs leading to the flat.

"For your information, we are going to go to Virginia the first week of April. You'll have to do without me a whole entire week while we get to laze around and eat Gem's cooking, go to the swimming hole, spoil Louisa's babies and just generally enjoy ourselves," she told him smugly.

"Now get busy and take those muffins out of the oven before they burn," she said in a bossy tone and pointed towards the oven before turning back to Ray and smiling at him brightly.

Ray smiled back and took the hand holding his and landed a kiss on it. He glanced at the clock and sighed. "I'd best get to work, the earlier I get there the better mood the Guv will be in with me," he sighed and kissed her again. "I'll see you at lunch and then I'll stay with you until..." he glanced at JT and then looked back at Rowan. "Well, until after," he smiled and slid hand around the back of her neck and pulled her face to his for a kiss.

He grinned at Rowan as he grabbed his empty plate and drained his tea. He dumped everything in the sink and winked at Rowan as he headed out.

Rowan nodded and kissed him back and then realized he'd left without the breakfasts. She groaned and scrubbed her hands over her face. When Christian and Syed arrived she made sad eyes at Christian and showed him the box with the breakfasts in it.

"Please will you drop them at the station?" she begged.

Christian sighed. "You're lucky I'm not busy today," he said and took the box. Rowan hurriedly bagged up two cinnamon rolls and put them on top.

"Those are for you, as a thank you," she told him. He grinned and left to take the food to the station.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Brett heard his phone go off as he went to get in his car: he dumped his bag in the back and fell into the front seat. He grinned broadly as he read Whitney's text and sent one back. He had a free hour before lunch on a Wednesday anyway.

Whitney smiled as she read Brett's reply. Her day was improving already.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Jane found herself almost lurking as she walked around the Square doing errands that morning. She was pleased to see that Davina woman hadn't stayed the night at Max's. Davina might be working in the area, but she was clearly staying elsewhere. She sighed and finished her errands and went to the café.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Whitney texted Brett the minute her lecture was done.

"Meet you at main entrance," she sent.

Brett looked up from his essay as his phone went off and ignored the looks he was getting. He didn't really understand the whole "no noise" in the library thing! He shrugged off the looks and read the text from Whitney, he grinned.

Brett packed up his stuff ass quickly as he could and hurried to meet Whitney.

Whitney grinned and hugged Brett excitedly as she showed him the folder with her marks in it.

"Thank you so much for helping me," she said and pulled him into a kiss. "Now, I'm going to buy you lunch so we can celebrate proper," she told him and grabbed his hand and led him down the street to a nearby Chinese restaurant.

She pulled him inside and sat him down.

"Two whole hours for lunch, I love it when teachers are sick," she said. "I mean, I feel bad for them yeah, but it's nice to get some extra free time."

Brett grinned at her, he was glad she got the mark that she deserved. Her designs were something special. He nodded his agreement at her words. "I know what you mean," he nodded. "It's good to get a bit more free time."

Brett took her folder from her and looked over her mark again with a grin. "Congrats," he told her and kissed her once more. "You deserve it, did you see your designs? I don't know why you were so worried," he grinned.

"He's tough," she told Brett and smiled as the waiter came over.

Brett snorted at her. "Sure."

He handed her back her folder and looked at her interestedly. "So, what's the next project going to be?" he asked with a grin. "My one on your stall's development is nearly done, hand in this essay and that's it, sit back and wait for the mark," he told her with a smile. "And to be honest, compared with some of the stuff the others in the class chose to do it's gonna be good, I mean, not only will I get a good mark for it, but I get to hang out with my girlfriend in order to get the marks I need," he grinned at her. "So much better than everyone else."

"I think next one will be children's clothes. Won't know till next week. I've got it easy there, I've got Tiff and Morgan," she smiled.

She giggled at his remark about his project.

"So, I'm officially your girlfriend now?" she tilted her head and took his hand. "I like the sound of that."

Brett grinned at her and squeezed her hand. "To be honest Whit, I've considered you my girlfriend for quite a while now," he told her with a grin.

Whitney beamed at him.

"That's so nice to hear," she said. She bit her lip and started in on her food when it arrived.

Davina stood up and walked past the table she thought Brett was sitting at on her way to the loo. She glanced out of the corner of her eye but kept her face averted just in case.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Ray got to work with a grin on his face. He nodded briefly at Adam as he passed and sauntered into the office. He checked the rota as he passed and resolved to ask the Guv if he could get the time off. He paused for a second; if the Guv wasn't in a good mood then he would ask Alex. Well, not ask Alex, let Alex know.

He grinned and looked in at the Guv's office as he sat at his desk. Not in yet. He could wait.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Gene headed in to work, in a better mood than usual. He was being promoted, Sammy was sleeping all night, Molly didn't hate him for grassing her up and Alex had shown him how grateful she was. Life was sweet.

He strolled into the station and nodded at Christian who had brought the breakfasts from Rowan. He gestured imperiously at Adam to take the box so Christian could go about his business.

"Hand those out Ads, good boy," Gene said and noticed one of the containers on top had his name on it. He grabbed it and then grabbed Ray and Alex's too and strode down the hall to his office. He put Alex's box on her desk and handed Ray his before going into his office and dropping onto his chair with a sigh.

Ray looked up at Gene as he passed and cursed inwardly as he saw the boxes, he had forgotten the pick up the boxes of food for the station. He pulled out his phone and fired off an apologetic text to Rowan.

He looked back up at Gene and raised his eyebrows, good mood? It seemed so. He glanced up at Alex as she came in and noted the smile on her face too. He chuckled to himself and went and knocked on Gene's office door.

He opened it and let himself in and looked steadily at Gene, he was in a good mood. Good, that made things easier. "Er, Guv, I was wondering if I could get some time off?" he asked. "Ro wants to go America to see her family," he shrugged.

Gene looked up from his food, his mouth full of sausage and furrowed his brow at Ray.

"So, if she wants to go then why do you need time off?" he asked, as he chomped his mouthful of food and looked at Ray expectantly. He was enjoying winding Ray up.

Ray frowned. "Well, half the reason for going is to introduce me to everyone over there, so I need to go, too," he explained, surely that was obvious?

Gene gazed at Ray steadily, keeping the smile from his face. He swallowed his mouthful of food and sniffed.

"I see, so you're supposed to go with her then?" he said thoughtfully and nodded. "For a whole week?"

He stood up and went to the door of his office and looked at Alex.

"So, Raymondo here wants a week off to go to America with Rowan," he said to her. "What do you reckon?"

Alex looked up from her chocolate muffin that Rowan had sent for her and raised her eyebrows at Gene, he had the oddest expression on his face. She glanced behind him at Ray and smiled.

"Why do you want to go to America?" she asked as she tried to hold back the giggles at the expression on Ray's face.

"Because Ro wants to take me over to meet everyone," he explained. Alex nodded at him and then looked back at Gene and shrugged.

"So, think we can spare him for a whole week?" Gene asked her and winked since he knew Ray couldn't see him.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Jack headed for school and read the apologetic text from Declan. So, his cousin was already heading back to Yorkshire. He sighed. He would miss him. He decided maybe he would invite him back for Alyssa's birthday.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Davina sighed as she wandered down the street after finishing work. She spotted the Chinese restaurant and realized she was hungry. She was still annoyed that Declan had left. She had hoped he would help her get her hooks into Jack. She wandered into the restaurant and found a small table and sat down. She smiled at the waiter and placed her order. She pulled out her phone and started checking her email and noticed the couple sitting on the other side of the restaurant.

His back was to her but she was sure that was Brett Aspinall! Hmmm, now there was a thought. The girl he was with was pretty enough, but no match for Davina.

Davina ate her food and watched them holding hands. She wondered what his reaction would be seeing her face to face again. That drive by the other day hadn't really told her much.

Brett smiled at Whitney and grabbed up his fork to start on his food. A flash of blond passed him, accompanied with a familiar waft of perfume. His eyebrows flew into his hairline and his head shot up. It was her! Davina Shackleton. She was still around. He watched her disappear behind the door to the toilet. Brett realised he was doing a rather good impression of a fish and hastily composed his features so that Whitney wouldn't know he had been running on of his many encounters with her through his memory.

Brett smiled warmly at Whitney as he dug into his food.

Davina finished in the bathroom and then walked past the table again. She made sure the girl couldn't see her when she looked at Brett and flashed him a smile before heading back to her table.

Brett watched Davina slyly as she came back; he had been waiting impatiently for her return, just to check whether it really was her. It was. He sighed quietly to himself and found himself smiling back at her. He frowned, how was that happening? He glanced up at Whitney to make sure she hadn't noticed anything amiss and then thought to himself as he ate. What was it about Davina that got to him every time? There was something about her that crawled under his skin: Now he had seen her he would be thinking about her for the rest of the day!

Brett got so wrapped up in his head that he didn't notice that he had let go of his knife until the clattering sound on the floor brought him back to earth. He glanced apologetically at Whitney and then looked at the floor for his knife, it had ended up behind his chair. He sighed and leaned around to pick it up, he lifted his head slightly and caught Davina's gaze. He smiled at her and then sat up and righted himself at the table.

Davina sat back down and focused on her food again, pleased that Brett had smiled back at her. Clearly, he hadn't forgotten her at all! She glanced over as she heard the clatter of cutlery hitting the floor and smiled back at him when he smiled at her. She slightly lifted her glass to him and took a sip.

Whitney chuckled.

"You're a bit clumsy today, aren't you?" she joked and patted his hand.

Brett looked up at Whitney and shrugged bashfully. "Sorry," he said with a small smile.

Whitney snorted. "Don't need to apologize."

Davina finished her lunch and stood up and went to pay. She glanced over in Brett's direction and then strode from the restaurant. She glanced back in the window as she passed and waved down a cab.

Brett smiled at Whitney absently, his gaze was caught by the familiar blond hair he was now certain belonged to Davina, outside. He watched her get into a cab and drive off. He held in a sigh as she left his line of sight and went back to his food.

Whitney tilted her head. What was wrong with Brett? He seemed a bit far away.

"You all right?" she asked him as she finished her lunch and drained her water. "You seem really...distracted."

Brett looked up from a forkful of chicken and nodded. "Sorry, got some stuff on my mind. It's starting to do my head in actually," he told her as he finished up his food and glanced at his watch. "Don't you have a lecture in 20 minutes?" he asked with a small frown. They needed to start thinking about getting back to the University.

"Um, yeah, sure, I'm ready to go," she said uncertainly and stood up. She glanced at him and pulled on her jacket as she went to the register to pay. Why was he suddenly acting so weird? He'd been fine when they left school, now he acted like he didn't want to know her.

Brett grabbed up his stuff and made sure they hadn't left anything. Why did Davina have to show up now? He had been perfectly happy with his relationship with Whitney before he had seen Davina was around, now he felt like there was something missing. He shook his head and tried to put it out of his mind. Davina didn't want him anyway, she had chosen Jack over him. But, Jack now had Alyssa, maybe...no! He was with Whitney, he wouldn't go after Davina! Brett frowned to himself but smoothed his expression into a smile as Whitney came back over. He took her hand and led her back to school.

Whitney happily took his hand as they walked back to school, but couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Rowan read Ray's text and smiled. She tucked a stray hair out of the way and got busy cooking again. She was terribly nervous about her appointment later in the afternoon. She hoped Ray was able to get the week off. She intended to buy the tickets right after the appointment.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Alex stopped a smile from spreading over her face and formed her face into a frown. "A week? Not a week!" she refused. "What are we supposed to do when I'm at home with Sam?" she demanded.

Ray shrugged. "It's not like the station is busy!" he retorted, he was beginning to get annoyed now. He just wanted a straight answer.

Gene sighed. "I don't know, seven whole days. I'm not sure we can spare you," he began and rubbed his chin and looked over at Alex again. "Maybe we should ask everyone," he suggested.

Alex nodded and shrugged again and then glanced back at Ray. "I can't cover for you Ray, I'm already doing all the hours I can," she said half apologetically.

Ray nodded back at Alex and tried as hard as he could not to glare at Gene. He let out a spluttering sound. "Guv, can I just have a straight yes or no? Ro needs to know whether or not I can have the time off so she can book the tickets," he said in exasperation.

Alex turned her face away from Ray so he wouldn't see her smile that threatened to split her face as she held in the laughter.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Rowan straightened up from the stove and frowned as she felt annoyance and anger. What? She gestured at JT who came over and kept an eye on the food while Rowan walked away and pulled out her phone.

She quickly hit her speed dial and waited for Ray to pick up as she tapped her foot. She realized what she was doing and quickly stopped as she began to wish for a cigarette.

"Come on, Ray, pick up," she muttered.

"I need to think about it, Raymondo," Gene explained. "Now that the Super is intending me to take over I'm out in meetings all the time, meeting all the people I'm going to have to learn to deal with," he spread his hands.

Ray held in the scowl that was threatening to spread over his face. It wouldn't do to make Gene angry or annoyed at him. He looked at his desk as his phone rang and glanced at both Alex and Gene briefly before picking it off the table and reading the caller ID with a small frown. What did Rowan want?

He shrugged and sighed and pressed the phone to his ear. "Ro?"

"What's going on, Ray? What's got you so worked up?" she asked, keeping herself calm.

Gene walked over closer to Alex as Ray answered his phone. He leaned over to her.

"How long do you think we should keep this up? Think he's sweating yet?" he asked her softly.

"Nuthin Ro, It's fine," he mumbled into the phone as he took a step away from Gene and Alex so they were out of earshot. "Guv wont give me a straight answer about time off," he grumbled.

Alex looked up at Gene. "I think he is well on the way to being pissed off," she said as she cast her gaze over Ray speculatively. "He's trying to keep it together bless him," she sighed.

"Oh, he won't will he?" Rowan asked, her tone dark. "Put him on the phone, please Ray," she requested, making sure not to sound to cross as she blocked Ray's annoyance.

Gene glanced over at Ray talking on the phone. "I'll put him out of his misery when he gets off the phone," he murmured back.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her tone, but tapped Gene on the shoulder. "Err, Guv? Ro wants to talk to you," he said with a non-committal shrug as he handed the phone over.

Alex looked from Ray to Gene to the phone and then couldn't help the laughter from bursting out of her.

Gene looked curiously at Ray but took the phone.

"Yes, Rowan?" he asked and his eyes widened as he listened.

"I was only winding him up," Gene confessed. His eyebrows went up again and he glanced over at Alex, cleared his throat and handed the phone back to Ray.

"No problem, have your week off, Raymondo and it seems you'll also be having a long lunch today."

He turned to Alex.

"That is one ballsy bird," Gene remarked. "I'm going to finish my breakfast before it gets cold."

He went back into his office and picked up the fork and started eating his food again. He did not ever want to get on Rowan's bad side. He still remembered how that woman had taken him down at his and Alex's engagement party.

Ray couldn't help but smirk as he took the phone back off Gene. He wandered back to his desk and sat himself down and grabbed his empty mug and stared at the dried ring of coffee at the bottom. "Cheers Ro, I was getting so frustrated," he chuckled down the phone to her.

Alex was still laughing and managed to nod at Gene and smile broadly at Ray as he glanced at her, Ray moved the phone a little away from his ear as he looked at Alex. "You were no help," he hissed at her "You went along with it!"

Alex stopped her laughter long enough to nod at Ray. "He's in a good mood, I'm not going to be the one to spoil it Ray, besides," she smirked. "You are so funny when you get confused and annoyed," she said and laughed to herself again as she picked up the remains of her muffin and turned back to her computer.

Ray growled and went back to his phone call. "Sorry Ro, DI Gigglepot wouldn't stop laughing," he grumbled and glared at Alex again who pulled a face back. "And she still bloody won't," he added under his breath.

"You're welcome, acuisle," Rowan said and then burst into delighted laughter at what he called Alex. "DI Gigglepot, good one."

She blew a kiss down the phone. "Let it go, now. You've got the time off and so I'll get the tickets booked. And, you've got a long lunch so you can come to the appointment with me and you don't have to explain where you're going so no one will know until we tell them. Now, eat your breakfast and I'll be by the station at a quarter after 1 to pick you up," she told him.

"Talk to you later," she said and closed her phone. She headed back to the stove and set about cooking again, ignoring JT's curious look.

She waited a while and then finally looked at JT.

"Gene was giving Ray grief about the time off so," she shrugged and winked at JT.

"How do you know?"

"How do I know what?"

JT sighed. "How do you know Gene was giving Ray grief?"

"Because I could feel Ray was annoyed," she replied.

"I see, so that's how it works," JT remarked.

"Yes, now get back to work," she ordered and went to look out at the dining room.

JT chuckled and went back to work.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Jane smiled at Max as he came into the cafe.

"Hiya, Jane," he greeted her.

"Hi, Max, how are you doing?"

"Fine, thanks. I'll have one of them ham sandwiches and some chips, please," he ordered.

Jane nodded and got Max his food.

"I'll see if we can work out dinner this week, yeah?"

"Sure, Max, that sounds great," she said and handed him a cup of tea. He went to sit down and she carried his food out when she had it ready.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Davina met up with Max at the car lot.

"So, are you busy tonight?" she asked him. "Because I am free as a bird."

She smiled and leaned forward and kissed him.

"Yeah, I reckon I'm free tonight," he told her.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Rowan forced herself not to watch the clock as the day seemed to fly by and it was time to go before she knew it. She pulled on her coat and walked to the station since Ray had the car.

She walked inside and waved at Adam before heading down the hall to Ray's desk. She peered around the door and waved at him.

"Ready to go?" she asked and smiled. She looked over at Alex.

Ray looked up as Rowan came in and he beamed at her. He grabbed his coat and slung it around him as he made sure everything was in order on his desk. He levelled a finger at Alex.

"If you mess up my desk, Drake, then I'll eat your secret stash of Pop Tarts!" he warned with a hard stare. Alex met his gaze with an amused smile and cast a studious look at his desk, contemplating the damage she could do without him noticing. She looked back at him innocently and smiled. "What stash of Pop Tarts?" she asked curiously.

Ray raised his eyebrows and gave her a knowing look. "The stash of Pop Tarts in your third draw down underneath your green folder, the one that's filled with all your psycho-rubbish!" he retorted and Alex's eyes hardened at him. "It was _you _who raided them last time!" she accused as her eyes drilled a hole in his face.

Ray nodded proudly at her and scoffed. "I thought you were supposed to be a detective, Alex? Took you over a month to work that out!" he grinned and took Rowan's hand. He looked back over his shoulder at Alex as he led Rowan out of the door. "Next time get the strawberry ones, they're better than the chocolate," he instructed and then left before Alex could come back at him.

Ray waved briefly at Chris and Shaz as he left the station hand in hand with Rowan and then looked at her as they got outside. "So, what amazing concoction have you cooked for lunch?" he smiled.

Rowan bit back a laugh at Ray's warning to Alex. Why was she not surprised Alex had a secret stash of Pop Tarts? Why was she not surprised Ray had swiped them at some point? For all he seemed to profess he did not have a sweet tooth, he so often stuffed himself on them.

Rowan laced her fingers with his as he took her hand. She spotted the car and pulled him over to it.

"You'll find out when my appointment is over," she told him and waited expectantly for him to drive them to the hospital.

Ray grinned at her, hospital first then it seemed. He settled himself in the front seat and started up the car. He grinned at her as he pulled away from the curb and drove her to the hospital.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rowan glanced at Ray as she finished getting dressed so they could leave. She still couldn't believe he'd stayed for the whole appointment. She'd been impressed, though he had looked a bit green around the gills when it was time for the pelvic exam. He may not have been able to see what the doctor was doing, but he could see the stuff the doctor was using.

She walked over and wrapped her arms around him.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked him. "Will you be able to eat still do you think?"

She took his hand and gave him a small smile.

"We should go."

Ray nodded uneasily. "I know you said it would be..." he trailed off and shook his head, he looked down at her face with a defeated expression. Ray dropped a kiss on her forehead and pulled her against him in a hug, then stroked her head out of her face and frowned at her. "When have you ever known me to turn down food?" he demanded to know.

Ray slipped his hand in hers easily and squeezed gently. Did she really think that his stomach would be turned so much that he couldn't eat? If anything, food would fix the swirling feeling in his stomach right now!

She booked her next appointment and also signed them up for childbirth classes. She looked at Ray as they headed for the car.

"Next appointment I'll be far enough along we'll be able to hear the heartbeat," she told him. She pulled her phone out and sent off quick texts to Jack and Alyssa that she wanted to meet them at the restaurant. She had news.

Ray grinned at her, he figured that once he heard the heartbeat, had some kind of evidence that there was life in there, it would all become real. He let go of her hand and his arm slid around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. He grinned down at her and tilted her face so that he could kiss her.

Ray kept both of his arms around her as he broke the kiss and smiled at her as he rested his forehead against hers. "I'm coming to every appointment Rowan," he stated simply. "Even if the Guv won't give me the time off, I'll sneak out. I'm going to be with you all the way through this," he told her and pressed his lips to hers again. Sure, he hadn't a clue how to deal with kids, but then, Rowan had already said she was inexperienced, too. They would get through this together.

Ray let go of her waist and opened the car for her to get in.

Rowan wound her arms around him and kissed him back. She gazed up at him as he spoke.

"I'm glad you want to come to all the appointments," she told him. "And don't worry, that will be the worst until the baby is actually born," she said reassuringly. She leaned against him briefly before getting in the car.

"So, I made us a nice beef roast and some roasted red potatoes for lunch, since I knew we'd be eating late."

Ray grinned at her as he followed her lead and climbed into the car. He started it up and drove home as quickly as he dared, he was hungry and on the promise of beef!


	5. Chapter 5

**We do not own EastEnders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 5**

Whitney left school, disconcerted by Brett's behavior at lunch. She could not figure out why he'd acted so strangely. She hurried to the tube station and headed home.

Jack read Rowan's text and wondered what the news could be.

He sent off a text to Alyssa.

"What do you think Rowan's news is?"

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Brett slammed his car door angrily. He couldn't get Davina out of his head. She was there, in all her blond perfection. He knew that Whitney knew that something was wrong, too, she had seemed anxious. He glared at his car, why did she have to come and mess everything up? Was this going to be revenge over the way he had mucked up her relationship with Jack? She couldn't be after Jack again: he was engaged to someone else! A stunningly beautiful someone else, at that. Surely Davina could see that she didn't stand a chance with Jack, even Brett could tell that!

He sighed as he got his keys into his bag and stalked inside. He needed something to get Davina out of his head, maybe... No! He wasn't going to see if he still had her number. He was not going to get in contact with her! He had Whitney, he liked Whitney. She was talented and funny and pretty and they had a good time together! He would have nothing to do with Davina!

Brett sighed, who was he kidding? He knew that the second Davina showed any interest in him he would be right there and waiting for her.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa sighed and sent a text back to Jack.

"Not a clue! See you there xx"

Alyssa waved at Kim and gestured she was going for lunch then went and hopped on the bus that would take her to the restaurant.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Jack drove to the restaurant and went inside to wait.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa climbed off the bus and made her way to the Restaurant, her face bloomed in a smile as she recognised Jack's car outside and she hurried inside, she glanced briefly inside the kitchen and waved at JT, no sign of Rowan. She shrugged and made her way over to Jack. She kissed him before taking her seat next to him and looked up at him. "So, any ideas on why we've been summoned?" she asked with a small sigh.

Jack smiled and shook his head.

"I have no idea, which is why I asked you. She's your sister after all."

He looked up at Ffion as she walked over. "I'll have tea, please."

Alyssa shrugged. "Well, I'm none the wiser," she sighed.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Ray pulled up outside the restaurant and noted Jack's car outside, he pulled up behind it and climbed out. He grinned at Rowan and slid his arm around her shoulders as he led her inside, it didn't take much effort to spot Alyssa and Jack, but Ray was more interested in the promise of lunch. He glanced at her and realised why she had got Alyssa and Jack here. He grinned down at her and moved his lips to her ear. "You're going to tell them now, right?" he asked and pulled away to try and gauge her expression.

Rowan grinned up at Ray's question and nodded. She glanced in the kitchen and gestured at JT who nodded and began to put plates of food on a tray to bring out.

Rowan led Ray over to the table and looked at Jack and Alyssa.

"So, what's going on?" Jack wanted to know. Rowan turned to watch JT come over with the tray and put the plates on the table.

Rowan looked at Ray and slipped her arm around his waist and leaned against him. She looked at Alyssa, then Jack and then JT.

She smiled at them all.

"I'm pregnant. I'm due at the end of October," she said and waited.

JT sat down. "Wow, that's great, Aunt Rowan."

"Congratulations," Jack said and stood up and kissed Rowan on the cheek.

Ray's arm slid around Rowan's shoulders proudly and gave her a small squeeze. He beamed at them.

Alyssa gasped and stood up, she threw her arms around Rowan and pulled back with a huge smile "Congrats Ro, when did you find out?" she asked excitedly. Ray smiled at Alyssa and pressed a kiss to Rowan's temple.

"Just a couple of days ago," Rowan replied. "Had my first doctor's appointment today. So...it's official," she added and smiled hugely.

She nudged Ray to sit down as JT gave her a squeeze before heading back into the kitchen. She looked at Alyssa.

"I'll apologize to you now," Rowan said. "I'm going to be four and a half months pregnant by your wedding, and likely showing. My dress isn't going to fit very well. We may want to pick a different style from the sheath one."

Alyssa bit her lip and frowned. "I'm sure we can do something about the dress, don't worry about it," she assured her. "Besides, Jack seems to think that because I've got practically everything done and sorted now that I wont be able to stop myself going crazy, so, your dress gives me a problem to sort out," she grinned. "I should thank you for saving my sanity."

"Then I'm glad I'll be keeping you from going insane. The final fitting is still on Saturday right?"

Jack turned to Rowan.

"Yes, it is. And I appreciate if you save her sanity and all. One of us insane is more than enough," he grinned.

Rowan looked at Ray who had started in on his food. Glad he hadn't been too horrified by the doctor exam. She was sure that like most men, he would have been well put off. She leaned over to Alyssa again.

"Ray stayed through the whole exam, and I do mean, the _whole_exam," she whispered. "I was so proud of him. And he plans to come to every appointment, I can't tell you how wonderful it is he wants to be so involved. He's so excited. I am too, especially since I wasn't completely sure it would ever happen for me."

She took Alyssa's hand and squeezed it.

Alyssa squeezed her hand back and beamed at her. "It's wonderful news Ro, I'm so happy for you both," she beamed and glanced over at Ray and watched for a moment as he shovelled food down. "He doesn't seem too phased by the exam," she commented then shrugged and looked back at Rowan. "So, a Halloween Baby!" she grinned. "Don't they say that babies born on Halloween have some sort of supernatural skill?" she teased with a smile.

Rowan glanced over at Ray with a raised eyebrow and looked back at Alyssa.

"Well, I'm glad of that. I think then I can be pretty sure he won't faint during the delivery," she chuckled and ate a chunk of potato.

She chewed as she listened to Alyssa and hurriedly swallowed before she snorted a laugh. "And I've never heard any such thing. No guarantee the baby will be born on Halloween you know. Could be early, could be late." She took a drink of her lemonade and smiled.

Alyssa smiled. "Can you imagine him fainting?" she asked as she looked over at him again. "I can't," she added.

Ray looked up and cast his gaze over the pair of them "I can hear you both you know," he grunted. "I don't faint! I'm not a nancy!" he grumbled and went back to his food. Alyssa chuckled at Ray and looked back at Rowan.

"I'm sure there are superstitions about Halloween babies," she shrugged "I think it would be great to have a birthday on Halloween," she smiled.

Alyssa grinned at Jack and then looked back at Rowan, and lowered her voice. "He says I won't make it but then refuses to bet against me," she glanced over at Jack and then back to Rowan with a smile. "Because he knows that I'll win!" she grinned.

Alyssa straightened up and chewed her lip. "When we go for my dress fitting we can see about getting yours sorted," she smiled. "I think we'll have to book another nearer the date of the wedding just to make sure it still fits once you've grown."

"I can't imagine him fainting either," she replied and gave Ray a fond look.

"I know you can," she said and leaned over and kissed his cheek. "He's my rock, of course he'd never faint."

Rowan looked back at Alyssa. "You would certainly have a reason to party," she chuckled.

She gazed at Alyssa steadily. "I'm inclined to agree with him. You shouldn't have got everything planned so quickly," she giggled at Alyssa's face.

Alyssa gaped at Rowan for a moment, there was nothing wrong with being organised! She frowned once Rowan started giggling and fought the impulse to stick her tongue out.

"As far as my dress goes, I think if we get something a bit loose and flowy to begin with it won't need to much altering," Rowan said.

Alyssa looked at Rowan's stomach critically and then moved back to her face. "Depends on how big you get, your dress is still going to have to look as much like the others as we can get it," she sighed and grabbed out a pen to write a quick note on her hand so she didn't forget.

Rowan gaped at Alyssa and put her hands to her belly. "I'm not going to be that big, I'm hardly having twins," she huffed and stomped off.

She ate a bit more of her food and looked over at Ray.

"I better book the tickets while I'm thinking about it," she said and got up and went to the computer. A few minutes later, she walked back over.

"Did you give the exact dates of when you would need time off or did you just say you needed a week? Because the flight I was going to get us on is sold out, so I have to book us to fly out on the 8th instead and return on Saturday the 16th if that's going to work," Rowan asked Ray.

Ray looked up at her and then shrugged. "I can't remember Ro if I'm honest! They were winding me up, the details kind of slipped my mind!" he told her as he looked up from his food. "Besides, I don't think it matters too much which week you book, the Guv is pretty much willing to let you have your own way!" he chuckled and finished his lunch.

"Well, good, then," Rowan said smugly. "That's when we're going," she stated and made sure everything was finalized before emailing Louisa to let her know when she and Ray would be there.

Ray looked at the table and stood with his empty plate and carried it back to the kitchen.

She hurried to the kitchen and flung her arms around Ray and pulled him down for a kiss before he left to go back to work.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Whitney couldn't get Brett's odd behavior out of her head. She needed advice. She hurriedly got off the tube to head home and realized she'd got off too early. She groaned and started walking and realized she was near the Rowan's restaurant. She decided to head there and have some tea and maybe a muffin while she tried to work out what was up with Brett.

Then she could get home and maybe get advice from Jack and Alyssa.

She walked in and was surprised to see them there. What luck! She walked over and smiled at them.

"Hiya," she said and dropped onto the chair Ray had been sitting in. She sat for a minute, distractedly ordered a cup of tea and a chocolate muffin from James and then looked at them again.

"I wondered if I could get some advice," she said as she leaned on the table. "Brett and I went to lunch today to celebrate my marks on that shirt I did and everything started out fine, but then, before we left, he started acting odd. I can't figure out what might be wrong. He almost acted like he didn't even want to know me."

Alyssa looked up and smiled at Whitney as she sat down in the newly vacated seat and frowned at her slightly.

"Has anything happened lately, to either of you?" she asked. "That's really odd," she sighed. "Did you ask him about it?" she asked curiously. She had thought everything was fine between Brett and Whitney, according to the look on Whitney's face, she had, too. She looked at Jack for help. "You're a bloke," she told him. "What would make you act like that?" she asked.

"No, nothing. It was almost literally between one minute and the next. I just don't understand it," Whitney complained.

Jack looked at Alyssa. "I don't like to think it, but Davina is in town and she and Brett were involved before she and I were. I wonder if he knows she's here."

Whitney looked at Jack in confusion. "You think he's seeing someone behind my back?" she almost wailed.

Jack shook his head. "No, but if he knows she's in town it might make him act a bit weird, that's all I'm saying."

Whitney didn't look convinced and looked at Alyssa before accepting her tea and muffin from James.

Alyssa's face darkened at the mention of Davina. She scowled and glanced briefly at Jack. Her expression changed slightly and she looked at him in confusion. "You broke up with Davina two years ago, surely if she was seeing Brett before she was seeing you then he would've still been in school?" she asked. "He wouldn't have even been of age!" her expression was one of disgust and looked at Whitney. "Every time I hear anything about her it makes me dislike her even more," she murmured half to herself.

"I didn't find out about it until after the fact. It's part of the reason I didn't like him, smug little..." he trailed off and looked at Whitney. "I'm sorry. He seems a much nicer person now, but he was a real little shit back then and I'm not going to lie about it," Jack told her.

Whitney looked dismayed but nodded. "So, what do I do?"

"I don't know, Whitney," Jack shrugged. "Davina pushed him away back then, I don't think she'll try to see him now. Besides, she's got Max," he told her reassuringly. Whitney gave him a half-smile and hoped he was right.

Alyssa smiled and tried to look reassuring, she didn't trust Davina one little bit.

Whitney sighed and finished her muffin.

"I better go and get going on my homework. I'll see you later, thanks," she gave them each a small smile and got up and left.

She sent off a text to Brett. "Stay over this weekend?"

Alyssa waved her goodbye to Whitney and glanced briefly at Jack. IT seemed that it wasn't just their relationship that Davina had the power to muck up.

Gene looked at Ray as he came back.

"So, about this week off you and Rowan are so insistent on," he prompted. "When do you leave?"

Ray grinned. "Rowan booked the tickets for the 8th, we get back on on the Saturday the 16th," he replied as he took his seat behind his desk and glanced over it critically before throwing a pen at Alex and hitting her on the head.

"I told you not to touch my desk, Alex!" he grouched as he gestured at it. "Now I can't find anything."

Alex scoffed at him. "I organised it Ray," she gestured. "You see, neat and tidy, it's a wonder you found anything in the state it was in before," she said and threw the pen back at him, hitting him on the ear.

Ray growled and glared at her before picking the pen off the floor and lobbing it back. "Don't throw stuff at me."

Alex caught the pen before it hit her and scowled. "You started it!" she snapped back and threw the pen back at him.

"Can the pair of you not act like children?" Gene growled. "Probably best you do leave for a week. I could have some peace and quiet."

"Now, get busy," he ordered them and went back to his office.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

"Right, let's go," Gene said and came out of his office when it was time to leave and gestured at Alex.

"See you tomorrow," Gene said to Ray and headed out.

He slung an arm around Alex's shoulders as he led her out.

"I think I'd like an early night tonight, what do you think?" he whispered in her ear as they left the station.

Alex's arm went around his waist and she rested her head lightly against his shoulder as they walked to the Quattro. She smiled up and him and nodded. "An early night sounds good," she agreed as she let go of him and climbed into the car.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Max took Davina home and was greeted by Lauren in tears.

"Dad, it's about time! I've been trying to call you!"

"What's going on?" he demanded to know.

"Abi was goofing off, dancing, she started showing off, dancing down the stairs and she tripped and fell," Lauren sobbed as she dragged Max into the front room.

"Abs, Abs, you all right?"

Abi groaned and looked at her dad.

"I think she might have a broken leg and she hit her head pretty hard. I called the ambulance then started calling you."

Max sighed as he looked at his girls.

"Sorry, Davina, going to have to be another time," he told her. Davina hid her disappointment and nodded. She heard the ambulance pull up and opened the door so they could come in.

"I'll see you, Max," Davina said and gave him a small wave before leaving. She headed for the pub.

Max saw Abi loaded into the ambulance and climbed in with her.

"Lauren, call your mother. I'm sure Abi's fine, but she'll want to know."

Lauren nodded as the ambulance doors were shut. She looked up and saw Jane running over.

"Lauren, what happened?"

"Oh, Abi was goofing off and fell down the stairs. She hit her head pretty hard and I think she broke her leg."

"Oh no, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I have to call Mum, though."

Jane nodded. "All right, let's go inside and get that sorted then," Jane said and put an arm around Lauren's shoulders as they went back into the house.

Lauren picked up the phone and dialled her mother.

Tanya placed Oscar back down on the floor next to his building blocks as the phone went. She went to it and furrowed her brow as she read Lauren's name, she only ever called home when she was with Max if something was wrong! She never should have let Max have the girls for any extended period of time, something always happened! He was clearly incapable of looking after them!

She answered the phone hurriedly.

"Lauren? What's wrong? What's happened?" she asked hastily as she reached for her car keys and picked Oscar up simultaneously.

"Look, don't freak out, Mum okay," Lauren began when her mother picked up. "Abi was goofing around, showing off, and she tripped and fell down the stairs. She's going to hospital, but Dad told me to call you and let you know. It looks like she's just got a broken leg," Lauren looked at Jane who tapped her head at Lauren, "um, and concussion too, probably," Lauren added lamely.

"I told her to stop," Lauren added defensively.

Jane rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Any chance you could loan me the money for a cab to the hospital?"

"I'll go with you," Jane said and pulled her phone out to call a cab. They climbed in when the cab arrived and headed for the hospital.

Davina sat at the bar with a sigh and toyed with her phone. She scrolled through her contacts and came across Brett's number. She gnawed her lip, wondering if his number was still the same or if it had been changed. Only one way to find out. She pushed the button and placed the call.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Brett looked over at his phone as it started ringing, he dragged himself towards it. He already knew that if it was Whitney he wasn't in the mood to talk to her, he wouldn't be until he got his head straight. And she knew something was up! that just made it worse. He was still after Davina like a lost puppy, she had turned up and once again his world suddenly revolved around her once more. He frowned at the number and answered the phone regardless: it wasn't Whitney at least.

"Hello? Brett Aspinall speaking," he said lazily into the phone.

"What are you doing in London?" Davina asked when Brett picked up the phone. "I'm surprised you haven't got your number changed."

She leaned back in her seat and sipped her drink. She would talk to Brett, but she was not going to go and see him. No. That would be a mistake.

Brett collapsed into his armchair and marvelled at how happy he felt just hearing her voice. "I'm at Uni here, the fashion one," he told her. "And, what's the point in forking out for a SIM card when you can just get a new phone and put the old SIM into that, it takes too much time to transfer all the numbers over," he told her.

"Well, that's really convenient," Davina purred. "I can call you and talk to you after all this time."

She chuckled and took a drink of her wine.

"So, tell me about your girlfriend," she said, curiosity evident in her voice.

Brett's eyebrows flew up. "Whitney? Why d'you want to know about her?" he asked curiously, that he hadn't expected. His phone vibrated and beeped in his hand signalling a text but he paid it no attention: Davina was on the other end of the phone.

"Well, the pair of you seem quite cozy, and we are mates aren't we? So surely you can tell me all about her," she said. "Or, we could meet somewhere in person," she suggested.

Brett's smile grew. She wanted to meet up? Really? He couldn't help but be happy. He made to arrange something but was stopped in his tracks. Whitney. He frowned. Davina had said mates. He wasn't so sure that he wanted to be mates. He sighed.

"I don't mind meeting up," he told her and actively stopped himself from berating himself. Whitney didn't need to find out, and he felt that he had to see Davina. "When did you have in mind?"

"Well, how does tonight sound?" she asked. She told him her address. "How soon do you think you can get there?" she asked as she left the pub and waved down a cab.

Brett could barely believe it. Tonight? Now? She wanted to see him now? "Umm, 20 minutes I reckon, depends on the traffic," he told her as he went to get his car keys.

"Well, then I will see you in 20 minutes," she said and shut her phone. She smiled as the cab drove her home and hurriedly tidied up when she got back to the flat.

Brett hurriedly left his house and glanced briefly at the text from Whitney before closing his phone. He wouldn't reply until he knew what was going on with Davina. He leapt into his car and pulled away from his house and sped to the address she had given him.

Davina wondered what she was thinking inviting him around. She'd blown him out the last time they'd been around each other. She shook her head at herself. But last time she'd been in a relationship with Jack. Now, she wanted to be. She wondered idly if she could make Jack jealous with Brett. Make Jack want her if he thought she was getting involved with Brett.

She hurried to the door when he knocked and opened the door with a slow smile. She stepped aside so he could come in.

"It's nice to see you," she said to him.

She closed the door and went to stand near him.

"How are you?"

Brett stepped inside and nodded at her, she didn't look any different at all. She looked exactly the same. He stood uneasily and wondered whether this really was a good idea after all. He shrugged.

"I'm good," he replied with another small shrug, he looked at her and studied her carefully. "How's things with you? What are you doing now? Still in teaching?" he asked.

Davina nodded and smiled.

"I am, but more specialized, special needs mostly," she replied and handed him a glass of wine.

She was surprised he seemed nervous, he never had before when he was around her.

"I'm not going to bite," she said with a chuckle and sat down next to him.

Brett accepted the glass and took a calculated sip. This was strange, really strange.

"Sorry," he smiled. "This is just really weird, I mean, seeing you again," he added with a shrug. "I'm still trying to get my head sorted," he smiled at her and tapped his fingers against the glass and looked at her with a small frown.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. "Why here?"

"It's weird to me, too," Davina said and gave a small chuckle. She was used to seeing Brett confident and intent on pursuing her; she liked seeing him so uncertain.

"I'm here because I got a job offer," she told him. "I didn't know you were here. I knew Jack was, and I met this man named Max last time I was here. I quite liked him. So, apart from the money it wasn't that difficult of a decision."

She eyed him over the rim of her glass. "Does it bother you?"

Brett stopped himself scowling, of course she knew Jack was here! He looked up at her at the mention of Max, his eyebrows rose. "Max Branning?" he asked. Whitney had told him about practically everyone in Walford, they had been sitting in the café next to the window and she had pointed out every person that walked by and basically told him their life story. He knew that Whitney's step-mum Bianca was related to the Brannings in some way.

He had a vague recollection of what Max Branning looked like, surely her taste in men hadn't sunk that low!

"Yes, Max Branning. He's not that good looking, but he certainly makes up for it in other areas," she gave a low chuckle.

"Now, maybe you should tell me why you were so quick to accept my invitation to come here tonight? You have a girlfriend after all and I'm involved, so I have to wonder what you want," she asked curiously, her tone leading as she sat up and her gaze bore into his.

Brett looked at her steadily for a moment. She knew why he had come tonight, she knew that he couldn't resist her. She knew! He had to wonder why she had invited him over if she was involved and knew he had a girlfriend. He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment then set his wine glass on the small table near him and looked back at her again. He contemplated her for a second then sighed. "You know why I came here tonight Davina," he told her with a shrug. He reached out and twirled a lock of her hair around his fingers.

"You know why I come running every time you call," he added and his gaze moved from the hair tangled in his hand to her face.

Davina took his hand from her hair and stood up, leaving her wine on the coffee table. She walked over in the direction of the door.

"It's late," she finally said. "I suppose you should know I'm not going to have a relationship with you," she told him straight out. "So, don't expect anything from me. If you choose not to go, that's fine. However, don't think it's going to go farther than that."

She paused and folded her arms as she looked at him.

"You can choose this door," she pointed at the front door, "or you can choose that door," she pointed at the door of her bedroom.

Brett looked at her for a moment, just watched her, carefully. He stood finally and walked straight through the door. The one that lead to her bedroom

Davina raised her eyebrow, but turned off the light in the front room and followed him.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Tanya managed to strap Oscar into his car seat as she held the phone to her ear with her shoulder. "Lauren, tell Abi I'll be at the hospital as soon as I can okay, sweetheart!" she said and shut the back door on Oscar and climbed into the front. She sighed as she put her own seatbelt on. "Bye, Lauren, I'll see you later okay," she said and put the phone down. She really could kill Max sometimes! He didn't have a clue when it came to his kids, which is why he didn't get to spend time with Oscar, she could barely trust him with his two teenage daughters, how was she supposed to leave a one year old baby boy with him?

Tanya looked over her shoulder at Oscar and sighed. "Your Dad is a complete prat, Oscar," she told him as she started the car and drove to the hospital.

Tanya pulled up outside the hospital and parked her car, she grumbled to herself as she went to get the 'Pay and Display' ticket and then got Oscar out of the car. She guessed that Abi would have been taken to A&E and followed the signs to the Accident and Emergency ward. She spotted Max as soon as she got there and made her way over to him. She looked around for Abi but couldn't see her so guessed that she must be having an X-ray or getting checked over or something. She pulled down the paper Max was reading to get his attention and frowned angrily down at him.

"I can't leave them with you for one second can I?" she fumed. "Every time they stay with you something has to happen and someone ends up hurt or upset or distressed or something!" she glared at him and readjusted Oscar's position on her hip so she was more comfortable before glaring at her ex-husband again. "Where's Abi? What the hell happened? And why weren't you there to stop it?"

"Oh, give it a rest, Tan. I went to the pub for one lousy drink," he argued. "It's not my fault Abi decided to trip and fall down the stairs when she was dancing and goofing off. I think it would have happened no matter what."

He smoothed his tie and shoved his hands in his pockets as he frowned at Tanya.

"Surely you're not home with them every second of every day. I'm sure they have little accidents from time to time. I didn't do anything wrong."

He paced a few steps and then glared at Tanya.

"I have to go, I'll be right back," he stomped off towards the restrooms, nodding at Rhys and Ginger as he saw them approaching.

Rhys and Ginger walked through the hospital after taking the victim's statement.

"I vote we hit the pub when the paperwork is filed," Rhys suggested.

"I go along with that mate, been a right annoying day," Ginger griped. They headed out through A&E and Rhys found his attention distracted.

"Hiya, Max," Rhys said as Ginger nodded and followed Rhys' gaze to the woman who looked to have been arguing with Max.

"I'll catch you up," Rhys said and patted Ginger on the arm. Ginger sighed and rolled his eyes but waited near the door with his arms folded. He walked over to Tanya.

"Hiya, I hope Mr. Branning isn't bothering you," he said and flashed her a charming smile. "I could take care of him if you like."

He winked and showed her his warrant card.

"DS Rhys Griffyths, at your service," he introduced himself.

Tanya scowled at Max as he marched off. Neither of the girls had ended up in hospital for messing around when they were with her. He was so stupidly infuriating! She glared after him as he disappeared and shook her head as she looked at Oscar. "What did I tell you?" she sighed as Oscar gurgled to himself.

Tanya looked up at Rhys and couldn't help but smile at him. The guy was charming. She shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm perfectly capable of handling Max Branning," she smiled at him.

She balanced Oscar with one arm. "Tanya Branning," she smiled back and offered her hand.

"Oh, are you his daughter, then? No wonder you were arguing with him. If I'm honest, he's always struck me as very uptight."

"My fellow officer and I were just going down to the pub if you'd like to join us, I certainly wouldn't complain," he offered. He glanced over at Ginger who tapped his foot. "And apparently he is impatient to go."

He reached over and took Tanya's hand and kissed it.

"I do hope to see you later, Miss Branning," he told her and winked before turning to hustle after Ginger.

Tanya didn't bother to correct Rhys, it was perfectly clear that she wasn't Max's daughter, she rolled her eyes as Rhys left and followed his friend out. She chuckled to herself and took a seat on one of the hard plastic chairs in the waiting area and waited patiently for Abi to turn up.

Max came back from the bathroom and paced. He paid little attention to Jane and Lauren when they arrived, but wandered back to where he knew Abi's leg was being taken care of. He kept glancing over to Jane and Tanya as they chatted away.

A while later Abi was wheeled out. The doctor said she had a mild concussion and she'd broken her ankle. Max looked at Tanya and folded his arms.

"She needs to go home," he said. "Mine's closer. But, you know, whatever."

"Oh, let her stay here, Tan, she surely needs some rest. Besides, I'm sure Max will let you stay with Abi and make sure she's okay, won't you, Max?"

Max was quick to nod agreement.

"Yeah, sure. You can sleep in her room with her, I don't mind."

Tanya looked from Max, to her daughters, to Jane and then sighed and handed Oscar to Jane as she bent to check over Abi. She hugged her youngest daughter gently and smiled at her. "What are we gonna do with you, hey?" she smiled and dropped a kiss on Abi's head.

Tanya straightened and took Oscar back. "I'm going to go and get Oscar's overnight bag and his travelcot and then I am straight back to Walford," she announced and smiled at Jane and her daughters before marching outside and back to her car to get Oscar's stuff.

Tanya scowled slightly as she pulled up outside the house. So many bad memories and experiences in this place. She sighed and looked at Oscar before unloading her car and walking up the steps to the front door and waited patiently to be let in.

Max carried Abi upstairs and sighed when he heard the door.

"Well, let your mum in Lauren," he snapped and she hurriedly opened the door.

"Hi, Mum," Lauren said. "Jane's gone home but she said come by the cafe and see her tomorrow."

Max tucked Abi up in her bed and came downstairs.

"Abi's in bed. You can sleep in my room and I'll sleep down here on the couch," Max said as he dropped a blanket and pillow on the couch. "Go on," he waved at Lauren to go to bed then went and poured himself a drink. He knocked it back and then walked back over to the couch and unfolded the blanket before sitting on the couch with a sigh.

Tanya looked at him dismissively before turning with Oscars travelcot and heading upstairs to set it up for him.

Tanya cast her eyes over the bed and repressed a shudder. God only knew how many bimbos he had been with since they broke up. She didn't really want to know if she was honest. She sighed and set Oscar safely in the middle of the bug bed and got busy setting up his travelcot. She changed him and got him ready for bed then placed him in it and went to Lauren's room to say goodnight and then to Abi's. She gave her daughter a hug and kissed her forehead then retired to the main bedroom and shuddered once more before climbing into the bed.

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Rowan woke up, her limbs still feeling leaden from jet lag. She sighed and let herself relax next to Ray; she wasn't going to open today, so she didn't have to rush to get up. She blinked slowly and smiled as she thought over the past week. It had been wonderful. She hoped Ray had truly enjoyed it as much as she had. She thought he had. She wished they could have stayed longer.

Her Kin had loved him, she knew they would. Gem had even been impressed. Junior and Louisa had liked him, so had their twin boys, according to Louisa. No matter how hard the babies had been crying to be changed or fed, if they heard Ray's voice they instantly stopped and looked around for him. Rowan and Louisa had giggled over it constantly. And everyone had been excited over Rowan being pregnant, Gem congratulating them before Rowan had even told her.

She already missed waking up in her old room in the attic with him, watching him duck to miss that low beam. She had truly enjoyed walking with him everywhere, showing him the hayloft (that had been fantastic), showing him the swimming hole (a fun water fight and then more fantastic right there in the tall grass next to the swimming hole), the secret places she used to go when she was growing up, her favorite tree she used to climb in and she had wasted no time climbing up into it just to show him she could. She had also taken him to her parent's grave.

Best of all, she had liked just sitting with him, in front of the fire, out on the bench in the yard staring at the stars, just sitting and being in his arms and talking softly.

The oddest had been being called by her given name. Gem had told everyone she went by Rowan now, but it seemed that flew out of most folks' heads the minute they saw her and she became Rowena again. After the first few times, she decided she didn't mind. It helped wash away Brian's use of her name that had caused her to alter it in the first place.

Junior and Louisa had stored most of the things that had still been in the house in the attic and Rowan had found the box with the photo albums and cuddled up in bed at night with Ray and paged through them, even if it was slightly embarrassing to have him see some of the pictures since she was so often covered in dirt and scratches from climbing trees and playing in the mud, she showed him anyway. She had made sure to pack them and brought them back with her.

She sighed softly and ran her hand over his arm that was wound around her until she came to his hand and then laced her fingers with his and closed her eyes again and smiled.

Ray smiled as he woke to Rowan's gentle caresses and squeezed her hand as her fingers wove their way into his. He rested his head against hers silently and sighed. The past week had gone by so quickly. It didn't seem that long ago since he was getting off the plane and into Junior's smaller plane to get to Rowan's home. He had to admit, he had had a lot of trouble trying to work out what they were trying to say. He could remember JT's accent being a lot like that when he had first come over to Britain and Ray had had issues then.

He had been a little unsure about how to act around Gem, clearly she was in charge; she reminded him a little bit of the Guv. But he had been polite and tried not to be too brash or grumpy around her. She seemed nice enough once he had finally got used to being around her and had relaxed in her presence a bit more. Her uncanny knack for knowing something without you telling her about it spooked him just a bit, but he had accepted it readily and taken on board everything she had told him. He found he actually quite liked her by the time they left.

He would curse that bloody beam in Rowan's attic room until he died though. The bloody thing did it's best to hit him over the head each morning and he had had to be doubly careful when waking up. It was alright for Rowan, she was small, it didn't try to knock her out. But not with him, no, every single morning there it was, waiting for him. He frowned at the memory, he could still feel the bump on his head where he had hit it the first time.

He had immensely enjoyed the trip though, Rowan's kin were all welcoming and seemed genuinely pleased to meet him: even if he couldn't really understand them to begin with. Rowan had taken him pretty much everywhere. The hayloft had been very enjoyable, though he had been finding hay and straw in his trousers and pants for the next few days afterward. The swimming hole had been fun too, freezing cold water though!

The photographs she had shown him amused him to no end. He had known she wasn't a girly girl, he wasn't sure he would be able to cope with her if she was, but he hadn't realised how much of a tomboy she really was.

Ray tightened his grasp on her and pulled her closer. Gem had told him that it was Rowan's birthday today when they were in Virginia. He thought that he had done a very good job of acting as though he hadn't known, though Gem had given him a funny look. He had already bought her birthday present and the party was still on for later, he had text Jack once they landed and confirmed that everything was sorted and planned. He grinned, as far as she knew, it was just for Alyssa, how wrong she was!

Ray pressed his lips to her forehead and smiled at the top of her head. "Happy Birthday, Rowan," he said quietly.

Rowan shifted in his arms and opened her eyes again. She lifted her face and smiled up at him.

''Morning,'' she mumbled. ''No beam to bump your head on,'' she added with a soft chuckle.

"I wish we could have stayed longer," she mused. "They loved you, you know. Even Gem went on about when you left the room. You remind her a lot of my father. Not appearance-wise, but you have a lot of the same qualities he had."

One thing she hasn't been prepared for was the pain of their loss being so raw after all this time. Looking at the photo albums had brought much of it back, including the pain of her sister's rejection. Seeing pictures of them happy was odd-the contrast between them so obvious: Rowan in grubby jeans and t-shirts and generally disheveled and Lily always spotless, in a dress, not even a hair out of place.

She pressed a kiss to his lips, letting it linger before pulling back.

"So much to do for the party," she sighed. "I'll have to call Jack in awhile.

Ray smiled down at her and pulled her head back down and kissed her more thoroughly. He pulled back with a small sigh and studied her face for a moment. He had made sure he had her birthday present ready before they went away and had it wrapped all ready for her in his draw. The draw that was just an arm's length away. He shifted slightly to get closer to the draw and kept his gaze fixed on her face.

Rowan melted against him as he kissed her. She couldn't help it when he kissed her like that. She raised her eyebrow at him as he shifted, but stayed silent. She could tell he was up to something, and he clearly didn't want to her know.

Ray had struggled to think what to get her for her birthday, he knew she wouldn't appreciate something big and flash. He had spent a lot of time deliberating over what to get her; he knew she didn't wear perfume, so that was out, she hadn't asked for anything so he didn't know if there was anything that she wanted and he couldn't really ask her without giving away that he had known that it was her birthday. He had eventually decided to buy her an eternity ring. It was small and silver with inset diamonds. He hoped she liked it, it wasn't anything too big so he was fairly sure she would like it.

Ray stroked a hand over her hair and raised his eyebrows at her. "So, do you want your birthday present now? or later?" he asked her.

She sighed and closed her eyes with a small smile as he finally spoke. Why couldn't Gem have kept her mouth shut? Though Rowan had apologized, she never thought of her birthday as a big deal anymore. She hadn't been keeping it from him, it simply didn't occur to her. But the way his eyes had lit up, she decided she didn't mind celebrating it, if he wanted to do it for her.

He hadn't immediately asked her age, which she thought was very kind of him. It always seemed to be the first question out of people's mouths when birthdays were mentioned. How old are you? She told him anyway that she would be 35. She didn't ask him how old she was, but she wasn't bothered. She knew he was older than she was, but not how much older he might be. She didn't care.

She lifted the bedclothes and looked him up and down.

"I'd say now, but it doesn't seem to be wrapped," she remarked and chuckled at the look on his face. She didn't want anything apart from him. She kissed his cheek.

"Now is fine, I'm not getting any younger," she joked and looked at him expectantly.

Ray gave her a toothy grin and tapped her nose before letting go of her and reaching to open his drawer. He pulled out the little box that he had wrapped carefully for her and turned back to her and held it out. He shrugged as she took the box. "I wasn't sure what to get you, I didn't want to ask because I knew you'd say you didn't want anything..." he trailed off and looked at the box with another shrug. "I hope you like it," he finished.

Ray settled back into the comfort of the pillows behind him and propped himself up. His brow furrowed slightly as he looked down at himself, did she want him to be wrapped? He shrugged, he was sure he could manage that, it was her birthday after all.

She looked at him. "I'm not used to presents anymore," she blushed and looked at the little box in her hands and willed them not to shake. She took a deep breath and tore away the wrapping paper, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She glanced at him again and then opened the box. She let out a small gasp and put her hand to her mouth.

"Oh, Ray," she breathed and took the ring from the box. She slipped it on and sniffed as she swiped away a tear. "It's beautiful," she said, her voice slightly teary and flung herself at him and hugged him tight. "I love it," she said softly in his ear, "and I love you."

She pulled back and kissed him softly before searching his face.

"You already knew didn't you?" she asked him. She rubbed her thumb against the ring. "There's no way you got this at the last minute," she added and smiled. She kissed him again, several soft, lingering kisses.

"Now, I want you to sing to me. Not 'Happy Birthday', just something nice, and before you argue, I heard you singing to Louisa's babies and so I know you can sing."

She leaned forward and put her forehead to his and met his eyes. "Please? As a special present?"

She gazed at him a moment longer. "If you do, I won't ask you to make me breakfast," she caught her bottom lip between her teeth and smiled at him as she widened her eyes and blinked at him.

Ray held in a chuckle as he realised what she was doing. He tucked her hair behind her ear and cradled his face in his hands as he moved it away from his and looked at her properly. "I already had a special present in mind," he told her but pulled her against him and back into bed. He folded the covers around them and held her as he thought of a song. She didn't want Happy Birthday. Okay.

Ray started to sing softly to her, stroking her arm as he sang and staring off into space. His head rested against hers as he crooned the words of the lullaby his mother used to sing to him to get him to calm down or sleep.

Once he finished he sighed and looked down at her. "There, one song as requested," he smiled at her and lifted her face by hooking a finger under her chin and kissed her tenderly.

"That was lovely, Ray, thank you," she said softly as she looked at him and kissed him again. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned against his shoulder. She held up her hand and looked at the ring. She tilted her head as she gazed at the ring and then looked at him. She got up, straddled his lap and looped her arms around his neck.

"So, what was the special present you had in mind?" she asked curiously. "Because," she continued as she settled on his thighs, "we should probably have breakfast and start getting things ready for Alyssa's party this afternoon." She leaned over and kissed him, trailing her fingers over his chest.  
>"But, if you have something else in mind," she said, her voice husky as her hands trailed lower and took hold the waist of his boxers and shifted them off him a bit, "something like this perhaps," she continued and lifted herself up and lowered herself onto him with a sigh. "Then I really..." she stopped and gasped as she started to move on him, "oh, oh yes, I'm all...all...for it," she cried out and threw her head back.<p>

Ray smiled at her and let out a groan as he took hold of her hips to help her keep balance. His head fell forward onto her shoulder and he frowned as he hit material, Ray moved his hands up and took hold of the hem of her pyjama top and lifted the top off from over her head. He nodded to himself and kissed from her neck downwards to put his mouth to work on her breasts as he thrust up into her.

She leaned against him when they were finished, her face buried in his neck, her arms around him tight.  
>"You know, I think I have a bruise on my back from that sink on the plane," she giggled finally and looked at him. "I still can't believe we did that, going there and coming back."<p>

Ray chuckled at her as he held her to him. "Well, when we were discussing going you did mention doing it. I held you to it, Ro," he grinned at her and then sighed. "Do we have to get up? JT will be here soon and he is perfectly capable of sorting downstairs out," he whined. "And it's your birthday! Can't we stay in bed?" he pouted at her and widened his eyes pathetically. "Please? We were up fairly early all last week so you could find time to show me everything, so we didn't get a lie in!"

"I don't mind that you held me to it, I'm just shocked at our behavior," she giggled. "But I guess we did have to do it in both countries," she amended.

She dropped her jaw as she looked at him and burst into helpless laughter at the look on his face. She took his face in her hands and ran her thumb across his lips to smooth his pout.

"That look really doesn't suit you," she told him. She climbed off him and laid down, pulling him down next to her and huddling close. "I don't mind staying in bed awhile longer," she agreed. "But when I get hungry, we'll have to get up and have breakfast or I'll get cranky."

She shifted so her head was resting on his chest and wrapped an arm and a leg around him as she settled. "We didn't get up that early when we were there. And you were up before me when we were at Gem's, sneaking down to get a head start on her cooking," she teased. "What did the pair of you talk about anyway that got you so chummy? She was practically doting on you."

Ray shrugged. "Not all that much, I mean, I did ask her a bit about you when you were little and other stuff," he told her dismissively. "She's alright," he remarked as he settled back down comfortably next to her and sighed happily.

"I'm sure she told you loads of horrific stories," she chuckled. He clearly wasn't going to tell her and she knew she'd get nothing out of Gem other than how much she liked him.

He looked down at her curiously. "So, how long to I get relaxing with you in bed until you start getting cranky?" he asked with a ghost of a grin.

She glanced up at him. "Don't worry, I'll warn you when I start getting hungry, it will probably be soon. We didn't eat when we got back last night and we've had our morning exercise," she shrugged and pressed a kiss against his chest. She wondered idly if Gem had told Ray about her sister. She didn't mind if Gem had, it was still hard for her to talk about. The rejection still pained. She sighed and moved her hand to her belly. She had another appointment tomorrow and they would get to hear the heartbeat.

Ray noticed her hand move and he smiled, he had almost forgotten she was pregnant, he was sure that in a few months time he wouldn't be able to forget. He covered her hand with his own and looked fondly down at her with a grin. "It's tomorrow right?" he asked as he trailed his fingers lightly over her tummy. He kissed her forehead and tightened his grip on her protectively. He wasn't going to let anything happen to either her or the baby. He loved her too much to let anything happen to her.

She shivered as his fingers traced over her skin and propped her chin on his chest to look at him.

"Yes, and we'll get to hear the heartbeat this time," she said excitedly. "And I won't have to have another of those exams like last time," she added with a smirk. "I got this one scheduled first thing in the morning. I don't want Gene to get angry with you for missing too much work, so we go straight from here. You should only be a little bit late, but if Gene has a problem with it, tell him he can talk to me about it."

She laid her head back down with a contended sigh. She rubbed her thumb against the ring again and felt herself overcome with wanting him again. She closed her eyes and calmed herself.

"I hate to say it," she began as she heard her stomach growl, "but we should get up because I think I need to eat."

Ray sighed and loosened his grip on her grudgingly before letting go completely and climbing off the bed, he smiled at her before retreating to the bathroom to get a shower. He wondered silently how Jack and Alyssa were going to get Rowan over to their house for the surprise party for her. He grinned, neither Rowan or Alyssa knew that today was for both of them and so far that had remained secret from them. Everyone else knew of course, but not them.

Ray chuckled to himself as he turned on the hot water and removed his boxers before stepping under the hot stream.

Ray emerged with a towel around his waist and sniffed the air hopefully, he hoped she was cooking because now he was hungry, he was glad he didn't have to cook, it would end up being beans on toast, the toast being burnt. He couldn't cook to save his life and had survived on take-aways for as long as he could remember before he met Rowan. That was another reason he was glad he had met her, she was a cracking cook, though after his visit to Virginia he could see why. If Rowan was brilliant then Gem was outstanding. And even more uptight about people trying to help her while she was cooking.

Ray grinned as he dressed and then made his way to the kitchen hopefully.

Rowan turned as she heard Ray's footfalls. She smiled and gestured at the table. She sliced a buttermilk biscuit in half and put it on a plate then spooned thick sausage gravy over it. She added scrambled eggs and a helping of home fries and walked over to the table. She put a cup of tea fixed the way he liked in front of him but held up the plate.

She trailed a finger along his jaw and made him look at her.

"So, what was the special present you had planned?" she asked as she held the plate away from him, making it clear he couldn't have the plate until he answered the question. She knew he could no doubt take it from her, but not without her spilling the plate. She raised her eyebrow as she waited.

Ray rolled his eyes at her and reached for the plate, he frowned at her once he realised that he would ruin his breakfast if he tried to take it. He sighed and took the mug of tea and held it as he pondered his answer, he couldn't tell her and give it away. He smiled up at her.

"If I told you what I have planned then it wouldn't be a surprise would it," he replied and held out his hand for his breakfast. "I answered your question, now gimme my breakfast, I'm dying of hunger over here."

"I didn't know it was supposed to be a surprise," she huffed and put the plate down in front of him. She stuck her finger in the gravy and then tapped the end of his nose with her finger, leaving gravy on his nose. She licked the rest of the gravy off her finger and flounced back to the stove to fix her own plate.

She carried her plate and her coffee over to the table and sat down. She adjusted her dressing gown and began to eat, idly passing salt, pepper and sauce to Ray before he asked. She gazed at him across the table as he ate. She was glad that tasting Gem's amazing cooking hadn't detracted from his enjoyment of her cooking.

She looked at the ring again, admiring it in the bright light of the flat's small kitchen. She looked over at Ray again and this time reached out her hand with the ring on it and stroked his hand with it briefly. She gave him a small smile and started on her food again.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her as she stroked his hand, he hoped she wasn't getting all soppy! He furrowed his brow at her and then applied himself to his breakfast, there would be a call from Alyssa or Jack soon telling them to get their arses over to their house at a particular time.

Ray finished his breakfast first as usual and grabbed up his plate and empty mug and dumped them next to the sink. He figured that as today was her birthday and he was supposed to be spoiling her, that he would do the washing up today. He squirted a load of soap into the bowl and turned on the hot tap and waited patiently for it to fill.

Rowan noted Ray's expression and held back a laugh. She watched him go over and start on the dishes as she finished her food. She carried her plate over put it into the sink and slid her hands over his broad back before leaning against it and wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing him tight.

"Thank you," she sighed. "I'm going to go grab a shower now," she told him and ducked under his arm to worm her way between him and the sink. She pulled his face down and kissed him, instantly feeling a desperate desire for him wash over her again.

She quickly broke off the kiss and patted his cheek before ducking under his arm again and heading for the bathroom. She really needed to get a grip on herself. She stepped into the shower and blasted herself with water cold enough to make her gasp and nearly cry out before turning on the hot water.

She padded into the bedroom and pulled on her underthings as she gazed at her clothes. She pulled out a top Alyssa had picked out for her the last time they'd gone shopping. She hadn't worn it yet. It was on the snug side and had a lower neckline than she normally wore, but the pattern in lovely shades of violet was so pretty and she loved the flowy sleeves. She bit her lip and pulled it on, choosing a long black skirt to go with it. She pulled on her dressy black boots and then applied a little bit of makeup before drying her hair. She chose to braid it once it was dry and walked into the kitchen where Ray was putting the dishes away. She still couldn't believe he'd done the washing up.

"Will this do?" she asked Ray as she approached and stood, waiting for him to turn around.

Ray wasn't expecting the kiss but found it a pleasant surprise and chuckled as she ducked away again before he could reach his soapy wet arms around her. If he was honest he wasn't entirely sure if he was washing all of this up right, but he figured as long as the food got off the plate then it would fine. He frowned at the state of the water as it gradually started turning murky and horrible. He scowled and emptied the bowl and filled it up fresh as soon as that started. No way was he putting his hands in something filthy like that!

Ray finished washing up and grabbed a tea towel, he wiped down the plates and forks and knives and pans until he was satisfied that the water wasn't going to drip off them. Sure they were still a little damp but they weren't soaking wet. He figured they would do. Ray put everything back where he knew it went and then looked around at the sound of Rowan's voice coming from behind him.

Ray cast his eyes up and down her, taking in everything. His mouth curved in a grin and he moved towards her, drinking her in with his eyes as he went. He put his hands on her shoulders and sniffed indifferently. "I think you look better without clothes," he shrugged. "But that's my personal opinion, clothes cover everything," he told her before smiling and dropping a kiss on her lips. "You look beautiful, Rowan," he told her as he let his eyes drop down to look over her again.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Jack woke up and slipped quietly downstairs. He knew Alyssa's birthday wasn't until tomorrow, but he wouldn't have time for this on a school day. He quickly and quietly assembled his cooking tools and began to fry bacon. He would make Alyssa breakfast in bed and present her with her gift. He'd called her father and found the nicest hotel he could afford for them to stay in when they went to Birmingham . They would go in style. He grinned as he cooked and glanced at the clock.

Rowan was probably awake by now, despite any possibility of jet lag. He would call her after he'd taken Alyssa her breakfast to see if she needed any help for the party.

Alyssa rolled over in her sleep and started to wake as she hit the warm spot where Jack had been sleeping. She sighed and mumbled something before dragging his pillow towards her and hugging it. Sunday was supposed to be their lie in day. Why was he out of bed so stupidly early? She grumbled to herself and drifted off again.

Jack whistled to himself as he finished cooking the bacon. He put it on a plate and dropped bread onto another and then arranged the bottles of sauce she liked. He fixed her coffee and then headed upstairs.

"Happy day early birthday," he greeted her cheerfully as he walked into the bedroom. "Come on, I've got breakfast in bed for a very special lady," he said and fidgeted with the tray, making sure the birthday card was just so. "And I'm taking you to Rowan's later for a lovely early dinner," he said. "And there's also her surprise party," he reminded her. He put the tray down on the floor and pulled the duvet back from her face.

"Come on, love, it's already nearly 10, you don't want to sleep the day away," he teased and began to noisily kiss her cheek.

Alyssa giggled at him as he woke her up for a second time and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his with a soft sigh and then let her head drop back onto the pillows as she looked up at him. She smiled and then sat up and stretched with a yawn. Her gaze flew to the tray laden with the ingredients for the perfect bacon sarnie and she beamed at him

"So, why a.m I getting breakfast in bed?" she asked as she started squeezing out the different sauces onto the bread.

"Because, Oh Light of my Life, I have to do your birthday spoiling today because I have to work tomorrow and can't do it then. Happy early birthday," he said and pulled her to him for a kiss.

He walked around to his side of the bed and crawled back in and settled next to her and watched her make her breakfast. Her bacon sandwiches never failed to amuse him.

"So, how are you going to get Rowan over here to surprise her?" he asked. He had talked Alyssa into doing the small surprise bit here at home. Rowan would never expect it and it would mean they could take Alyssa to the restaurant and surprise her. He was glad they usually went over to have Sunday dinner with them, he didn't have to invent an excuse for them to go. Rowan would be expecting them.

He picked up his phone and texted Jane, Alex, Shaz, Syed, JT and Ronnie to remind them to be around at 1.

Jane texted back.

"B there early w cake. Can I bring a friend?"

Jack texted back.

"Ronnie has flu, we can't make it."

JT sent back a disgusted face. "I'm not going to forget."

Syed sent back. "Will b there. Christian says with bells on"

He sighed as he read all the replies and looked at Alyssa.

"Well, Ronnie has flu so she and Jack aren't coming. Jane wants to know if she can bring a friend. I don't see why not," he shrugged. "And I think I annoyed JT by reminding him. Of course, he is the one who told us its her birthday in the first place."

He made a face at Alyssa and snagged a spare piece of bacon from the plate.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows as he stole a piece of bacon and couldn't help but smile as he got a small smear of ketchup on his chin. She leaned over and kissed it away then returned to her sandwich. "I was thinking that maybe I could tell her that I had something urgent to go over with her about the bridesmaid dress, some sort of malfunction we needed to get sorted. To be honest, it's difficult to think up some reason for her to get over here," she admitted.

Alyssa finished up her sandwich and drained her coffee and then picked up the birthday card. She smiled at it and then leaned over to hug him. "Thank you," she murmured in his ear as she pulled away and smiled at him then set the card on the bedside table. She leant back into the cushions and looked at him for a moment. "So, what time should I tell Ro to get here for?" she asked.

"Well, she knows tomorrow is your birthday right? So why don't you just say we're having a late lunch and cake for your birthday," he shrugged. "She gets here and wahey, party for Rowan," he chuckled.

He leaned over. "Was your present not in the card?" he asked and reached to grab up the envelope. He sighed. "I'll get it, I could have sworn I put it in there," he climbed from the bed and rummaged in his bedside drawer and found the brochure for the posh hotel he'd booked. He had it on Gerald's authority that Alyssa had always wanted to stay in it.

"It's not much," he prefaced. "Just…well….I got us some place special to stay when we take our little trip," he told her and handed her the brochure with a smile. He read Alex's reply and put his phone back down.

Alyssa nodded and shrugged at his suggestion, then smiled at the look on his face.

Alyssa watched him curiously and then took the brochure from him and stared at it for a moment. She looked back up at him and then back down to the brochure. "You've booked this hotel?" she asked "Really?" she smiled and threw her arms around his neck. "That's hardly 'not much' Jack," she beamed as she loosened her grip and kissed him. "Do you know how long I've wanted to stay there? Mum and I used to drive past it when we went shopping, I used to day-dream about what it would be like," she told him and kissed him again. "Thank you," she beamed.

Jack nodded in reply to her question and chuckled as she flung herself at him.

"Well, I'll admit I asked your Dad and he told me. I thought I should spoil you a bit, I haven't had much chance to do that lately," he admitted and held her close. "I wonder how Ray and Rowan's trip went," he mused and kissed her forehead.

"You Dad is looking forward to getting together with us, or at least, that's what he said when I spoke to him. I think he plans to take us out for a posh meal as a late birthday present for you," he added.

He glanced at the clock.

"We really should start getting ready and you need to call Rowan. Use the wedding excuse if you need to, but expect her to tease you," he warned her with a grin as he headed for the bathroom to shower.

Alyssa smiled at his retreating figure and looked fondly at her birthday card. She smiled as she swung her legs off the bed and remembered the tray on the floor too late. Her face contorted into a grimace as the ketchup and HP sauce that had dripped out the sarnie onto the plate now stuck to her foot. She found the urge to contort herself and lick it off. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the envelope her birthday card had been in and took the sticky sauce off her foot as much as she could. Alyssa folded the envelope into a ball and threw it at the bin in the corner of the room before bending to pick up the tray and pulling Jack's larger dressing gown down off the door. She wrapped herself in it and carried the tray downstairs to the kitchen and began to wash up her breakfast things.

Alyssa smiled and stroked her hand along his back as she passed him and trailed back upstairs. She climbed under the flow of hot water.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Gene heard Alex's phone beeping and began to nudge her.

"Bolly, your phone is waking me up," he grumbled.

Alex rolled over and opened her eyes blearily. She mumbled to herself as she blindly reached towards where the noise was coming from and read the text through half open eyes. She sent a quick text back to confirm that they would be there then discarded her phone and rolled back over and curled back up, burying her face into her pillow.

"What was that about?" Gene wanted to know. Now that he was awake he wasn't sure he could get back to sleep. He yawned as he lifted his head to look at the clock on her table. He was going to have to go in the office for awhile. At least Ray would be back in the morning so he wouldn't be putting in so much overtime. He couldn't bear to ask Alex to put in too much extra time. Not with the baby.

He yawned again and ran his hands through his hair as he got out of bed and stretched.

"Ummm, the surprise party later," she told him vaguely as she pulled the covers he had thrown off himself over her. She snuggled down into the warmth his body had left on them and smiled happily, then groaned as she heard Sam wake up. Alex clambered off the bed and went into Sam's room. She changed him into a fresh nappy and carried him back to her bedroom and tucked him in bed with her as she pulled the covers over the pair of them and held him carefully to her chest.

Gene came back in with coffee for Alex and tea for himself.

"Which party?" he wanted to know. He knew there were supposed to be two parties today: Alyssa was surprising Rowan and vice versa.

Alex looked up at him and shrugged. "Whichever one comes first," she replied flippantly, she just wanted to go back to sleep! She turned and pulled Sam over her so they were both facing Gene. "The one for Rowan I think," she answered. "The one at Jack's house!" she finally answered and fell back onto the pillows. "Now let me sleep!" she snapped and pulled the covers over her again.

Gene sighed and shook his head.

"It's after 10 woman, I think you should be getting up. I have to go to the office for a couple of hours. Call me and let me know where I should go from there," he told her and kissed her forehead before going to take a shower and heading out to the station.

Alex waved her hand blindly at the sound of his retreating footsteps, for some reason she felt exhausted. Maybe it had something to do with Sam suddenly waking last night, not that Gene seemed to have noticed, he snored straight through the disturbance. Alex grabbed her phone and set her alarm for 11:15. She would have to get up then to be ready in time for the two special surprise parties going on today.

Shoving her phone under her pillow Alex made sure there was a soft, pillowy barrier preventing Sam from falling off the bed and secured herself in the middle with her son before drifting off again.

/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Gene looked at Chris and Shaz when he got to the station.

"You lot going to the party? Which one is first, I couldn't get much of anything out of Alex, she's being a stroppy cow this morning," he growled.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Jane finished decorating Rowan's cake and picked up her phone to call Tanya. It would be great to introduce her best mate to all her new friends.

Tanya looked up at her phone and pressed it to her ear. She was still living with Max as she refused to fork out for a B&B and her stays in the Branning household were fast becoming a regular thing, which she knew both Abi and Lauren enjoyed but which Max greatly disliked, to be honest the frosty atmosphere between them wasn't healthy for their children but the girls seemed to expect it of them and weren't too bothered. At least they didn't have those explosive arguments anymore.

"Heya, Jane," she smiled as she wiped a trail of food from Oscar's mouth.

She was finally letting Max spend some time with Oscar too. When she was in the house of course but it was happening. She knew that Oscar needed some form of male influence in his life and his Dad was probably the best thing for him. Even if his father was a lying, cheating piece of filth.

"Hey, Tan, look, some friends of mine are celebrating birthdays today and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me?"

She knew Tanya was staying with Max, but rarely went out to socialize, it was almost as if she was waiting for Max to do something wrong. On the plus side, Tanya's presence was cramping his relationship with Davina, on the other hand, Jane knew she had to push the burgeoning feelings for Max aside, Tanya would never forgive her if she got involved with him, even though they were divorced.

"Please, it will do you good to get out of the house. You need to stop blaming Max for what Abi did, it would have happened whether he'd been there or not," she said. "I've been around there a lot and he really has been doing a good job of taking care of the girls, I know you don't like to hear it, Tan, but it is the truth. He really has been trying."

"I know he's trying Jane, I'm trusting him with Oscar aren't I?" she sighed in reply and glanced at her little boy as he looked up at the sound of his name. "About the party, I'd love to come. I'm sure I can get Dot to look after Oscar for me," she said excitedly. "It seems like ages since I had a good night out."

"Okay, well, head over to the cafe and then we'll go to Rowan's party first, it's at 1, at Jack and Alyssa's house. But the big, proper party is at Rowan's restaurant. She planned it for Alyssa, she doesn't know it's really for both of them," Jane chuckled.

"I've made a cake and you can help me carry some wine, because we'll have to make sure we can toast them," Jane said and chuckled.

Tanya grinned down the phone. "I'll see you at 10 to 1 then Jane," she beamed and couldn't help a laugh. "I'm sure we can find more than just two people to toast," she chuckled.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Davina woke up and sighed when she saw Brett. She rubbed her face and slipped out of bed, pulling on her dressing gown as she went. She hoped he wasn't going to expect any more from her. She had her sights set on winning Jack back, whether Declan helped her or not, she'd find a way.

Davina went back into the bedroom after she'd showered and dressed.

"You need to go, Brett, I have things to do," she told him.

Brett looked up at Davina sleepily and sighed before heaving himself out of her bed and making his way to collect up his clothes. He stole a kiss from her once he was dressed and winked cheekily before heading out the door. He had got used to this now, Davina would text or call and he would go running to her only to be kicked out the next morning. To be fair she had said that she didn't want a relationship with him and he was prepared to accept that for now.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

JT carried tea in to Roxy and sat on the bed next to her as he held it out.

"So, will you come to A…Rowan's party? I know she won't mind. She's warmed to you a lot, Rox. In fact," he began and leaned over to her, "she's offered to babysit if we need it so I can take you on a road trip on the bike. You know, if Peggy or Ronnie can't do it all."

JT had saved up and Rowan had agreed to help out with the cost of having his beloved Harley shipped over. It had arrived yesterday and after spending most of the day tinkering with it, he was anxious to get it on the road.

He raised his eyebrows at her and tried not to look like he was begging.

Roxy cradled her mug of tea and considered him silently. She had witnessed the excitement on his face when his motorbike turned up, he looked like the cat that got the cream. She had to admit it was an impressive ride, she knew a little about bikes thanks to Ronnie and knew that a Harley was quite a big deal.

Roxy reached over and placed her mug on the bedside table. "You're talking about the party that you've been secretly planning for weeks?'' she asked and then nodded at him. ''Okay,'' she agreed, with a small nod. "Fine, I'll go" she told him with a smile.

Jack hurriedly showered and dressed and bounded downstairs.

"Shower's all yours m'love," he told her and started looking the house over to see if it needed anymore cleaning. He nodded to himself in satisfaction and began pulling out the ingredients and cookware so he would be ready when JT arrived to work on the food.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

"Well, it's only been a secret from Rowan, but yeah, that's the one," he nodded and grinned when she said she'd go.

"Oh thanks Rox," he said and wrapped her in a hug and kissed her thoroughly. "I love you, darlin'," he said and then looked over at Amy.

"I love you, too, Punkin," he said and blew Amy a kiss. "Now, I should get over there and help Jack with the food. It starts at 1, maybe leave Amy at home," he suggested. "It won't last long, but right after, we're going to the restaurant for Alyssa's surprise party and that's when the proper party starts," he grinned at her.

"Christian and Syed will be there," he added.

He went and pulled on his boots and gave Roxy and Amy both quick kisses on the cheek and headed out.

Jack sighed at the knock on the door, but smiled when he saw JT there.

"I was beginning to worry. I have no idea how to cook half this food you intend to make."

JT chuckled and shook his head.

"You have containers to take it to the restaurant right?"

Jack nodded.

"Then let's get started," JT said and gestured Jack to lead him to the kitchen.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Roxy pulled Amy onto the bed next to her and handed the girl her favourite teddy bear as Amy waved at JT until she couldn't see him.

"Now, you're going to have to be very good Amy, I'm going to go have a shower," she informed her daughter as Amy crawled into her arms. Roxy had been keeping a close eye on Amy, she had started walking much better now and the baby gate was securely fixed at the top of the stairs, just in case. She was a little trouble maker to say the least. "So, you're going to stay in Mummy's room while I have a shower and then this afternoon you get to stay with Aunty Peggy," she beamed and Amy giggled as Roxy kissed her cheek and let go. She gave Amy one last smile before leaving her bedroom and going to get a shower.

Roxy returned 20 minutes later in her dressing gown with a towel securely fixed on top of her head. She came back into her bedroom and looked around for Amy, her gaze fell on her dressing table and she knew that leaving a toddler in here alone was a mistake. A small curly head peeked out from under the blankets and then a figure emerged dramatically.

"BOO!" she screamed delightedly and the tiny girl broke down in a giggling fit.

Roxy could only stare. Smeared all over Amy's face was a variety of eyeliner, lipstick, eyeshadow, bronzer and mascara. It was a wonder that the girl had avoided poking her eye out with the mascara wand! She recovered herself and grabbed up a packet of baby wipes. She pulled the laughing toddler towards her and set about removing all of her makeup from her face. Amy folded her arms indignantly. "NO! Mummy!" she said as she tried to push Roxy away.

"Amy, it has to come off!" Roxy replied agitatedly.

"NOOO!" Amy yelled and struggled in Roxy's grasp. "I look preeeeeeeettty," she said as she tried to escape.

Roxy sighed. "Let me take it off and then we can put some of your own make up on, make you look gorgeous for Aunty Peggy okay?" she offered by way of a bribe. Amy seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding her agreement. "kay."

Roxy set about wiping the wet wipe over Amy's face to remove the variety of smudges and smears that covered her.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Alyssa could hear more than one voice downstairs when she finally emerged from the bathroom. She listened carefully and identified JT's voice. She smiled, he was here to help with the food for Rowan's surprise. She grinned and chuckled to herself as she started to dry her hair and get ready for the day's events.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

JT and Jack worked away in the kitchen making the food for the party, chatting away at each other as they did so.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Declan drove onto the Square and parked in front of Jack and Alyssa's house. He went up and knocked on the door. He hoped Jack wouldn't mind that he had shown up.

"Lyss, can you get the door?" Jack called, his hands full of pastry dough.

Whitney came bounding downstairs yelling. "I'll get it," and yanked open the door. She looked up and gasped and recovered herself quickly to smile as she saw Declan standing there.

"Hiya, come in," she said and opened the door wider for him to pass.

"Jack, it's Declan," she called and shut the door behind Declan as he came into the house.

Declan smiled a thank you at Whitney and headed into the kitchen.

"Well, well, look at you, cooking again," he remarked.

Jack looked over at his cousin. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, you are having a party aren't you? Where else would I be?" he asked and chuckled.

"Well, don't come in here and get in the way."

"Yes, sir," Declan sighed and dropped onto the couch. He looked over at Whitney.

"Any chance of a brew?" he asked her. She nodded and went into the kitchen to make tea for herself and Declan, taking care to stay out of Jack and JT's way.


	6. Chapter 6

**We do not own EastEnders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 6**

Alyssa looked up as she switched off her hairdryer and heard Jack calling her and then Whitney's shriek. She glanced at the time and realised that she would have to call Rowan soon. She scrambled up off the floor and came downstairs to see who had been at the door. A familiar voice greeted her as she walked down the stairs and she raised her eyebrows as she came into the kitchen and saw Whitney making two mugs of tea. Alyssa wandered through to the lounge, grabbing up the landline as she went and she smiled as she saw Declan.

"Hi, Declan," she smiled. "I didn't realise you were coming," she said to him. Surely Jack could have told her if they were expecting other people, he had told her everyone else that was coming. She took her seat on the other end of the sofa and tapped Rowan's number into the phone.

Declan looked up at Alyssa and smiled.

"Well, I didn't know I was either, but I had a free weekend and I realized I had to leave in a bit of a hurry last time and didn't get to spend any proper time with my cousin, so, I thought I'd pop down for the day. I hope you don't mind. Jack says you're having a party, so I hope I'll be invited," he flashed her a winning smile.

Whitney handed him his tea and he thanked her. She sat down in a nearby chair and sipped her own and watched Declan out of the corner of her eye. She didn't feel guilty about it now. Brett seemed distracted all the time and his kisses seemed to be an afterthought and rarely more than a peck and he hadn't touched her at all. Surely he didn't have that much work that they couldn't spend the night together like they had been.

She had steeled herself, resigned herself, to the fact that he was probably going to break up with her any day now. She'd spent several days crying on Molly's shoulder, but said nothing to Jack and Alyssa. She didn't want them feeling sorry for her. But Molly was her best mate and that was what best mates were for.

She had asked Brett to the party, but half-hoped he wouldn't come. He would no doubt be distracted the whole time anyway, he usually was when they were together anymore. She sighed to herself and sipped her tea and distracted herself with looking at Declan.

Jack finally pronounced the food finished and grinned as he saw Alyssa was already calling Rowan. He walked over and dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. "Perfect timing, Lyss," he murmured in her ear and went back into the kitchen to help JT clean up.

"Oh, there will be all sorts," Jane agreed and laughed. "See you then," she closed her phone and set about getting things sorted for the day. She didn't want to go off and leave things half-done for Bianca.

Davina sighed and watched him leave. She really should stop this. It wasn't going to get her Jack back and it would no doubt cause problems with Brett. From the few times she had seen them together, she knew that what they were doing was already affecting his relationship with Whitney. Davina ran her fingers through her own long blond locks. Maybe the girl should have gone blond instead of putting those ridiculous red streaks in her hair.

She shrugged and finished getting ready. She planned to crash a party. She knew Declan would be there, he'd already informed her and offered to act as her escort so she could get in.

Rowan couldn't hold back a chuckle at Ray's comment; of course he would say that, but she glowed at his compliment. She nearly groaned aloud when she heard her phone ring and went back into the bedroom to grab it.

"Hey, Lyss, what's up?" she said when she saw the caller ID. She walked back to the kitchen as she spoke.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Alyssa smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah, it's Rowan's birthday today, we've managed to plan this surprise party for her, you remember the one we were discussing that day in the restaurant! We've done quite well, she doesn't know that we all know that it's her birthday today!" she grinned at him triumphantly and her attention was distracted as Jack came in and kissed her cheek. She smiled up at him and heard Rowan's voice on the other end of the phone.

"RO!" She gasped into the phone, managing to sound quite distressed. "You remember that we got your dress changes sorted before you went away? Well, the woman has gone and lost all her notes and we need to go back and get it sorted. She called in the week but you were away and I knew you'd be back by today and we need to get it sorted ASAP so that it's ready in time for the wedding," she explained in a hurry. "Apparently there's been a real rush and the dresses are taking twice the amount of time to get done so we need to go really soon so that it's ready," she told her and took a breath. "So, I booked an appointment for half one! Jack's going to drop us down there, so can you get here for one so that we can go? Pretty pretty pretty please, Ro," she gushed.

Rowan looked up at Ray and rolled her eyes.

"Hang on a sec," Rowan replied and put the phone against her shoulder. "It's Alyssa, apparently there's some problem with the dress and she wants me to come over to hers so Jack can take us to sort it out. Do you fancy walking over with me?"

She put the phone back to her ear.

"You're lucky I just got dressed Lyss. I'll be there soon," she said and closed her phone. She stepped close to Ray again and put a hand on his cheek with a sigh.

Ray held back a smile at Rowan on the phone and kept his face curious as she went to speak to him and nodded. "Sure," he said and went to get his house keys and wallet from the bedroom sidetable. He came back and looked at her. "So what's going on?" he asked when he noticed she had hung up.

Rowan shrugged. "She says there's some issue with my bridesmaid dress. Personally, I think she's just being a bit obsessive, but never mind. I just hope she doesn't think I'm too dressed up and asks me what's going on."

She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder and headed downstairs. She couldn't help but think there was something more going on. She pushed it aside and waited for Ray to come out and then locked the restaurant door behind him. She laced her fingers with his as they headed off down the street.

Ray led her outside and shrugged. "If she's being as obsessive as you think and she's worried about the dress then I doubt that she'll spare any time to worry about what you're wearing, Ro," he snorted.

Ray kept an eye out for any party goers as they went towards Jack and Alyssa home.

Rowan enjoyed the walk to Alyssa's. After the week they'd spent back home, she enjoyed walking with him just to walk. She gave his hand a small squeeze and glanced at him when they reached Alyssa's door.

"Right, let's get ready for the insane woman," she commented dryly and knocked.

Ray chuckled and squeezed her hand back. "You think Jack is rubbing off on her?" he grinned at her.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Jack looked at Alyssa as she gushed on the phone and tried hard not to laugh at her. He noticed they were all holding back laughter and turned his attention back to her.

Alyssa held back a smile "Oh, thanks, Ro," she said and hung up. She looked around and finally focused her gaze on Jack. "She'll be here," she smiled at him then caught the expression on his face. "What?" she asked, puzzled.

"She's going to think you are obsessing or she is going to think something is up," Jack told her and tapped her nose. "And you think I'm insane," he sighed and got JT to help him hang the banner. Declan chuckled and patted Alyssa on the shoulder as he passed to put his empty mug in the sink.

Alyssa snorted and followed them out into the corridor and sat on the stairs. "I've got her to come over haven't I?" she grinned. "So what if she thinks that I'm being obsessive? It just means she'll be even more surprised at this," she retorted and waved a hand at the banner as she got up and went to look at it properly. She sighed and went over to kiss Jack's cheek. "It's wonky," she told him and went to get the door as the first people started to arrive.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Whitney toyed with her phone and considered texting Brett, but she wasn't sure anymore. He was so distant anyway that even if he was at the party he wouldn't be at the party. She texted Molly instead.

"You coming to party?"

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Gene finished up what needed doing at the station and looked at Chris and Shaz.

"I'm heading over. You two can leave when Ginger and Rhys get back from lunch," he told them and headed home to pick up Alex.

He went inside and looked around for her. He saw Sammy in the playpen in the front room and lifted him out. The girls must be getting dressed, he decided.

"When you're ready," he announced and sat on the couch and made faces at the baby as he held him.

Molly came out of her room and smiled at Gene playing with Sam, when she first met him she had no idea that he could behave so gently around someone. After living with him for all this time she knew different. She sighed and ran back to her room as her phone went off and checked the text from Whitney. "Gene just got in, am waiting 4 Mum 2 get a wriggle on :D"

Alex came out of the bedroom just as Molly dropped onto the sofa next to Gene, her attention taken by her phone. She smiled at Gene. "Sorry, I forgot to phone," she told him as she leant over and kissed the top of his head. "I went to get a shower while he was still asleep and then he had a tantrum because he was hungry and it completely slipped my mind," she explained and checked Molly was ready to go.

"We off?"

"No matter," Gene said. "I had to come pick you up anyway."

"But we take your car, no more car seat in the Quattro," he informed her gruffly as he stood up.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Jane packed the cake in a box and put the canvas bag with several bottles of wine in it on the counter and chatted with Bianca until Tanya arrived. It was nearly time to go.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Davina sat on the couch and texted Declan.

"What time meet at restaurant?"

"Will text you when I know for sure," Declan replied and put his phone away.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Brett sat on his couch reading through his texts, he found his attention mainly caught by the ones from Davina but one from Whitney caught his eye. It had today's date in the text and he started to worry. Had he promised her he'd go somewhere with her? He read it through and remembered all about the joint surprise party plan that she had told him about. He twirled his phone, he had nothing better to do and it might distract his thoughts from Davina. He knew he hadn't been paying Whitney the attention she deserved at all recently. He fired off a text to her.

"Is the party still happening?"

He looked down at himself and figured he should put something nicer on. If the party wasn't on then he would offer to take her out. If she refused then he would go out anyway and try to take his mind off Davina. He took his phone with him as he ambled through to his bedroom.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Jane walked outside with her things; she had the cake and didn't want to be late with it. She started walking in the direction of Jack and Alyssa's when she noticed Tanya approaching. She waved and smiled hugely at her friend.

"Hurry up!" she called and laughed.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Whitney heard her phone go off and smiled at the reply from Molly.

She looked again and saw the text from Brett. She sighed. She wanted to believe that he really wanted to spend time with her, but she was sure it was just his guilt. She wondered if she should break up with him.

"Yes" she sent back. If he showed, he showed. If not, she decided she wouldn't let it get to her.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Rhys and Ginger left the café and headed back to the station.

"Oh, there she is," he breathed as he saw Tanya down the way walking in their direction. He had wanted badly to take her out, but he hardly ever saw her around the Square. She had kids, but he decided that didn't bother him at all. She was lush. He was going to have to find a way to ask her out for a drink.

Ginger followed his friend's gaze and chuckled.

"We have to get back to work," he admonished Rhys.

"I didn't say I wanted to wait for her, which I do, but oh, she is lush!"

"Yes, she is very pretty, let's go Rhys," he said and grabbed Rhys' arm and pulled him away and in the direction of the station.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Alex rolled her eyes and looked at Molly who grabbed Sam's bag and went to throw it into the boot of the car. She followed Alex and Gene out of the house and helped Alex to strap Sam into the car seat before her mum started up the car and drove off.

Alex made sure to park outside the pub and then grabbed everything and made a start towards the house. Molly ran ahead and rang the doorbell. She wanted to know what was going on with Brett and Whit and if anything had happened since their last catch up.

Alyssa opened the door to Alex, Molly, Gene and Sam and stood out of the way to let them inside. Molly smiled and said her hellos before making a beeline for Whitney and dragging her a little away. The sight of Declan caught her attention and she did a double take, when Whitney had said he looked just like Mr Rimmer she hadn't realised how identical they actually were. Molly grabbed Whitney's hand and pulled her out of earshot of everyone else and gave her a hug. "Anything from Brett?" she asked.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Tanya waved back at Jane and sped up a little until she caught up. She had briefly noticed that young cop who had kind of asked her out but didn't think about him too much. There was celebrating to be done.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Brett looked down at Whitney's text and jumped into his car. He could tell now that he would be late. He should have thought to check earlier. But earlier he was at Davina's. He sighed as he looked at the traffic stretching out in front of him. He would go to the party at the restaurant. He had a feeling he wouldn't make it to Jack Rimmer's house.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

"Well, tell him that," Jack griped and pointed at JT. "He's taller than me."

JT grinned and went to fix the banner.

"I'm not all that much taller than you, Jack," JT drawled and stepped back to make sure the banner was straight.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Gene smiled at everyone, doing a double take when he saw Declan, who came over and introduced himself.

Gene furrowed his brow, but smiled and shook Declan's hand.

"This is my wife, Alex," he introduced.

Declan smiled at Alex and held out a hand.

"You must be the Gene that is going to be my cousin's best man at the wedding. Glad I finally get to meet you," he stated.

Alex smiled and took Declan's hand. "Lovely to meet you," she smiled at him.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Whitney chuckled at Molly's reaction to Declan and nodded.

"Yeah, he texted me to find out if the party was still on and I told him yes," she sighed. "Maybe I should just break up, you think? I can't remember the last time he kissed me properly and we never get together anymore on the evenings when we don't have homework. He's always 'busy'," Whitney relayed, making finger quotes around the word "busy".

"I could maybe see about going out with that fit cop, what's his name….Rhys," she grinned at Molly. "But he goes out with loads," she groaned. "Oh, Molls, I don't know what to do."

/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\

Jane handed the bag of wine to Tanya and hurried to Jack and Alyssa's. She wanted to make sure they were inside before Rowan arrived. She knocked on the door and smiled at JT who happened to open it.

"Hi, JT, how are you?"

"I'm good, Jane, yourself? Did you happen to see Roxy out there? She promised she'd come," he wanted to know and smiled at the lady that came in with Jane.

Jane noticed the direction of his gaze.

"Oh, JT, this is my best friend in the whole wide world, Tanya, Tanya, this is Rowan's nephew JT. He works with her at the restaurant and lives with Roxy at the pub and helps her out with food too, isn't that right?" Jane half-stated, half-asked.

"Indeed it is. I do love Roxy, but she's half hopeless in the kitchen," he joked and smiled widely as the door stopped before he could close it. He peered around and opened the door wider so Christian and Syed could come in and then quickly closed it behind them.

"Hiya, sis," Christian greeted and kissed Jane on the cheek.

Jane wrinkled her nose at her brother and smiled at Syed before heading to the kitchen to put down the cake. She nodded at Alyssa.

"Any idea where you want this?" she asked Alyssa. "Tanya's got the wine," she added and jerked her head in Tanya's direction.

Christian and Syed went into the front room and Syed sat down not too far from Molly and Whitney while Christian went into the kitchen.

JT heard another knock at the door and looked around quickly before going to the peep hole. His eyes widened when he saw it was Rowan. He quickly hissed as he walked over to Alyssa.

"She's here," he said and gestured everyone to get in the kitchen while putting a hand on Alyssa's back and giving her a gentle push towards the door.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\

Molly couldn't help but grin. "Rhys is fit," she agreed and patted Whitney's shoulder. "Have you actually sat him down and spoken to him about whatever is going on? You're getting yourself in a state, Whit and it's not fair. You need to talk to him and make him tell you what's going on!" she told her and hugged her again. "You need to do it soon as well, you're getting all upset," she sighed.

"I know, but I hardly see him anymore and when I try to ask him what's wrong all I get is nothing," she deepened her voice to imitate Brett. She got up and pulled Molly into the kitchen. "Maybe I'll see if I can get something out of him tonight."

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\

Tanya smiled up at JT and nodded. "I can't imagine Roxy Mitchell being much good at cooking," she agreed with a nod. She took in everyone's faces and found she knew hardly anyone here. Jane and Whitney. She scanned all the new faces and found quite a few attractive men. JT for one but he was with Roxy it seemed, she wasn't going to get caught up in a feud with Roxy. No way! She spotted another tall man and smiled at him as she caught his eye, but the pretty redhead went up to him and she could tell at once that they were together. She sighed and glanced at the burly bloke, not her type and he was married. Typical!

She turned to see Christian and Syed, so they got together? Good. She beamed at the pair of them as Jane wandered off.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa smiled and took the cake from Jane, she peeked at it and her eyes widened. "Jane it's amazing," she beamed as she set it in the middle of the table and made a space for it amongst the food. She looked over and spotted the blonde woman that Jane had brought with her.

Tanya made her way over to Jane as she spotted her looking at her and smiled at Alyssa. "Tanya," she smiled as she held out her hand. Alyssa took it with a smile. "Alyssa," she said and Tanya handed out the wine bottle. "So, where can I put this?" she asked and Alyssa gestured vaguely to the counter. "Anywhere you can find space," she smiled and Tanya set the bottle down.

"Alyssa is managing the salon for Roxy," Jane told Tanya. She looked at Alyssa. "Tanya owned it once upon a time," she explained.

Declan joined everyone in the kitchen and spotted the pretty blond that had come in with Jane. He looked her over appreciatively and raised his eyebrow. He glanced at Alyssa and then back at the blond and sighed. He put a pleasant expression on his face as he slapped his cousin on the back.

"I'm sure since you had help that all this is edible," he teased.

"Very funny, Dec," Jack retorted.

Declan frowned. "Declan."

"Oooh, still touchy about that I see," Jack remarked and put a finger to his lips before Declan could say another word when he heard Alyssa open the door.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa made sure everyone was in the kitchen before rushing to the front door and throwing it open. She shared a secret look with Ray as she half pulled Rowan inside and Ray followed with a grin behind them.

"Easy," Rowan protested as Alyssa dragged her inside. "I'm sure that some dress issue is not a matter of life or death," she commented and looked at Ray. "I think the answer is yes," she told him in response to his earlier question.

Alyssa gave Rowan a hug and then turned her to face the closed kitchen door. "Jack's in the kitchen, would you mind telling him to get a shift on while I get this stuff from the lounge?" she begged and hurried into the lounge and started rifling through drawers.

Ray shrugged at Rowan.

Rowan rolled her eyes and shook her head and went into the kitchen and jumped with a shriek when everyone yelled surprise. She covered her face a moment with her hands and looked back at Ray and Alyssa, who looked smugly pleased. Her gaze then went straight to JT.

"I assume this is your fault," she said and he grinned at her as he walked over and picked her up.

"Who else would it be, Aunt Rowan?" he asked and kept grinning like a loon.

"Put me down, JT or I will be forced to beat you," she began and then something occurred to her. "No, wait, it's my birthday," she turned her head to look for Ray and clicked her fingers. "Acuisle, come beat him for me, please?"

"Touchy," JT said and put her down, only for her to be picked up by Jack.

"Happy Birthday, shorty," he said to her.

"I hate you," she said simply and smiled at him brightly.

"I cooked!" Jack huffed.

"Of course you did," Rowan mocked him and turned to hug everyone else.

"Thank you," she said as she hugged them all. "I'm touched, really," she added and sniffed. She never would have expected this. She started to shake Declan's, but went ahead and gave him a hug.

"Nice to see you again," she said.

"Same here," he said and patted her shoulder.

She accepted hugs from Syed and Christian and looked at them in surprise as they handed her a gift. The look on Christian's face told her she should likely wait to open it. He could be naughty.

"Hi, Jane, she greeted and Jane nodded before hugging Rowan.

"I'm Rowan," she said as she approached Tanya. She'd seen Tanya in passing, and heard about her from Jane and Christian, but had yet to meet the woman. "Nice to finally meet you."

Tanya smiled at Rowan and nodded. "You too. Happy Birthday, by the way," she smiled. She had been involved in surprise parties before, but the response at this one wasn't as explosive as the usual ones. Rowan clearly hadn't expected it. She had to smile at the behaviour of Jack and JT, picking her up when she clearly hated it. She'd merely seemed a little irritated though, not angry. She smiled again to herself.

Alyssa followed Ray into the kitchen and Ray went over to Rowan and dropped a kiss on her head "That was your special present," he told her softly. "Now you understand why I didn't tell you when you asked," he grinned down at her and then looked up at Tanya. He nodded at her and held out his hand. "Ray," he said simply. Tanya took his hand and shook it briefly before dropping it with another small smile. "Tanya, I'm Jane's friend," she said and he nodded again.

Alyssa went up to Jack and slid an arm around his waist. "You know, one of these days she's going to get her revenge on you," she smiled. "You'll pick her up and next thing you know you'll be flat on your back on the floor," she chuckled to herself. She glanced at the present that Syed and Christian had handed over and kissed Jack's cheek briefly before dashing upstairs. Alyssa dug in Jack's bedside draw where they had put the present and pulled out the wrapped up parcel. She smiled as she brought it back downstairs and took her place next to Jack, she took his hand and pulled him with her towards Rowan.

"Well, I can't. You always get me back, you can't just let me have my victory," Jack griped and grabbed a beer from Declan. He noted Jane and Tanya had wine and nudged Alyssa. "Looks like the wine is open," he grinned at her, surprised she hadn't opened it already.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows at him as she noted Tanya and Jane with wine glasses in their hands. She snorted. "I only just got up," she told him. "I can't start drinking yet!" she exclaimed. "I'll have a glass when we got to Ro's for Sunday dinner later, we're still doing that right? My Sunday isn't the same without her cooking," she grinned.

Alyssa held out the present and smiled. "Happy Birthday, Ro" she beamed.

"Yes, you got me, the pair of you," she said to Ray and punched his arm in exasperation. She snaked an arm around his neck. "You are sooo lucky I love you," she told him and smiled. "I'll only torture you a little bit," she said and indicated with her thumb and forefinger how much, "just this much," she said and kissed him.

Ray smiled down at her. "I can handle any kind of torture you decide to dish out," he challenged with a smile and noted the mane of red making it's way towards them. He kissed her quickly before Alyssa reached them and let go of her and grabbed a beer off Declan.

Rowan raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She didn't think he could handle the torture she would have in mind.

"And you," she said and let go of Ray and turned to Alyssa. "I should mess your hair you sly minx," she scolded and then wrapped Alyssa in a hug. "Thank you," she whispered and let Alyssa go. She lifted her hand and swiped away a tear. "And I put make up on and now I'm going to ruin it," she complained with a smile to show she wasn't really that upset. She took the package. "And more presents," she remarked. "I guess I'll have to start doing birthdays again."

Alyssa beamed at Rowan and inspected her carefully "And you look gorgeous!" she smiled and then raised her eyebrows as she recognised the top she had persuaded Rowan to buy on their last shopping trip.

Rowan blushed at Alyssa's compliment. "Thank you."

Rowan wandered over to Gene and Alex and gave them each a hug.

Gene made a face, but hugged Rowan back. "Happy birthday," he said to her.

"Thank you, Mr. Hunt," she replied flippantly and he sighed and shook his head as he accepted a beer from Declan who was passing them out.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\\/\\\\\\\/\\\\/\\\\

Jack slung his arm around Alyssa's shoulders. "Well, I think I'll just have to take that risk because aggravating you and your sister is really my only joy in life," he explained.

She looked up at Jack and rolled her eyes. "Mmmmmmm," she answered. "And then we get you back and you go all stroppy because, and I believe this is phrase you use, I just can't win!" she teased imitating his accent with a smile.

Declan took the moment to get into the fridge and began passing beers around to any who wanted one while Jane went and opened the wine. Declan stopped in front of Tanya and held a bottle out to her.

"I'm Declan by the way," he introduced himself and jerked his head in Jack's direction. "I'm that one's cousin," he added. "Beer?"

Jane walked up behind him and held a glass of wine out to Tanya. Declan nodded and grinned before opening the bottle and drinking it himself.

Jane made a face and winked at Tanya while she was still behind Declan so he couldn't see her.

Tanya resisted making a face back at Jane as she took in the sight before her that was Declan. She had eyed up his cousin earlier and now here was a man completely identical to him. She smiled to herself as she cradled the glass of wine. "Tanya," she replied with a smile, she had noticed his accent and knew instantly that he wasn't local. Mind you, she could hear several strong Manc accents and she was sure that the redhead had a slight Birmingham accent, not enough to make her a brummy, but enough to distinguish that she wasn't from London. Then of course the two Americans. It seemed a lot had changed since she had left Albert Square.

"So, you're not from around here then?" she asked conversationally as she took a sip of her wine.

Declan grinned at her and shook his head. "Nope, I'm from a village up in Yorkshire, just visiting my cousin for the day." He leaned over closer. "And here for the party for Alyssa," he whispered and winked at her.

"I'm guessing you are from around here," he teased and took a drink of his beer.

Tanya smiled at him and nodded. "I must say, keeping two surprise parties secret must have been a challenge for them," she said softly to him and then drew back and nodded, her smile fading a fraction. "I used to live here with my husband, I visit every so often now we've split to see my girls when they stay with him," she told him.

Declan nodded. "I have a daughter, just the one though," he said. He looked around for Alyssa and saw she was on the other side of the kitchen. "So, will you be coming to the other party as well?" he asked her curiously and took a drink of his beer.

"I've got a toddler as well," Tanya smiled. "His grandma has got him today," she grinned and then nodded. "Miss out on a party? Not a chance," she grinned.

"I agree," Declan said. "I hate to miss out on a party. It will be nice to get the chance to talk to you some more," he told her and took another drink of his beer.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\\/\\\\\\\/\\\\/\\\\

Whitney pulled Molly aside again once Rowan had hugged them.

"I'll tell you something I found out and I'm afraid to ask him about it," Whitney confessed. "You know that blond lady, Jack's ex, Davina?" Whitney said quietly as she watched to make sure no one was around. "Well, I found out she and Brett used to be involved, before she got with Jack."

She looked at Molly. "I think maybe…well…I don't know," she stumbled and sighed.

Molly's eyes widened. "You think that maybe now she's back that he's..." she nodded her understanding and gasped. "Oh Whit! No, surely he wouldn't do that!" she exclaimed in horror.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\\/\\\\\\\/\\\\/\\\\

Alex beamed back at Rowan and glanced at Gene with a smile. "How was America?" she asked as she hoisted Sam so he was more comfortable in her arms. "Did you have fun?"

"I wish we could have gone for longer. It's been so long since I was home. My Kin really liked Ray, but on the downside, they really liked Ray," she chuckled and then saw their faces. "Well, once they decided they liked him every time we saw anybody when we were out and about the whole thing became stories of me when I was growing up," she sighed. "It was a little embarrassing. And then he looked like he didn't believe any of the stories so nothing would do but I had to drag out the photo albums so he could see pictures," she groaned and put a hand dramatically over her face.

"He, of course, found it all very funny," she paused, "but yeah, I'm glad we went, especially now," she said and put a hand to her belly before taking a sip from her iced tea.

Gene noticed the flash of silver and grabbed her hand.

"What's this?" he asked and Rowan smiled.

"It's..."

"I know what it is," he told her gruffly. "It's about time you wore something like this," he remarked. "I was beginning to wonder if you were a proper woman," he teased.

Rowan rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm clean, I'm in a skirt, my hair is neat and I'm wearing make up which is a far cry from me when I was young. Back then, I was always in jeans or overalls, generally dirty, with frogs or snails in my pockets," she looked at him and tilted her head. He eyed her a moment and then snorted a laugh before going to get another beer. She looked back at Alex.

"It really was a fantastic trip," she said.

Alex beamed at her. "It sounds it," she agreed. "It's good that everyone liked him, it makes life that little bit more awkward when your family don't like your partner," she sighed and glanced over at Ray. "He looks happy anyway. I have to admit that I missed having him at work. Life seems to be that bit more boring when I don't have Ray to fight with," she sighed. "On the plus side my stash of pop tarts have remained untouched!" she grinned.

Rowan followed Alex's glance at Ray and giggled at her remarks.

Ray overheard the last part of Alex and Rowan's conversation and snorted. "You mean Alex, that you've been eating all of them and you've gone and bought new ones to replenish your supply," he smirked. Alex shook her head indignantly. "Wrong," she retorted and he chuckled.

"Right!"

"Wrong!"

"You know I'm right Alex, you snack on them when you're bored and when I'm not there for you to abuse that's all you have to keep yourself entertained," he grinned triumphantly.

Alex shook her head again. "I can keep myself entertained without you, Raymundo."

"You wish."

Rowan watched them argue and kept her lips clamped against a laugh.

Alex rolled her eyes and childishly stuck her tongue out at him before blanking him and turning her attention to Sam. Ray leant down to Rowan. "She knows I'm right," he told her in a low voice. "That's why she's shut herself off," he half laughed.

She snorted at Ray's comment and leaned against him and gave his chest a soft punch. "You are terrible," she giggled. She was glad she had worn heels, he didn't tower over her quite so much when she did. She had enjoyed watching him talk with Junior, since Junior was quite a bit taller than Ray. It was nice to see him look up to someone for a change.

/\\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\

Whitney looked at Molly.

"I don't know, but what else can I think? If he is, then I'm glad he's not...that we're not...well...you know," she admitted and toyed her necklace. "Let's get something to drink. I'm sure your mum will let you have one glass of wine," Whitney suggested and headed for the kitchen. She poured out two glasses of wine and handed one to Molly before nudging her back into the front room.

"And just what are you two girls up to?" Christian asked as he dropped onto the chair near them.

Whitney looked at him. "Nothing," she answered, her tone overly innocent.

Jane noticed Tanya seemed to be well occupied with Declan and held back a laugh before going to sit with her brother and Syed. She looked at Molly.

"Peter said he'll be at the restaurant later, it's a bit busy at the chippy and he's not sure Fatboy can cope," she said.

Molly grinned at Christian and then looked up at Jane and nodded with a chuckle. "That's fine, I kinda figured that's where he would be anyway," she told her with a smile then turned back to Whitney. "Does Jane know that Fats gives out free chips to some people? Not everyone, but if you haven't got the right change and he can't be asked to work out the price of it then he lets you have them," she said in a low tone. "But not all the time. Just occasionally," she grinned.

Whitney shrugged. "I have no idea. But, since the chippy is Peter's to run I'm not sure Jane would worry about it all that much," Whitney said and giggled. "I bet Peter knows, though."

/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Oh yeah, that's right," he agreed. "You were a right lazy cow this morning," Jack teased and jumped out of the way of her fist. "Of course dinner will still be on. Even with it being her birthday, you know how she is about cooking," he snorted.

Alyssa glared at Jack for a moment but then smiled. Sunday was the lie in day. She had decided and told him before, so that was that. She slapped at him jokingly and smiled as he dodged her. She nodded at him and then licked her lips. "Good, because her Sunday lunches are delicious!" she grinned and looked around. She chuckled and nudged Jack. "Declan," she murmured. "What were the odds that he would chat up the nearest blond?" she teased.

"It's not just that she's blond," he said softly in her ear and chuckled. He cleared his throat wondering if she would catch on to what he was talking about and glanced at the clock. They were going to have to start trickling people over to the restaurant so they could get there before Alyssa. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and headed into the front room to find Rowan. He heard the bell ring and detoured to answer the door.

Alyssa watched Jack go with a frown. What was that suppose to mean? She'd ask him later, he seemed a bit busy right now. She wandered off and started to mingle.

/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rowan slipped an arm around Ray's waist and squeezed before heading into the front room. She sat on the small sofa and looked over at Molly.

"So, when school lets out where are you going to work this summer?" Rowan asked and grinned. Molly had a load of choices this time: the restaurant, the café or even the chippy with Peter.

She looked over at Rowan's question and looked at Molly. "Yeah, you've got loads of choices this time."

Molly shrugged at the pair of them. "I hadn't really thought about it," she sighed. "I don't really mind where I go, I mean, if I work at the Cafe, then I get to work with Peter, the chippy, I get to work with Peter and I liked working at the restaurant," she replied. "I've got ages to think about it anyway," she shrugged with a smile.

Rowan chuckled at Molly's answer. She had an idea that working with Peter would figure very heavily in what she did.

/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

JT put the present he had got for Rowan on the small stack on the kitchen table and went over to sit next to her on the sofa.

"So, how was the family?" he asked her.

"Fine, it was so great seeing everyone again. Junior and Louisa's twins are getting so big," she told him. "They loved Ray, he sang to them," she told him. "Louisa made sure to record him singing one time so she can use it to make them go to sleep," she gave a soft chuckle. "They've really done wonders to my parent's house; I have a load of pictures at home. I'll show them to you when we go over there," she told him and he nodded. He glanced at Ray.

"So, he sings, I would never have guessed that," he remarked quietly. Rowan smiled.

"He is full of surprises," she agreed and looked down at her ring. He had certainly surprised her with it.

JT saw what she was looking at and smiled at her before taking her hand and squeezing it. "You know we're all glad you finally found someone. Everyone was convinced for years that you would remain staunchly alone."

Rowan looked at him and shook her head. "Oh, come on," she drawled.

"No, really. I think there were even bets on before you ran off to school after Lily….well….after," he finished lamely. Rowan simply nodded.

"Nobody said anything when I was there. I would think I would be the talk of the town in that case. Any idea who won the bet?"

"Who do you think? Louisa. She was your best friend after all. She knew it would happen eventually," he grinned at her.

/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Roxy cursed as she saw the time. She was almost an hour late for this party. Not that it was her fault, Amy had insisted on a full makeover. She had agreed and time had got away from her. She hoped JT wouldn't be too upset with her, she had dressed hurriedly and grabbed her bag before kissing Amy and handing Amy over to Peggy. She rushed through the pub and made her way over to the house. Roxy rang the doorbell and waited patiently for someone to answer and let her in.

"Hiya, Roxy, come in," he said and smiled as she stepped aside to let her in.

JT looked up as he heard Jack say Roxy's name and stood to walk over to her.

"Hello darlin'," he greeted her and slipped an arm around her shoulders. "I began to wonder if you were going to come at all."

He kissed her cheek and steered her towards the kitchen.

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked. "We'll be heading over to the restaurant to surprise Alyssa and get the party seriously going," he whispered to her.

Roxy smiled up at him. "Amy started messing around with my makeup while I was in the shower and I promised her that if she took my stuff off then I would use her makeup and give her a makeover. So, of course it took longer than expected," she smiled. "Aunty Peggy has her now," she told him as she went with him to the kitchen and glanced around briefly for Alyssa. She smiled at her and gave her a small wave then looked back up at JT. "She still has no idea?" she asked as she helped herself to a glass of wine.

/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jack caught Rowan's eye and gave her a look. She nodded. She reached over and tapped Syed's arm and nodded at him. He stood up and made Christian get up too. Syed bent over as if to kiss Rowan on the cheek so she could pass him the keys to the restaurant.

They bid Jack goodbye and gave Alyssa a quick wave before heading out and hurrying over to the restaurant.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Jane waited for a few minutes after Christian and Syed left and then stood up.

"I'm going to go and see what is keeping Peter, do you girls want to come with me?" she asked Molly and Whitney and gave them a look.

"Yeah," said Whitney and stood up, grabbing Molly and making her stand as well and looped her arm through Molly's.

Jane poked her head into the kitchen and looked at Alex.

"The girls and I are going to go and see Peter," she said and gave a small wave to Alyssa before leaving.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Rowan got up and went into the kitchen and picked up the small stack of gifts and sat back down on the small sofa to open them. She squealed softly over Alyssa's present and almost forgot to open any others as she looked over the show box set. She had been talking about getting this just the other week.

She admired the carved wooden box JT had got her. She opened Christian's gift and peered inside the box. She giggled over the chocolate body paint and touched the heap of black lace which she had no intention of taking out of the box, some kind of lingerie, no doubt. She really couldn't get over his outrageousness sometimes.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Tanya smiled at him and took a sip of her drink. She looked up as Roxy Mitchell turned up and smiled briefly at her, wondering when they were going to move along to the party.

She waved at Jane as she left and caught the look in her eye. Something was up. She noticed Alyssa saying goodbye and cottoned on, they were filtering out person by person to get to the second party. She chuckled and smiled at Declan. "I'll see you at the other party, I'm going to catch up with Jane," she smiled at him and put her glass down before saying her goodbyes to Alyssa and running after Jane.

JT grinned. "Did you get pictures?" he asked. "Nope, no idea and you should have seen Rowan's surprise. She was quite shocked," he gave a low chuckle.

Roxy pulled out her phone and showed him the picture she had taken of Amy after she had fixed her up: the one of her smiling and the one of her pulling a funny face. Roxy smiled at him and looked over at Rowan. "I think I can imagine," she grinned.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Declan nodded regretfully as Tanya left. She was quite a woman. He was looking forward to the other party already. He walked over to stand by Jack and spoke with his cousin quietly.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Gene nudged Alex and motioned her to get out her phone as he took her arm and led her into the front room.

"We need to go over to the station for a bit, Alex just got a text," he told Rowan who nodded and smiled.

"I hope it's nothing serious," she remarked.

"No, should be able to sort it fairly quickly," he told her. Rowan smiled.

"Thank you for being here," she said and stood up. She tapped Sam on the nose and gave Alex a half-squeeze before sitting back down.

Gene waved around and then led Alex out.

Rowan saw JT leading Roxy into the front room and gave her a wave before opening the box with Christian's present in it to show Ray the chocolate body paint before closing the box so he couldn't grab the lace thing out.

Ray looked up at Alex and Gene briefly before the box Rowan had caught his attention. He frowned at her when she pulled it away and tried to get it back. "I want to see, Ro," he complained. "I just want a little look," he told her as he reached for the box and looked up at her. "Please?" he asked before grabbing at the box again.

Rowan put her hand on the lid so he couldn't open it. "I showed you the…" she looked around, "paint, please, leave the rest alone. It's going to be something embarrassing. We can look when we get home, okay. Please?" On impulse she leaned over, inhaled deeply, widened her eyes and blinked at him slowly. Rowan had never been good at flirting, but it was impossible to be friends with Alyssa and spend time around people like Roxy without learning a few things. Most of which she promptly tended to try out on Ray.

Ray's eyes widened at her and his brow knitted together in minor confusion and interest. He dropped his hand and looked away from the box. "Fine, but I want to see after all this party business is done with," he grumbled and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He looked back at the box grudgingly, he wanted to know what the black lacy thing was, he would be angry at some bloke buying Rowan something like that, but it was Christian. He wasn't too bothered that it was Christian, the guy was gay. If he had been straight then it would be a completely different matter.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Christian, Syed and Jane rushed around the kitchen putting all the prepped food into ovens or into pans on the stove while Whitney, Molly and Peter decorated. Jane asked Tanya to help decorate since she had run to catch up with them.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Chris looked at Shaz.

"Okay, I'm done and the troublemakers are back," Chris said, his remark drawing disgusted noises from Ginger and Rhys. "We better get to the party."

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Ronnie yawned and sat up. She was feeling surprisingly better after the nap. She could hear Jack's voice coming from the front room and went out to see him talking on the phone. He looked upset. She watched him until he finally hung up the phone.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"My ex is in hospital, looks like she had an accident and fell, I don't know all the particulars, but I need to go and take care of Penny," he looked at her. "We need to go," he amended. He wouldn't go without Ronnie. "I don't know how long we'll be there."

He sighed.

"What should we do about the club? I mean, Sarah's all right running the club in a basic way, but we really need someone who knows what they're doing."

He considered for a moment. "What if we have Roxy buy a controlling share?" he suggested.

"That way she'll be in charge and we still get some benefit but don't have to be here. I can't see her doing it otherwise. She'd never agree to work for us," he stated.

Ronnie nodded. That much was certainly true.

"Well, I'll get a shower and we can go the party. I'm feeling better and you can have Lauren take JJ over to Dot's. I'm sure she won't mind babysitting. When do we have to leave?"

"As soon as possible," he told her.

"You're joking."

"Well, I do, but you can pack up the rest of the stuff we need and follow after. Maybe you can get Roxy to store anything we can't take, or Bradley could."

"Fine," Ronnie said and went to get ready for the party. She texted Roxy as soon as she got out of the shower.

"Coming to party. Need to talk to you-business."

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Alex grinned at Gene as they went down the street. She slipped her arm around his waist and leant against him a little as they walked, she looked up at Gene. "I'm going to go home early I reckon. I can't be there all night with Sam, he'll need some sleep at some point," she told him.

"I don't imagine it will go on very late. You know Rowan wakes up early, that's why the party is starting so early," he reminded her as they reached the car.

Alex nodded at him as she strapped Sam into his seat in the back of her car. She still felt fairly triumphant that she had managed to get the car seat into the Quattro. Gene hadn't been happy but she had been delighted that she had got to do it. "As soon as he starts getting grizzly then I'm taking him home," she told him.

"Fine by me," Gene remarked. "It's been a long week and next week will be even longer, despite the fact that Ray is back. I need my beauty sleep."

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Brett pulled up outside the Restaurant feeling irritable. Stupid London with it's stupid traffic lights and gridlocked roads. If it hadn't been for the sheer amount on cars on the road he would have been here on time. It was a Sunday too, why the whole on London felt the need to get on the road and block his way was beyond him entirely. He parked up his car and climbed out. The flash of black and red hair inside told him Whitney was here already. He gulped.

Brett knew perfectly well that since Davina had showed up he hadn't been the best boyfriend in the world. Not at all. He knew that he had been distant and seemingly uninterested when he was around her, but that was because he was always thinking about Davina. If she had kept her promise and it had only been the once then he figured that everything would have been alright, but she had called him again and invited him around. He now spent a lot of his time wondering how long it would last and reliving the time he had already spent with her. He knew it wasn't fair on Whit, but he selfishly didn't want to break up with her because he knew Davina would leave again. Then he would have Whitney if they were still together, which he intended to be.

He smiled as he saw her larking around with Molly and guessed that Molly had taken the brunt of Whitney's frustration. He knew girls did that. Whenever something went wrong they had a good gossip session with their best mates.

Brett tapped on the glass and waved at the pair of them and watched as Molly's face went stony and she turned and continued with the decorations in a more business-like fashion. Whitney had been talking to her then. He knew it. Brett smiled his most winning smile at Whitney and made his way inside. He went up to her and hesitated a moment before planting a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"Sorry I didn't make it to Jack's, you would not believe the traffic."

Whitney shrugged. "Sure," she said in an offhand tone, not letting his dimples get to her. "We're just doing the decorations," she told him, intentionally stating the obvious and handed up some more streamers to Peter.

Brett nodded and looked around at the place. "I can see that," he smiled and watched Peter hanging stuff up and Molly occasionally handing things to him and putting stuff up herself. Brett moved closer to Whitney and placed his hand on her shoulder, conscious that he needed to make more of an effort with her: she was being frosty. He took her hand and pulled her a little away from the others around them. "I'm sorry I've been distant lately Whitney, I've had a lot on my mind. I'm sorry," he told her, his eyes focused on her face. "I intend to make it up to you," he added with the ghost of a grin.

Whitney looked at Brett, studying his face as he spoke.

"I hope you're telling me the truth," she said. "You know where I live right? So, I've been told there are certain people around, certain people that you know," she said. "And very well apparently," she added.

"So, you better not think about messing me about," she warned him and turned to look at JT as he came in.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Shaz smiled up at Chris and grinned at Rhys and Ginger. "Smell you later," she chuckled as she grabbed Chris' hand and lead him out and down the street.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Roxy read the text from Ronnie and then showed it to JT before replying.

"Go 2 restaurant. All leaving Jacks now. xx R"

She shrugged at JT.

JT burst into delighted laughter and slung an arm around Roxy. He followed her gaze to Rowan.

"I think she's so used to being alone she doesn't realize people actually care about her. We'll be going over soon. She's getting restless I think. Worried the surprise will be spoiled I reckon."

JT read the text curiously and shrugged back at her. "Speaking of heading out for dinner, we should get moving," he repeated with a sigh and stood up.

"C'mon Aunt Rowan, let's go have some dinner," he said as he took his empty bottle into the kitchen and put Roxy's empty wineglass next to the sink after rinsing it out. He picked up the helmets and handed Roxy one. "Your hair will be fine," he told her. "Wear it."

He took her hand and followed Declan out. He whistled low at the sight of Declan's car and Declan grinned. "Not so bad yourself," he commented back with a gesture at the bike. JT grinned.

"She's my baby," he gushed and climbed on and gestured Roxy to get on behind him.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Jack noted the time and went over to Alyssa. "I suppose we should head over for dinner. Rowan will want to have time to cook, even if JT is there to help her," he suggested and shared a glance with JT.

"Roxy says they're all heading to the restaurant," Ronnie told Jack.

He nodded. "We better get moving then," he decided and helped her get the stroller downstairs. Lauren came running up just as they left the building and walked with them to Dot's. Jack helped get the baby inside and thanked Dot before slipping an arm around Ronnie's waist and urging her out and down the street.

"I'm still not sure how Roxy will the money, though," Ronnie mused. "She's gone through almost all the money our father left her."

"She should sell something then. She's got that house, she could get Phil to buy it off her, or she could unload the salon I guess," he shrugged and Ronnie sighed.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Alyssa looked down at herself, she had dressed for a small surprise party, but figured that Rowan wouldn't mind her going to dinner like this, she wasn't sure she wanted to change if she was honest. She quite liked her dress. She nodded up at him and looked over at the sink. "I'll just wash this lot up so we don't have to do it when we get back, that way we can just cuddle up on the sofa and watch tele or something," she suggested as she made her way to the sink and started filling the bowl with hot water.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Roxy slid the helmet on carefully, she had been out on Ronnie's bike before so had learned the knack of wearing a helmet without damaging her hair too much. She rolled her eyes at JT with a smile as he gushed over his bike to Declan and swung her leg carefully over the back of it behind him, glad she had opted for trousers rather than a dress or skirt. She hugged his waist and smiled as he started up the bike, she held him tightly around his middle as he started off.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Rowan's lips curved into a smile. "Oh, trust me, you will," she told Ray as she stood up. She leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before picking up her boxes.

"We should go," she said and walked over to Alyssa. "In case I forget, thank you for the box set. Sneaky devil," she said and gave Alyssa a quick squeeze. "Thank you, too," she said to Jack. Jack simply smiled.

"Let's go eat," he suggested and waved his hands at them to go.

Rowan linked her arm with Alyssa's as they headed out. "You will not believe what Christian got me..." she began as they set off across the Square.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

JT drove to the restaurant as fast as he dared and parked the bike out front. He was glad to see the blinds were down. It wouldn't do for Alyssa to see the decorations. He hurried inside after helping Roxy off the bike.

"They'll be here shortly," he announced and went in to the kitchen to help bring the food out. They got the food set up and Peter jumped down and began tossing leftover decorations into a box and carrying it out of the dining room. He grabbed Molly's hand and pulled her into the kitchen and JT went to peer out the door. He hurriedly let Gene and Alex in when they drove up and went to the corner to see if the others were approaching. He could see them down the way a bit.

He waved at Jack and Ronnie and held the door open for them to go in.

He followed Gene inside and told everyone they were nearing the corner.

Ronnie immediately went over to her sister after saying hello to everyone and giving Alex a hug.

"So, look, after the surprise bit is over, Jack and I want to talk to you about something," she told Roxy and then hurriedly shut her mouth as she heard the door open. JT waved at everyone to follow him out of the kitchen and flipped on the lights when Alyssa walked in while everyone yelled surprise.

Alyssa gasped at them all. She had known about the surprise party for Rowan as she had been involved with it, but hadn't expected they would do one for her too, and on the same day. She couldn't help but grin happily at them all. That had taken some organising to throw both parties and hide them both from both her and Rowan. She chuckled and beamed at them.

"Wow," was all she could think to say. "Thank you all so much! I didn't..." she trailed off with a grin "You sneaky, sneaky people!" she laughed.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Brett glanced at Alyssa briefly as she walked in and they all yelled. His mind was focussed on other matters, namely that Whitney knew about Davina, or more specifically, she knew about his past with Davina. He should've known that Jack would've mentioned something about that. It was just bad luck that the girl he was dating happened to live with his old rival. Well no, it was bad luck that the woman they had fought over was back in town. For Whitney to know about his past with Davina she must have spoken to Jack. He must have been acting really distant if she had asked advice off Rimmer.

He decided not to bring the subject up unless she wanted to talk about it. Then he would either bluff his way out of this mess or tell her the truth and hope for the best.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Roxy grinned as Alyssa came in and then turned back to Ronnie with a small frown. She glanced at Jack and then back to Ronnie curiously. "So, what d'you want to talk to me about?" she demanded to know.

Rowan went over to Alyssa and flung her arms around her before pointing at Jack.

"It was his idea," she said with a grin. "Though since both our names are on the banner I suspect my little surprise earlier was a diversion for the proper party," she paused. "So, what are we waiting for?" she asked and handed Alyssa a glass of wine as Jack walked over and wound his arms around Alyssa's waist.

Rowan chuckled and picked up her presents and carried them upstairs. She picked up the box with Christian's gifts in it and pulled the black lace out of the box. Her eyes went wide and she shook her head as she looked at the piece of lingerie that looked like nothing more than a leotard made of black lace. Christian! She shoved it back in the box and headed back downstairs.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

"We have to go to France," Ronnie began and looked at Jack.

"I have to go take care of my daughter. I don't know how long we'll be gone for. We need someone to take over the club."

"We want to know if you want to buy the controlling share of the club," Ronnie put in.

Roxy gaped at the pair of them. They were both going to France? And taking their baby too, no doubt. What about Amy? She was Jack's kid too, he couldn't just leave her! She listened to their proposition and nodded slowly as she turned it over in her mind. The club was supposed to be hers and Ronnie's when they came here but Jack had butted in. Running the club wasn't a difficult feat. She was sure she could manage it and the pub. She frowned at them. "How much are you asking?" she asked, she knew how much she had left of the money left to her in her Dad's will and it wasn't all that much anymore. She wanted the club though, even with Ronnie and Jack having the controlling share she would still make a tidy profit off it. But if they asked for more than she could afford then she would have to sell something, she wanted the club if it was going!

Roxy pondered to herself and glanced around, the sight of Alyssa reminded her that she owned the Salon, she could sell that. Surely someone would want to buy it. She turned back to Ronnie and Jack and looked pointedly at Jack. "And what about Amy?" she demanded to know, her tone a little cold.

Ronnie looked at Jack who turned to Roxy and named a figure. "I think that's fair for 51% of the club. Ronnie and I will still have 49% so that we'll have some income still, but you'll be running it and we'll be the silent partners."

"It's not forever, Roxy," Ronnie explained. "You and Amy come visit anytime and we'll visit as well. Once Jack's ex is better, then we may come back for good, I don't know."

"Penny needs someone to look after her and I intend to do just that. Do you want to do this or not?" Jack snapped, a little annoyed at Roxy's attitude.

Ronnie sighed.

Roxy nodded with a scowl. "I can't afford it right now!" she grumbled. "I'll pay a deposit and then once I get the Salon sold I'll send you a cheque for the rest of it," she told them.

Selling the Salon wasn't that much skin off her nose. She didn't really need it and she wasn't very involved in the running of it anyway, not like she was in the Vic or could be in the Club. She could manage without the Salon. She would sell it to the highest bidder and get as much money as she could from it.

She turned to Jack "You are explaining to Amy that you're moving away," she informed him. He could deal with her reaction and leave Roxy to pick up the pieces once he had gone.

Ronnie looked at Jack.

"I supposed that would be all right," Jack said agreeably. "And yeah, I'll tell her if you want me to, but I'm leaving in the morning. Ronnie's right though, I'll leave the address and you bring Amy for visits whenever. It's not for good Roxy, you really need to understand that. Amy isn't my only child."

He turned away abruptly and headed for the buffet.

Ronnie folded her arms and looked at Roxy.

"I hardly think you needed to act like that, Rox. You really need to remember that Amy's not his only child. God, your attitude sometimes, Roxy, it just amazes me," Ronnie snorted and followed Jack to the buffet.

JT went over to Roxy and put an arm around her shoulders.

"You okay, Roxy?" he asked her. "You look a bit upset."

Roxy looked up at JT with a small sigh. "I'm buying the club off Jack and Ronnie because Jack is moving to France," she told him. "His other daughter's mum is ill and Penny needs him. So Amy loses out," she explained. "He's going to have to tell Amy that he's going though," she said and leant against him. "She's going to miss him," she sighed.

"You know, I know Jack is her blood relative, but you make it sound like she's got no one when you talk like that. You make me feel pretty worthless I gotta say," he told her and walked off.

Roxy mentally kicked herself. She hadn't meant it like that, she _knew _that Amy had JT, too. She went after him and put her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry JT, I know that Amy has you, too. I'm just sore that Jack is favouring his other two children over Amy that's all," she told him. "And that Ronnie is running off and leaving me. We've always been together," she told him. "JT, you know that I love you and that Amy adores you, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like that at all," she told him.

Declan spotted Tanya and smiled as he walked over to her. He sent off a text to Davina that the party had started at the restaurant and closed his phone.

"So, glad to see you made it," he said with a grin.

Tanya looked up and turned to face him. She nodded. "Like I said, never one to pass up a party," she told him with a grin.

"Well, I'm very glad of that," he glanced over at the buffet. "The food smells fantastic and I've eaten here before so I know for a fact it tastes fantastic. Shall we?"

Tanya looked over at the buffet and then back at Declan. She nodded with a smile. "Sure, I'm feeling a little peckish," she told him and lead him over to the table. she grabbed up a plate and began filling it.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Alyssa took a sip of her wine while Jack held her and then placed the glass on the nearest table. She smiled up at him then pressed her lips to his as her arms went around his neck. She kissed him thoroughly before releasing him with a smile. "Thank you," she told him and hugged him gratefully "Though how you managed to keep Rowan's party a secret from her and mine a secret from me I do not know," she smiled. "So many secrets!" she grinned and reached for her wine glass again. She took another measured sip as she turned and gazed at all the fancy decorations that were spread over and around the restaurant.

"You going to worship my cleverness now?" he asked delightedly. "I'm touched."

Rowan walked over and handed Alyssa a box.

"I hope you like it," she said. She clasped her hands together and waited for Alyssa to open it, knowing it was the pair of shoes Alyssa had drooled over the other day when they'd had lunch. Rowan had nearly cheered when the woman who had been wearing the shoes came back so she'd been able to ask the woman where she'd got them. She'd then gone out and bought them for Lyss.

Alyssa snorted. "I was going for sneakiness not cleverness," she teased. "But if you want me to worship you all you have to do is ask," she smiled at him and brushed her lips against his before noticing Rowan and looking at her curiously as she took the box.

Alyssa's eyes widened and she gasped delightedly as she saw the shoes. She looked up at Rowan in surprise and then back down at the shoes. "Oh my god, Ro, thank you," she said excitedly as she slipped off her shoes and pulled one of the new ones out of the box. She slipped her foot into it and beamed at Rowan. "Where did you find them?" she asked as she put the second one onto her other foot. She put her old shoes into the shoe box and closed it as she pulled Rowan into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she grinned as she pulled away. "I love them."

"The woman who was wearing them came back in a couple of days later. I asked her where she got them and she told me," Rowan grinned delightedly. She hugged Alyssa back. "Now, let's quit gushing and eat," she said and grabbed Alyssa's arm to lead her to the buffet table.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Ray looked around for Rowan and spotted her coming downstairs. She had been in the flat? He furrowed his brow as he watched her. Why had she been up there? He shrugged and looked around; the small pile of presents had vanished. The light bulb went on in his head, that's why she had been up there. She was putting her gifts away out of harm's way. He was dying to know what the black lacy thing was that Christian had bought for her. He wanted to know what it was and what it looked like on her. He sighed, he wasn't sure he could convince her to show him until this party was over, for that reason alone he wished that time would go by quickly.

Davina waited awhile and then set off for the restaurant. She wanted to make sure some drinking had been going on before she arrived.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Jack walked up behind Tanya. "Alright, Tan? Still here then?" he said and grinned at her.

Tanya looked around at Jack and smiled at him. "I know," she said with a mock sigh."You just can't get rid of me," she teased and smiled at him as she moved away from the buffet table a little bit.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Davina approached the restaurant and smiled before checking the door, unlocked. She opened it and walked inside. She spotted Declan and made her way over to him.

Jack saw Davina come in and groaned.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he muttered in aggravation.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Whitney saw the tall blond walk across the restaurant and saw Brett's head turn. She frowned and looked at Molly as she realized that must be Davina. She glanced around and noticed Jack's face, which simply assured her that this was the woman she thought Brett might be cheating on her with.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Alyssa grabbed her plate and filled it with food. She couldn't believe that Rowan had got her these shoes. She loved them, she had when she had seen them on that woman. She grinned at Rowan and turned around to look for a table. Her good mood plummeted at the sight of Davina as she saw the woman. She looked around and spotted Jack. She shrugged at him and gave him a supportive smile as she followed Rowan to the table and started on her food. She looked at Rowan with a small frown. "Who invited Davina?" she asked bitterly.

Rowan followed Alyssa's gaze and frowned. "I sure as hell didn't invite her here," Rowan growled. She got up and walked over to Davina.

"I'm sorry, this is a private party," Rowan snapped.

Davina looked at her and smiled. "I was invited," she said calmly.

"And who would have done that exactly?"

Declan walked over. "I'm sorry, I did. I didn't know it would be a problem," he said apologetically.

Rowan looked at Davina. "I know who you are and if you cause any problems I will make you regret it," she warned.

Davina raised her eyebrows and snorted.

"Y'all want to watch that attitude," Rowan drawled, her annoyance causing her accent to thicken. "You don't want to test me."

Davina looked at her, still not quite believing the small American.

"I'll be on my best behavior, promise," Davina said, her voice nearly dripping with condescension.

Rowan speared Declan with her gaze. She was not best pleased. Declan knew what Rowan could do and swallowed hard.

"Look, Davina, you want to watch yourself, I've seen what she can do," he hissed and steered her toward the table. "Just get some food and go sit down."

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Brett looked up as he caught a glimpse of the familiar flash of blond hair. He watched Davina move across the room in shock. What was she doing here? With her and Jack's past he hadn't thought that she would have been invited. He gulped. He was meant to be paying attention to Whitney and making up for being distant and thinking about Davina all the time and now here was Davina again. He sighed and looked at Whitney. He caught the expression on her face and gave her a small smile. "So, you hungry?" he asked as he took Whitney's hand. He was not going to pay any attention to Davina and her presence. Well, would try not to anyway...

Whitney frowned. "I'm not sure, I think I lost my appetite," Whitney remarked, the anger showing in her tone and drained her wine.

Brett watched her drain her wine and chewed his lip. He took the glass from her and put it on the nearest table and took both of her hands. He looked directly into her eyes. "Whitney, I'm not going to even talk to her, I'm not going to look at her and I'm not going to leave you for her!" he told her, conviction woven into his voice and he raised one of her hands to his lips and planted a soft kiss on the back of it. His gaze holding her own.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Jane walked over to Tanya and nodded at Declan with Davina.

"Looks like he's got a friend there," she remarked. "Funny, I thought she was seeing Max."

Tanya glanced over disinterestedly and raised her eyebrows as she looked over the other blonde talking to Declan. She sniffed. "She looks Max's type, tall, leggy, blonde," she commented and then looked back at Jane. "I knew he was seeing some bimbo, it was just a matter of time until I found out who, from what the girls have told me, she's not all that nice," she shrugged. "Abi and Lauren don't like her," she said.

She trailed her fingers over her wine glass a little disappointed. She had thought she was getting along alright with Declan.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\

Alyssa looked up interestedly as Declan came up to vouch for Davina. She shouldn't really be surprised, she was still fairly sure that Davina still wanted Jack and Declan looked just like him. She sighed and realised that she was probably being paranoid. She trusted Jack, especially after what had happened last time. Davina showing up at this party was going to bother her but she wasn't going to let it show.

She looked up at Rowan as she came back and smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Ro," she sighed as she prodded at her food with her fork.

"You're welcome, consider it an additional present. Yours when you get to watch me take her down and mine for getting to do it to the smug cow," Rowan drawled and set herself to her food. She smiled at Christian and Syed as they came and sat down.

"I really can't believe what you got me," she leveled a finger at Christian. "You are just shameless."

"Yeah, but think how much fun you'll have wearing it darlin'," he retorted.


	7. Chapter 7

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 7**

JT looked at her and furrowed his brow. "How can you say that? Is he just supposed to let random strangers look after his daughter? Is Ronnie just supposed to leave JJ behind? He's not said he's never coming back, and I heard them say you could visit anytime, so you need to get past it."

He put a hand to her cheek. "I love you, too."

Roxy sighed. "I know JT, It's just not fair on Amy, that's all," she sighed.

"Things aren't fair, kitten," JT said. "I'll help out as much as I can so you can take Amy to visit as much as you like," he told her.

Roxy slid her arms up his chest and pressed her lips to his. Even when she was being unbelievably selfish he still didn't seem to hate her. She loved him for that because she knew how she got and even Ronnie despised her for it sometimes. But JT never seemed to. She pulled away with a smile and took his hand. "Now, I am going to sample some of your delicious cooking," she informed him as she wandered off towards the buffet table.

"It's not all mine, Aunt Rowan made some of it last night," he told her.

Whitney looked at Brett steadily and then finally nodded.

"Fine, I'll trust you this time," she told him and got up. "Let's get some food," she said to Molly.

Molly nodded and gave Brett a cold look before turning with Whitney and Peter and going to the buffet table.

Brett let out a small sigh of relief. For now it seemed he had got away with that. Though Whitney still seemed frosty towards him and Molly wasn't happy with him at all. He sighed and resisted his urge to look at Davina. HE wasn't going to break the promise he had just made. He would try as hard as possible to keep the promises he had just made to Whitney.

Brett nodded to himself as he trailed after them. Sure, _now _she wanted to eat!

Whitney got her food and sat where she wouldn't have to look at Davina.

"I don't like her either," Jane commented and then gave a small nod as she saw Declan was coming over.

Declan gave Davina one last warning glance before looking around for a seat. He saw Tanya and made his way over to her.

"Sorry about that. Hadn't realized she had taken me seriously. I was trying to be nice when I ran into her in the pub," he grimaced and took a drink of his beer.

Tanya nodded her understanding and glanced over at Davina again. She looked back at Declan with a small shrug. "She's my ex-husband's latest bimbo," she informed him. She had seen the face he had pulled and couldn't help but smile at it. Clearly blond, leggy women didn't work for all men. She was glad. She had taken an instant disliking to Davina.

"Oh, I see," Declan remarked and nodded.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa smiled at Rowan. "Trust me, if she starts anything then there will be a repeat performance of that night in the pub," she said and swallowed her last morsel of food. She looked at Rowan slyly and then nodded to herself. "Seeing as this is a party, I've decided that you and I shall get pissed," she told Rowan. "And don't argue, it's your birthday. It's an unspoken law," she grinned.

Alyssa got up and went to where the booze was laid out. She grabbed up a bottle of wine and a bottle of spirits and carried them back over to the table. "Now, I know how you get when you drink wine, Ro," she said with a small smile. "So," she held out the other bottle and placed it in front of Rowan's plate before filling her wine glass to the brim and taking a large sip.

Rowan laughed and shook her head.

"Lyss, aren't you forgetting something?" she asked and patted her belly as she gave Alyssa a look. "You can drink for me."

Alyssa nodded. She had forgotten that Rowan was pregnant. She sighed and took another gulp from her glass.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Davina watched as Jack laughed and drank and a smile played around the corners of her mouth as he got drunk. She watched as he got up to go to the bathroom. She looked around to make sure no one seemed to be watching and followed him. It was nicely dark back here since Rowan had many of the lights off to discourage people from trying the door and disturbing the party.

Jack took a step back when he saw Davina waiting outside the men's room. She snaked an arm around his neck and kissed him. Unthinkingly, he started to kiss her back before pushing her away.

"Good grief, Davina, do you never quit?" he snapped in disgust.

Jack pushed Davina away and rushed away from her. He couldn't believe she'd done it to him again!

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa had drunk her way through almost half of the wine. But because she had drunk it on top of the food she had had she wasn't really feeling the effects. She sighed and squirmed in her seat as she realised that she could really do with going to the toilet. She left the small group at the table and picked her way through the restaurant to the darkened side way to the toilets. There were two figures next to the gents that she could see, the woman had just pulled the man to her, they were kissing. She smiled to herself then realised that she recognised both of them. She knew Jack anywhere and even in the half dark she still knew it was him. Him and Her. Alyssa felt her breath catch and she stopped and turned and went back the way she had come. The tears were threatening. He was kissing her back. Alyssa held herself together and went back over to Rowan. She whispered that she was just going upstairs because she needed some quiet and left the party.

Alyssa padded up the steps to Rowan's flat and rested her head against the wall in the front room once she got inside. How could he? After everything he had said!

Rowan looked at Alyssa and nodded, worried. She knew something was wrong, but wasn't sure what. She gave Ray a small smile and shrugged.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

He watched Alyssa go upstairs, she was clearly upset. She must have seen what happened with Davina. He glanced around and followed her up the stairs to the flat.

"Lyss?" he asked quietly as he approached and put a hand on her shoulder. "Davina is not worthy to be the dirt under your feet," he said and turned her towards him and kissed her hard.

Jane nodded and smiled at Declan as he got up and walked away.

"Well, he seems keen," she said to Tanya.

Rowan saw Davina come out from the bathroom area looking smug and with her lipstick smeared. Her expression darkened and she got up and strode angrily across the room and grabbed Davina by the arm and twisted her arm around her back.

"Get out of my restaurant and don't ever think about coming back here, _ever_," Rowan snapped. Davina pulled away and Rowan let her go. She turned around and made to push Rowan who stepped back.

"You really want to rethink that," she said to Davina.

Gene saw what was going on and nudged Alex and gave Ray's arm a quick slap and jerked his head in the direction of the two women.

"That is one stupid woman," he remarked.

Whitney saw what was going on and let a ghost of a smile hover around her mouth. She knew full well what Rowan was capable of and had no intention of jumping to Davina's defense. The bitch was clearly asking for it.

Davina snorted and moved on Rowan again. Rowan's hand shot out and grabbed Davina's upper arm while her foot shot out and knocked one of Davina's feet out from under her. An easy task considering the outrageous heels Davina was wearing.

Davina found herself flat on her back on the floor with Rowan standing over her. She blinked and tried to get her breath back.

"I did warn you," Rowan drawled. "Now, don't make me repeat myself. Get out now!"

Davina looked around at all the hostile faces and then looked at Brett imploringly before huffing out a breath and stalking from the restaurant. Rowan locked the door behind her and went back to sit down.

"Glad the garbage is out now," she commented and drained her iced tea. "I should go make sure Alyssa is okay."

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\

Alex watched and gulped. Whoever the blonde was she was in for a rough ride.

Ray half grinned as he watched Rowan, she was strangely beautiful when she was angry. He stayed still, she didn't need his help. Rowan was perfectly capable of handling whatever was going on, besides, he didn't fancy a slap for interfering and judging by the menacing look on her face that is exactly what he would get.

Brett stayed stock still as Rowan threw Davina to the floor. He was going to stay true to his promise to Whitney. As she looked at him for help he simply gave her his best cold glare and then returned to his drink without a second glance at her, when really all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and hold her until she felt better. He kept his face impassive bordering on disgust as he watched her leave.

Whitney raised an eyebrow as she watched Brett's reaction to what Rowan did to Davina. She shot a questioning glance at Molly and put a hand on Brett's arm.

Brett looked up at Whitney and gave her a genuine smile. That had been tough. Very tough! He took her hand from his arm and held it in his free hand as he smiled at her. Did this mean he was forgiven? Did she believe him?

Molly shrugged at Whitney. Brett hadn't reacted how she would have expected him to act. But that meant very little.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\

Alyssa whimpered as she felt someone's lips crash down onto hers and found herself being kissed. She gathered her senses and her hands curled involuntary into the material of his shirt as she kissed him almost as hard as he was kissing her.

She pulled away and rested her forehead on his chest as she calmed herself down, her fingers still holding tight to his shirt. She was all over the place and had no idea who she had just been kissing. She looked up at his face and found herself confused as she was confronted by familiar features. "Declan?" she asked softly as she tried to make out who she was holding onto.

He smiled and put a hand to her face and drew her in for another kiss.

Jack bounded up the stairs and saw Alyssa locked in a clinch with Declan, of all people!

"What do you think you're doing?" he snapped as he yanked Declan away from her.

"Who are you to judge? She saw you kissing Davina," Declan snarled.

"That wasn't what it looked like. Alyssa knows full well the games Davina likes to play," he argued.

"You don't deserve a woman like her," Declan stated and pushed at Jack.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Tanya looked after him and then smiled at Jane. "He's good looking, he's charming, he has baggage but who doesn't, and I've seen his car so I know that he's got cash," she smiled and took a gulp of her wine. "He's practically perfect," she giggled.

"Except he lives far up north," Jane reminded her and grinned.

Tanya nodded and smiled. "Hence the practically part," she grinned.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Rowan went up the stairs and saw what was going on.

"Jack, Declan, that's enough," she shouted at them. They both turned and looked at her.

Alyssa's head hurt. So it had been Declan? She looked between them. Jack had kissed Davina, again. She couldn't believe it, she didn't want to believe. But she had seen it. And now, she had just kissed Declan. And they were fighting. Over her? She just wanted the noise to stop, but she couldn't speak. The words wouldn't come. The shout from the door made her wince and she looked over at the person.

She flicked her gaze back over the two men and then looked over at Rowan again. She took the steps towards her sister and wrapped her arms around Rowan and buried her face into her shoulder.

Rowan wrapped her arms around Alyssa.

"Can't you see what you're doing to her?" she said in disgust. Jack and Declan both stopped and looked at Alyssa. Jack's brow knitted, despair evident on his features.

"Lyss, I'm sorry, so very sorry," he said and put a hand on her hair.

"Please, don't let Davina's games cause problems between us again and please remember who invited her here," he added and glanced over at Declan who frowned at him.

"I was just being nice. I didn't know there was a whole huge issue with the woman," he huffed. "I'll see myself out."

He walked over to Alyssa.

"You're too good for him," Declan said to her and gave her a quick pat on the shoulder before stalking downstairs. He went over to Tanya and took her hand and kissed the back of it.

"I have to go back home now. It was really fantastic to meet you, you are lovely. I'll look you up when I happen to London again," he told her and after a quick wave all around, he left.

Alyssa clung to Rowan. She couldn't get her head straight. She wanted to run to Jack and hold onto him and hug him. But she was angry and upset that he had kissed Davina after everything that had been said and done last time it happened. She was sick of this, she was constantly paranoid now Davina was around and tonight proved that she had every right to be. No matter how much Jack said he didn't want Davina and he hated Davina, he hadn't pushed her away. She hadn't seen him push her away!

Rowan looked at Jack as Alyssa cried on her shoulder. He looked miserable and she was pretty sure he had pushed Davina away, though maybe not immediately. But as much as she loved Jack like a brother, she had to side with Alyssa.

Alyssa let go of Rowan and wiped her eyes carefully before facing Jack. The feelings of betrayal were plastered all over her face and she could still see them locked together down that small corridor in the dark. She stayed mute as she looked at his face. He looked upset? Because of Declan? She didn't know, to be fair though, the state she was in when she had come upstairs it could have been anyone that she would have kissed. It was just a coincidence that Declan had followed her and then kissed her. She wrapped her arms around her stomach self-consciously as she watched Jack. She looked at Rowan and then gave her another hug and whispered in her ear. "Thank you, Ro."

Rowan barely nodded at Alyssa's thank you and watched her with concern etched on her features.

Jack could only stand mutely and stare. Surely Alyssa had seen him push Davina away? He felt his insides twist as she realized she hadn't. And then she'd kissed Declan, and not pushed him away. She had to have been able to tell the difference from kissing him that it wasn't Jack. Clearly she hadn't minded.

Alyssa straightened up and cast one last look at Jack before going downstairs and getting her coat. She wasn't going to hang around here. She put on a brave face for the rest of the party and smiled at anyone that looked at her. The smiles felt fake but she wasn't going to let anyone know that she was upset. Alyssa shivered as she got outside and started making her way down the street. She needed to clear her head so she could think.

He looked at Rowan. "I pushed her away," he whispered, near to tears.

"I'm sure you did, just not fast enough. You should go after her. I tossed Davina out," she paused, "almost literally."

Jack gave her a ghost of a smile and nodded before putting his hand on Rowan's shoulder and heading downstairs. Everyone was gone from what he could see. He grabbed his coat and hurried outside, in hopes of finding Alyssa.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Gene looked at Alex. "It's getting a bit late. We should think about going home," he told her and picked up their empty dishes and took them into the kitchen. He went over and patted Ray on the shoulder.

"We'll see you tomorrow, bright and early at the station," he said and walked back over to Alex.

Whitney gave Brett a sidelong glance and nodded when she overheard Gene talking to Alex.

"It is getting late," she agreed and stood up. She picked up the dishes and carried them to the kitchen. She walked back to the table and pulled on her coat.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Christian walked over to Jane and Tanya.

"So, shall we all walk back together, sister dear?" he asked.

Jane looked up and nodded. "Sure, let me put this mess in the kitchen. Don't want to leave everything for Rowan to clean up."

Syed helped Jane pick up dishes and followed her into the kitchen. Jane scraped the plates and handed them to Syed who rinsed the dishes that people had brought in and put them through the dishwasher.

JT came in.

"You didn't have to do that, Jane."

"I don't mind. It's the least I can do really. Rowan shouldn't have to clean up everything."

"Well, you're really helping me out, I was going to clean everything up."

He handed a couple of plastic containers to Jane. "Why don't you dish up some leftovers to take home."

"Thanks, JT," she said and took the containers and put some food in them.

"Come on, Tan, let's walk back together. I've got a bottle of wine with our names on it," she said.

Tanya sighed and waved at Declan glumly as he left. She looked on curiously as Alyssa appeared from the same direction that Declan had come from. She didn't look good. Tanya wondered idly what had happened and shrugged at Jane.

She looked up as Jane came back from the kitchen and nodded. she grabbed up her stuff and followed Jane out of the door, eyeing the containers of food greedily. Leftovers? She grinned.

Ronnie got up and went over and gave Roxy a hug.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," she said. "Jack and I will come by the pub in the morning before he leaves," she told her sister and kissed her cheek.

JT set about cleaning up the buffet and putting the leftovers in containers and running the dishes through the dishwasher. He made sure everything was tidy before Rowan came back down. He wanted to surprise her with the fact that she didn't have to clean up.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Alex nodded and smiled at Sam as she picked him up into her arms. His head lolled and she smiled, with any luck he would stay asleep in the car and they could put him straight to bed. She raised her eyebrows at Molly who got the message and nodded. She smiled at Peter and gave him a kiss before hugging Whitney and hurrying after her mother and step-father.

Peter smiled at Molly as she left and then hurried after Jane, Tanya, Christian and Syed.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Brett looked up at Whitney "Do you want to come to mine tomorrow, after Uni?" he asked her as he stood and watched her pull on her coat. He had a suspicion that she was on her way to forgiving him.

"I'll think about it, yeah?" was all Whitney was willing to say as she slung on her coat. She watched Alyssa head out. "I have to go," she said and ran after Alyssa, without kissing Brett goodbye. She knew what Davina looked like now, and when they had stood at the buffet table, she knew what Davina smelled like. At that moment, she realized Brett had been with Davina, he clearly hadn't thought about the smell of perfume lingering on him.

Brett sighed as Whitney ran off. So not forgiven then. He trailed outside and got into his car.

"Alyssa," she panted as she caught up. "Can I walk with you? I...um..." she sniffed. "Well, I know now that Brett's been...he's been...cheating on me...with that Davina. He's come to school smelling of her perfume. It...it...never struck me...before...not until I smelled her perfume tonight," she said brokenly.

Alyssa looked at Whitney and it took her a moment to understand what she had said. She nodded and carried on walking for a few minutes. Finally she spoke."I don't know where I'm going" she said quietly as she looked around. She recognised these buildings and knew she had seen them many times before but the route home wouldn't stick in her mind. She took Whitney's hand and squeezed it gently as she carried on walking, looking out for anything that would jump the loose connection in her mind and send her on the way home. Where else could she go? Back to Rowan's? She didn't want to, she reckoned that Rowan and Ray had things planned and she didn't want to to get in the way of that.

Alyssa spotted the sign to Albert square and tried to smile at Whitney as she followed it.

Alyssa reached into her pocket for her keys and unlocked the door. She hadn't spoken to Whitney much on the way here but she didn't have all that much to say. She just needed her head clear and hearing more damaging tales about Davina wasn't going to help. She waited for Whitney to go in first then went to the front room and sat in on the far end of the sofa in the dark, hugging her legs as she mulled everything over in her mind.

Whitney looked at Alyssa for a moment and then headed upstairs to her room. She clearly wasn't in the mood for company. She dropped onto her bed with a long sigh and wondered if she could forgive Brett. She knew the truth now, though he hadn't admitted it.

She rolled onto her back and toyed with her phone. Should she text him and tell him she knew? Or wait until tomorrow and go around to his afterwards and confront him then. Would his flat smell of her perfume? She rolled onto her side and curled into a ball and stared at nothing until she fell asleep.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Ray sighed at the sight of all the empty cans and bottles and went round with a black bin liner collecting them all up. He scanned the floor for any that had been dropped and ended up crawling under a booth to retrieve some cans, much to his annoyance.

Roxy sighed as Ronnie left and looked around, the place was almost empty now. She glanced over at Ray who was still drinking his way through a bottle of beer and opted to go and find JT. The first place to look was the kitchen. She smiled at the sight of him and went and stopped what he was doing with the dishes and wrapped his arms around her before pushing herself against him and pressing her lips to his. "We need to go home," she told him. "Now."

JT looked at Roxy and winked.

"Help me stack these on the counter and then we can go," he told her and started pulling the last of the dishes off the dishwasher rack and stacking them neatly on the counter. When they finished, he helped her on with her coat.

He glanced at Rowan as she came down the stairs.

"I got the dishes all done for you," he said.

"Oh, thanks, JT, I really appreciate that," she said and gave him a hug.

"And it was good to see you, too, Roxy. I'm glad you were able to make it," she told Roxy and gave her a hug before walking to the door with them.

JT saw Ray searching under a table and grinned. "Tell him we said goodbye."

Rowan followed his glance and bit back a laugh. "I will. See you tomorrow."

JT slung his arm around Roxy and escorted her from the restaurant to the bike, helped her on and drove them home.

Rowan walked over and smiled as she admired the sight of Ray's backside as he fished under the table.

"Did you lose something?" she asked him and reached down to pat his behind and couldn't resist giving it a squeeze.

Ray went to turn around to look at her and bashed his head on the underside of the table. He cursed and wriggled out.

Rowan clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a giggle as Ray smacked his head on the table.

"No, I hadn't," he grumbled and dropped the troublesome can into the bin liner. "Was trying to reach that!" he told her and glared at the table before heaving himself off the floor. He tied the top of the bag and took it outside to the dumpster then came back in and looked at Rowan expectantly. "What's going on with Alyssa?" he asked. "She looked...odd," he shrugged.

She glanced around the restaurant, the decorations could come down in the morning. She looked at Ray as he came back in.

"Well, it seems Davina kissed Jack over there," Rowan replied with a gesture at the hall where the bathrooms were. "Alyssa saw and ran upstairs so she didn't see Jack push Davina away, so Jack says. Then, apparently Declan followed Alyssa upstairs and kissed her. The pair of them had a nasty little argument over Alyssa before she left."

Rowan sighed. "I hope she's okay. At least Whitney ran after her, so she's not walking around alone. She left before I could tell her she was welcome to stay in the spare room."

Ray listened to her curiously. "And I managed to miss all that?" he said incredulously. "No wonder she looked like she did when she came over here to whisper to you," he said, then paused for thought as he pondered what he had been told. "It's probably a good thing she's not in the spare room tonight," he told her. "I take it that when Jack rushed out he was going to look for her?" he clarified.

"Most of it happened upstairs and it did happen rather quickly," she explained. She nodded in response to his question.

His eyes trailed over her as he took her hand and urged her back upstairs. "And when do I get to see this thing from Christian. Because I'm very interested in what he got for you," he told her as he followed her up the stairs.

"I'm sure you are," she remarked and detoured into the bathroom. She flipped the top off the box and handed him the body paint.

Ray grumbled and looked interestedly down at the body paint. Chocolate? He frowned and opened it. It smelled like chocolate, he chewed his lip for a moment then dipped his finger in it. It looked like chocolate. He shrugged and cautiously licked his finger, a grin spread across his face, it tasted like chocolate, too. Good.

"I'll get changed," she said and waved him off before closing the bathroom door. She sighed as she pulled the scrap of lace out of the box and undressed to slip it on. It looked like a skimpy one piece bathing suit made out of lace. She fidgeted with it and shrugged in surrender. She adjusted the plunging neckline and ran her hands through her hair to comb out the braid before shutting off the light and opening the bathroom door. She walked into the bedroom and posed with one hand on her hip and the other hand resting high up on the door frame.

"Here it is," she announced, trying to make her tone sound sultry and curved her lips into a slight smile.

Ray looked up as he heard Rowan's voice and his jaw dropped. He put the small tub down and walked towards her. "I'll say it again, if it had been any guy other than Christian and I would have pummelled him to a pile of mush," he told her as he looked her up and down.

"However, I am immensely glad that he did buy it for you," he grinned at her and wrapped his arms around her as he took her lips with his in a hard kiss. His hands travelled up and down her body, chasing the material of the 'black lacy thing' and pulled her right against him. He lifted her by her bottom and encouraged her to wrap her legs around him. He pulled his lips from hers and looked around. He grabbed up the body paint and carried her through to the bedroom and dropped her onto the bed. He pulled his shirt and trousers off and joined her with a grin.

Rowan kissed him back as he pulled her to him. She wrapped herself around him gladly. She giggled as he dropped her on the bed and grabbed up the body paint as he joined her on the bed.

Jack wandered aimlessly as he moved in the general direction of home. He wasn't sure if Alyssa had gone straight there or if she was still wandering and it wasn't safe to wander around alone this time of night. Unless...maybe she wasn't alone. Maybe Declan had been waiting outside and offered her a ride. No telling where she might be in that case. He sighed and headed straight for home.

Jack let himself into the house and sighed at the dark quiet that greeted him. Was Alyssa here? Maybe upstairs. He wasn't going to call out and break the silence, no matter how oppressive it was. He walked towards the stairs and caught a flash in the dark. He turned and looked and saw Alyssa on the couch. He felt his heart leap at the sight of her. She hadn't gone off with Declan.

He rushed over to her and dropped to his knees on the floor next to her as he grabbed her hand.

"Lyss, I pushed her away, I did. She ambushed me again, you think I'd be more careful to watch for that. I'm so, so very sorry," he pleaded, though she clearly hadn't pushed Declan away. He wasn't going to bring that up. He was going to grovel and then figure out a way to get Davina out of town and make her stay away for good.

Alyssa took one look at him and felt the tears start up again. She dropped onto the floor next to him and threw her arms around his neck. She buried her face into his neck and breathed him in. "I'm sorry Jack, I didn't know it was Declan, I didn't have a clue who it was," she told him, he was here and she couldn't help but forgive him, she had done worse, she hadn't pushed Declan away! Holding Jack now was all that she needed. "It could have been anyone and I wouldn't have cared, I needed someone," she admitted to him and then pulled her face from his neck to look at him. "But I don't want anyone else Jack, I only want you," she told him truthfully. "I don't want Declan, because all though he may look like you, he's not you!" she told him, holding his gaze. "I'm sorry," she whispered again.

Jack wound his arms around her.

"I don't blame you; I blame Declan for taking advantage of you. He intentionally invited that cow to the party so she could try and corner me somewhere. I don't know what he's playing at, but it won't work."

He gathered her up into his arms and carried her upstairs.

"I love you, Lyss," he said as he carried her into their bedroom and shut the door.

Jane gave Jack and Ronnie a quick wave as they headed upstairs and opened the door and gestured Tanya inside. She made a beeline for the kitchen, shoving the bag with the leftovers in it at Tanya as she went. She grabbed the bottle of wine off the counter and pulled two glasses out of the cupboard.

"Now, let's have some proper fun," Jane grinned as she opened the wine and began to pour.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Ronnie woke up missing Jack. She looked around at the boxes everywhere and sighed. JT was going to come and take everything she couldn't move and Roxy was going to store it for her. She got up and flipped on the kettle to make tea and got JJ up to feed him before sending off a text to Roxy to make sure they would meet up later that day.

Jack rolled over and slipped his arms around Alyssa. He had truly enjoyed this week, not just because they'd stayed in a posh hotel, but it had been nice to not have any place they had to urgently be.

He yawned and reached the room service menu from the side table and looked it over as he softly stroked Alyssa's smooth back.

Alyssa cuddled up to Jack and draped an arm over him. Taking him around Birmingham had been thoroughly enjoyable. She had taken him down to the Bullring to begin with because it wasn't that far from the hotel. He hadn't grumbled too much about shopping, especially after she had told him that she needed new underwear and they had taken a photo of him sitting on the big bronze bull. She smiled as she hugged him, she had taken him to Selfridge's for lunch and they had taken ages to decide what to have due to the many different sections and types of food available.

The trip to Cadbury world had been incredibly amusing, he had seen the signs going through Bournville when she had finally agreed to show him her parents' house where she had grew up but point blank refused to go any nearer to the house than parked a little way down the street. They had taken the tour around the factory and came out with tonnes of free chocolate bars stuffed into Alyssa's handbag. She had done the tour before when she was little but she had to admit that they had improved it.

They had managed to meet up with her Dad on the Wednesday and had gone out to Lunch in a restaurant in the Mailbox. Then afterwards, Alyssa had taken Jack around Birmingham showing him everything she could think of. They started in Victoria Square and she went through everywhere with him until they ended up back at the hotel. Her feet had killed her that evening, but it didn't matter because they spent that night in the hotel bar.

She had taken him to all the best clubs that she knew one evening and then once they finally got back in the early hours of the morning they had slept right through until lunchtime. She had promised to take him to both football grounds, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. And she showed him the prison too, briefly. Not gone inside but drove past it on their way back from Villa Football ground. Then of course she had taken him to the comedy club near the Hippodrome to see a few acts.

She had to admit though, this hotel had lived up to her expectations, she couldn't have asked for a better birthday present. She shifted against him and looked up at his face as he read through the room service menu. So they weren't getting up for the buffet breakfast this morning then? Good, she didn't feel like getting up. When they were at home they rarely got mornings when they both didn't have to be up and she treasured the free mornings that they both shared. She read the back of the menu and then shifted in his arms to read the front that he was reading by slipping under his arm and resting her head against his.

"Good morning," Jack murmured as he shifted so she could get comfortable.

"I think the Belgian waffles and scrambled eggs looks good," he remarked and glanced at her. He put the menu down and pulled her close. "This has been the most amazing week," he told her. "I can't believe we haven't done something like this before. Ray and Rowan have been on two trips already," he said and grinned.

"This is our first and our honeymoon will be our second."

He leaned down and kissed her, his hand sliding up her back.

He couldn't think of anything more enjoyable than spending the lazy week they'd had together. Though he did chuckle that he had had to carry her back to the hotel Wednesday evening after walking her feet off. He'd been amazed at the amount of chocolate she'd gotten at that factory. It had been harder than he'd thought to stop her from eating it all. It had also been great getting together with her father again. He'd really liked Gerald once he'd gotten to know him.

Now, he just wished they could decide on where to go for their honeymoon.

Alyssa slid her arms up his chest and around his neck. He was right, this week had been completely amazing. She couldn't wait for the honeymoon, if it was anything like this week had been then it would be incredible.

Alyssa broke the kiss and smiled happily up at him. "So, regarding the Honeymoon, where have you decided? There isn't all that long now until the wedding," she told him as she settled comfortably into his arms.

"I know," Jack sighed. "I'm still no closer to making a decision. I had hoped for a bit more input from you. There are literally too many choices. Isn't there _somewhere_ you've always wanted to go? Just to make this a little easier for me?" he pleaded and slipped his hands over her skin.

"I suppose I could always torture the information out of you," he mused and raised an eyebrow as one of his hands slipped between her legs.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows at him and bit her lip as her grip grew tighter on him as she kept her eyes fixed on his face. "I honestly don't mind where we go Jack, I told you," she told him with a small smile. "I told you to choose, surprise me," she added.

"You could help, you know," he murmured in her ear as he nibbled at her earlobe and continued to tease her with his hand. "How do I know you won't end up being completely horrified?"

His other hand began to caress the soft skin of her breasts as he pressed a kiss to her neck.

Alyssa stifled a moan that threatened by biting her lip as she tilted her head to expose her neck to him "You couldn't do anything to horrify me Jack" she told him "Tell you what, how about we pull out a world map when we get home and I pick somewhere without looking, that way it's my choice and you haven't done anything to horrify me" she smiled at him and pressed her lips to his.

Alyssa ran her hand down his chest and took him in her hand as she broke the kiss. "Now, I don't think that it's entirely fair that I'm tortured for being unable to make a decision when you seem equally as incapable," she told him as she stroked a finger down the length of him with a smile.

Jack moaned at the movement of Alyssa's hand. "Mine comes from an unwillingness to disappoint," he growled and rolled on top of her and pulled her into a hard kiss. He slipped his hand from between her legs and trailed it up her side as he thrust into her. "I'd say that sounds like a plan," he gasped and began to move.

Alyssa arched into him and slid her arms up his back and wrapped her legs around him too. She couldn't help but love this man, he was hers and she wouldn't swap him for anyone else. Alyssa ran her hands into his hair and pulled his head down to hers. She kissed him fervently as she moved with him.

"Lysss," Jack breathed as he sped up. How could Davina even think he would be willing to give up Alyssa for her? She was beautiful, exciting and amazing. He began to move faster as one of his hands grabbed her leg and held her tight. She was perfection. He broke off the kiss and moved his lips to her neck.

Alyssa moaned his name, long and loud as she hit her climax and tensed and shuddered in his arms. She clung to him as she called his name repeatedly until the sensations passed and she stilled in his embrace. She held onto him as she sighed happily, she felt so at home here, in his arms. It was where she belonged and she would give it up for nothing! Her legs stayed wound around him as she held them together. She pressed her lips to his shoulder and smiled. "I love you" she sighed as she fell the small way back onto the mattress and looked up into his face.

Jack gazed into the green eyes he loved so much. He stayed joined with her, but held himself off her a bit by propping himself up with his elbows. He wound the fingers of one hand into her hair and dropped his head to kiss her.

"I love you, too," he said softly. He gazed at her features awhile longer and then sighed. "I suppose we should get breakfast and get ready to go back. Ronnie leaves today doesn't she? We should get back before she leaves so you can say goodbye," he groaned and rolled off her reluctantly.

"I want the Belgian waffle and a couple of eggs over easy and some bacon," he told her as he handed her the menu. "I'll hurry in the shower so you can get ready while we wait for the food," he told her and quickly kissed her again before heading to the bathroom. "And lots of coffee," he called back as he turned on the shower.

Alyssa chuckled and grabbed the menu, she scanned it and quickly found what she wanted. She shifted over to his side of the bed and reached for the phone, she dialled room service and ordered what he had asked for and something for herself too, then put in the order for some coffee and set the phone back on the cradle. She listened to the sound of Jack in shower and smiled as she thought that she could hear him humming to himself. She pulled the sheets up to her chest as she sat in the room and looked around it one last time. She sighed, she should really start packing but didn't feel ready to get up yet.

She sighed as she lay back down and stared up at the ceiling, she didn't get enough time like this with Jack, the last time they had done anything similar to this was the weekend after he had finished school at Christmas. That weekend they had spent in his flat, a lot of the time in his bed. She smiled as she remembered the stash of crisps in the side table next to his bed. As much as she had enjoyed him visiting her when she lived with Rowan and her go round to his flat, she did prefer them living together. Falling asleep next to him every night, waking up in his arms. She sighed happily, she wanted that for the rest of her life, she wanted him for the rest of her life. She loved him so much sometimes she felt she would burst.

Jack did as promised and showered as fast as he could. He rubbed his hair with the towel and then wrapped it around his waist as he walked back into the bedroom.

"Okay, Lyss, shower is all yours. I'll get dressed and get some of the packing started. Then we can finish packing after we eat," he decided. "Well, go on. Don't lay there and tempt me to have my wicked way with you again or we'll never get out of here," he teased and strode over to his suitcase to get a pair of jeans, a shirt and some underclothes from the suitcase.

He slung the towel aside and began to dress so he would be ready for when room service arrived.

Rowan woke up and smiled as she put her hands to her belly. The doctor's appointment the previous week had been fantastic. Hearing the baby's heartbeat had been amazing. She reluctantly slipped from Ray's arms and showered and got ready for the day. She hurried downstairs and got the baking started.

Ray woke a few minutes later feeling funny. He kept his eyes closed as he felt around the bed around him and frowned when all he could reach was bedsheets, pillows and thin air. He grudgingly opened his eyes to find Rowan gone. He rolled over onto his front and spread himself out on the bed. They had heard the heartbeat of their child. It was real, it was going to happen. They were going to be parents. It was daunting as well as exciting. He grinned as he finally rolled over again and got out of the bed and padded his way through to the shower.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Roxy sent one back in agreement then waited patiently for the kettle to boil. She had managed to find a buyer for the Salon, Tanya Branning wanted to buy it back. Roxy had made sure that Alyssa, Maddie, Kim and Gayna knew it was being sold but one of her conditions was that the staff remained as they were. They were a good team and worked well together. She hadn't had any problems with them so saw no reason to let someone change them.

Tanya and Roxy had finally agreed on a price after a lot of haggling but Tanya was as satisfied with the price they agreed and it left Roxy with more than enough to buy Ronnie and Jack out of the Club, well, for 51% anyway.

The kettle boiled and she made two cups of tea and carried them back to her room, pausing at Amy's bedroom door and listening for a moment, she was mumbling to herself, but she often did that in her sleep anyway. Roxy continued back to her room and set the mugs down and nudged JT awake. "Come on sleepy head," she smiled at him. "We're helping Ronnie today," she told him as she went to her wardrobe and fished in it for something to wear.

JT sat up and took the tea. He still preferred his tea iced and coffee in the morning, but he wasn't going to complain when Roxy was kind enough to make it for him. He yawned and sat up.

"I know, I remember. I straightened up that box room to store the stuff she needs stored. Syed is going in early to help Rowan with the baking. So I'm all set," he told her and took a sip of the tea as he watched her shapely back rummage in the wardrobe.

Roxy found what she was looking for in the wardrobe and pulled it out. She gestured to her phone. "She should text me back a time that she needs us round," she told him as she swiftly changed into her clothes and hung her dressing gown back up on the back of the door.

The door creaked open and Roxy turned around to see Amy in her pyjamas peering into the room. Roxy sighed, Amy had managed to work out how to climb over the protective railings on her bed and knew that if she pushed the door hard enough it would open.

Amy smiled at Roxy and then clambered onto the bed next to JT and slipped under the covers "Moorenening!" she sang happily and Roxy couldn't help but smile. She went back over to the bed and sat down on the bed next to Amy so she was in the middle. She dropped a kiss on Amy's head. "Morning to you, too," she smiled.

"Morning," JT said to the little girl and ruffled her hair as he yawned. He climbed from the bed and pulled jeans and a t-shirt out of the wardrobe before heading to the bathroom to take a shower. He went to the kitchen and smiled at Peggy before rummaging in the fridge for breakfast items to cook.

He assembled everything on the counter and then started cooking. If he was going to be up he might as well make use of himself. He rarely got to cook for all of them anymore.

Roxy smiled as JT left and looked back at Amy. She chewed her lip and looked at her daughter. Bath Night was last night so she only needed to wash her face. Roxy clapped her hands together "Right Madam. Toilet, teeth and face," she ordered and Amy scowled before hopping back off the bed and stumbling through to the bathroom once JT came out. She climbed onto the stool and reached for the tap as Roxy followed and handed Amy the soap

Amy scurried out of the bathroom and ran to her room, Roxy had reached the stage where she now allowed Amy to choose what she wanted to wear. She helped and assisted of course so that the girl didn't end up wearing something ridiculous. Once she had picked out her fairy dress with her blue top and Roxy had carefully convinced her to wear the pink top underneath if she wanted to wear a t-shirt.

She made sure Amy was all dressed and left her to play in her room as she went into the kitchen to find out what all the delicious smells were. JT was cooking. She loved it when he cooked, his food was amazing. She smiled at Peggy as she dumped her empty mug in the sink and got Amy a glass of orange juice.

JT glanced over at Roxy and began putting plates of food on the table. He knew Amy loved the big fluffy pancakes he made, so he decided to make pancakes and spent extra time making hers into animal shapes. He put the normal ones in a large stack on the table along with a plate of eggs, sausages and bacon.

He poured Peggy a fresh cup of tea and made himself some coffee. He noticed Amy hadn't made it to the kitchen yet.

"Whose gonna eat these here critters?" he called out as he put the plate of animal shapes cakes on the table for Amy.

Roxy laughed as Amy came running into the kitchen calling. "Me, Me, Me!" and caught the girl as she tripped down the step into the room. "No running inside Amy," she scolded with a smile and set Amy back on her feet. Amy clambered onto the chair and grinned at JT as she saw the animal shapes. She picked up her fork and started to eat them with a huge smile.

Roxy beamed up at him and pulled some of the normal shaped pancakes and bacon onto her plate.

JT winked at Roxy and Peggy and sat down to eat.

"Why don't you have Ronnie text me when she's ready to move boxes? I know you're supposed to be meeting Tanya this morning," he offered.

"I can watch Amy and the pub if you're both gone, I don't mind," Peggy put in.

Roxy nodded at him. "In fact, I should be meeting Tanya in about 20 minutes," she smiled at them and nodded at Peggy. "If you could Aunty Peg, that would be fab, thank you," she smiled and ate a forkful of pancake.

"Tracy is in the morning and I think I've got Shirley on fairly early too, so you won't be on your own," she told her.

Roxy finished her breakfast and took the plate to the sink. She chuckled as Amy finished her pancakes and reached over the table to steal one from the plate that the three adults were eating. Roxy gave her 'the look' but smiled afterwards. She kissed the top of JT's head and smoothed Amy's hair before leaving the kitchen and picking up her phone from the bedroom. She sent a text to Ronnie telling her to text JT when she needed him and went back into the kitchen.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Ronnie read the text and sighed as she finished her breakfast. She looked around at the pile of boxes. She glanced at the clock. The moving truck would be here in an hour. She sent Roxy a text back.

"Will need when moving truck gets here-one hour."

She sent it off and then tossed the paper towel she had been using as a plate and the paper cup. She had wanted to make sure all the dishes were packed. She made sure the kettle was cool, dried it and stuck it in a box and taped the box shut. She went and began tossing last minute things into bags before sitting down to cuddle JJ.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Rowan heard the sound of water through the pipes and knew Ray was up for his shower. She put a batch of muffins in the oven and heard the knock that signalled Syed's arrival. She went and let him in.

She glanced at the clock, surprised Ray was up so early. She tried to be so careful when she got up at the insanely early hours she had to get up so she didn't wake him. She started assembling the ingredients to make Ray a nice breakfast for when he came downstairs. She was going to have to ask Christian where he got that chocolate body paint, they'd used the last of it last night. She glanced over at Syed.

"Hey, Sy, um, where did Christian get that chocolate body paint?" she asked curiously. Syed looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I know. I'll write it down for you later."

"Thank you," she said in a slightly gleeful tone.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Jane walked to Max's to get Tanya on her way to the cafe. She'd get her some tea and breakfast before she had to meet with Roxy. She was terribly pleased Tanya was buying the salon back, since her friend seemed to be staying.

She knocked on the door and greeted Max as he let her in. Ronnie was moving out as well. Jane thought the two-room flat would be perfect for Tanya and Oscar. She leaned against the wall and waited for Tanya to come down.

Jane glanced at her watch.

"C'mon Tanya, you're supposed to be meeting that fellow from the bank and then Roxy at the caf," Jane called up the stairs. "Shake your tailfeather."

Tanya rolled her eyes over-dramatically at Jane as she came down the stairs. She grabbed up her bag and smiled happily at Max before leaving the house with Jane. She could hardly believe that she was going to get the Salon back, she was going to get her old business again. She couldn't wait!

Tanya walked happily with Jane to the Cafe, having Jane run the Cafe and not Ian was a vast improvement she had to say, Jane seemed more carefree and easygoing now she didn't have Ian leaning over her all the time.

"So, I guess we are going to have to celebrate tonight," Jane remarked. "I don't have a show so my schedule is wide open."

She grinned at Tanya as she unlocked the door of the café and hurried behind the counter to get the money for Christian to pay for the baking. He'd be by any minute now.

"And you know what, I was thinking...Ronnie and Jack will be gone indefinitely and it would seem silly for that big flat upstairs to go empty so why don't you move in there? You'll have your own space, and it's got two bedrooms so Oscar would have his own room. I'd give you mates rates on the rent and of course, I would be living downstairs from you," Jane suggested and raised her eyebrows as she waited for Tanya's answer.

She was distracted by Christian coming in.

Tanya made to answer, but saw Jane was distracted as Christian walked in. She smiled at the pair of them and waited patiently, turning Jane's suggestion over in her mind. It would make sense to move in the flat above Jane. She would be in Walford anyway because of the Salon and living with Max was awkward enough, especially when his latest bimbo came round. Tanya often made sure that she spent the night out with Jane if she knew Davina would be there. Also, living on the Square would be easier for the girls too, they wouldn't have to worry about who lived where and could come and go from each house as they pleased. She liked the idea immensely, also, living above her best mate meant there was always someone around for her to talk to. That had been the most depressing thing about living on her own with Oscar for company, the boy couldn't talk yet so she had no one to chat with. If Jane was downstairs then she wouldn't have that problem.

"Hey sis, hey Tan, I'm here for the money," he said and held out his hand.

Jane shoved the envelope of notes in his hand. "I hope she's made some of those cinnamon rolls again, I just love them. Oh, and can you please not stay and eat breakfast with Syed? I've got nothing at all so really need that stuff from Rowan."

"Yes, sis. I promise," he said in mock-aggravation and left the café.

"So?" Jane said as she turned back to Tanya.

Tanya beamed at Jane and hugged her. "Jane, that's a brilliant idea!" she agreed. "You don't have to do mates rates on the rent though, I can afford it you know," she smiled. "And thank you, I swear, any longer living with Max and I will go insane and do something I'll regret," she grinned.

Jane grinned. "Well, the rent is lower than what Ian was trying to extort from people," Jane said agreeably as she hugged Tanya back.

She saw a man in a suit approaching the café. "I'll bet that's your man from the bank. Go sit, I'll bring over some tea and something from the stuff Rowan baked, when Christian gets back with it."

Tanya smiled at the man and directed him to a table as Jane had said and sat down opposite him; she explained her plan for her new business and listened as he went through everything with her.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Ray ran the towel over his hair and looked at the time. He sighed, Rowan often got up early and woke him in the process, he knew she didn't mean to, but he didn't mind. He had to get up anyway, the earlier he got up the more time he got with her before he went to work. Ray did prefer when he woke up with her still in bed though.

He threw on his clothes and bypassed the kitchen in the flat as he went downstairs. In the mornings he knew that she went downstairs and got started on the baking for the Restaurant. To find her all he had to do was follow his nose.

Ray thumped down the stairs and wandered into the kitchen. He nodded his good morning at Syed and gave Rowan a swift kiss before grabbing down a mug.

Rowan smiled and Syed gave Ray a little wave as he came into the kitchen. She plated up his breakfast and put it on the table in front of him.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked him quietly as she toyed with a few damp curls near his ear. She leaned over to his ear.

"Syed is going to tell me where to get more of that body paint," she whispered in his ear and then straightened up and winked at him.

Ray batted her hand away from his hair with a small protest and nodded as he took his seat. "Slept alright," he told her and grinned at her comment about the body paint. "Good, that stuff's alright," he commented with a grin.

Ray looked down at his food greedily and tucked in with relish. He loved breakfast, most important meal of the day and often the most delicious one, too.

Rowan raised her eyebrow at Ray as he swatted at her hand. She reached out and tugged on a curl. "I would rather play with something else," she breathed in his ear, "But I can't, so I have to make do."

She punctuated her comment with another tug of his hair before tapping his nose and going to work on the sausage gravy, sausages and bacon for breakfast. She put Syed to work on getting the boxes ready for the station breakfasts, marking names on boxes and making sure there were utensils in all the boxes and getting Jane's share of the baking packed up for the day.

Ray snorted at her and shovelled another mouthful of breakfast into his mouth. He drained his tea and finished his breakfast at his leisure. He took up the plate and made his way to the sink and frowned at it, the last time he had done the washing up it was a special occasion. Rowan's Birthday. He looked around at Rowan and Syed, they were both busy. He would do the washing up this once, because they were too busy with getting set up for work. He grunted quietly to himself and filled the sink and squirted a healthy dollop of soap into the sink and began to wash his breakfast plate, cutlery and mug.

Rowan glanced over and smiled as she saw Ray washing his dishes. She walked over to him.

"You know, you don't have to do that. Just put them on the rack and they'll get washed when we start doing the dishes later," she told him as she stood close and slid her hand over his backside.

She glanced through the doorway and saw James and Ffion coming in. She grabbed Ray's arms and pulled them out of the soapy water and dried his hands with the towel she had hanging from her apron.

"Why don't you come help me with something," she suggested and pulled his hand to lead him from the kitchen.

"Morning," she said brightly to James and Ffion and pushed Ray out of the kitchen ahead of her and towards the stairs.

"I just need you to move this crate for me," she said, raising her voice slightly, though she was sure Syed wasn't fooled. She locked the door to the stairs behind her and bounded a few steps ahead of Ray so she was of a height with him before flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him hungrily.

Ray groaned and his arms came around her, he lifted her off her feet and took her up the stairs carefully. He used her to lever open the door to the flat, his lips never once leaving hers. He kicked the door shut with his foot and looked at the clock, he had plenty of time until he had to be at the Station. He broke the kiss and his eyes bore into hers. "How long until you have to be back downstairs," he asked as he kicked off his shoes and set her back on the floor. His hands ran up her back, tracing her figure as they went and his hand cupped the back of her head as he kissed her again before she could answer.

Rowan moved so her back was against the wall and toed off her trainers as her hands moved to the waist of her jeans to unfasten and push them down.

She broke off the kiss and gasped for air as she hurriedly used her feet to push her jeans and knickers the rest of the way off and reached for the waist of his trousers.

"I shouldn't be gone too long," she panted as she fought with his clothes. She gave up and let him deal with them as she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss him again.

Ray hastily dropped his trousers and boxers and lifted her up once more, wrapping her legs around him, he thrust into her roughly and slammed her backwards into the wall. He groaned into her mouth as he started moving against her, holding her so she didn't fall and ravishing her mouth all the while. He pulled his lips from hers and looked at her face as he moved. He grunted as one of his hands left her legs and moved to bury itself in her hair. His eyes closed and he attached his lips to her neck and kissed along it, back up her jawline and to her lips once more.

Rowan huffed out a breath as she hit the wall and locked her ankles behind his back. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she met his gaze as he broke off the kiss. She knew he was helpless to resist her as much as she was helpless to resist him. He inflamed her and she knew he submitted to her as much as she submitted to him. Though she was sure he would never admit it, if he even realized that he was doing it.

She sighed as she felt his lips on her neck and closed her eyes and twined her fingers into his hair as his lips found hers again. She jerked in his grasp, pulling his hair a little too hard and cried out into the kiss as she was overcome. She immediately slid her fingers from his hair and clutched his shoulders again as she shook. She tore her lips from his and gulped for air. She felt boneless and dropped her forehead to his shoulder.

Ray's arms supported her as she went limp against him and he held her tightly to him until he hit his release. He pressed her back against the wall and buried his face into her hair. He pulled her away from the wall as he got his breath back and tumbled with her onto the sofa, still holding her against him. He made himself comfortable and kept his arms locked around her. He wasn't going to move now, he was comfortable and wanted to hold her. No way was he moving until he absolutely had to. He nodded to himself decisively. That was the way it was! He sighed in contentment and trailed his fingers up and down the soft skin of her back, her hair tickling his fingers as they brushed past it.

Rowan stayed wrapped around him, huddling against him as he dropped them on the couch. She knew she needed to go back downstairs, but that would mean leaving Ray's arms and she wasn't quite ready to do that. She wasn't even sure she could move. She trailed her fingers over his arm and let out a soft sigh.

"I should get back downstairs now," she murmured. "They'll start getting customers in now and Syed can't cook bacon or sausages."

She groaned at the idea of leaving his arms though. She lifted her head and looked at him before putting a hand to his cheek and stroking it with her thumb.

"Just don't go forgetting the station breakfasts this time," she smiled and shifted so she could press a gentle kiss to his lips as she trailed the fingers of one hand through the curls by his ear.

She reluctantly edged herself from his grasp and stood up, her legs still a bit iffy, but she was able to stand. She walked over to pick up their clothes and put his trousers and boxers on the couch by him as she began to slip her knickers and jeans back on.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Whitney cautiously forgave Brett. She wanted to confront him and make him admit to sleeping with Davina. She simply couldn't have sex with him knowing he had. She sighed and climbed onto the train to school.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Davina got to work, but found herself distracted. She stopped calling Brett. She had Max to distract her if she needed distracting. She needed to focus on some way of winning Jack back. He had loved her once, had begged her to forgive him for shagging Steph. He could love her again, she just had to find a way.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Declan looked his calendar over. He wanted to go back down to London before the wedding. He needed to talk to Alyssa. That kiss they had shared had been unbelievable. Surely she would choose him over Jack, that kiss had shown him how much she wanted him. He didn't want to lead Tanya on, she was quite a woman, but he had fallen for Alyssa and couldn't get her out of his head whatever he tried.

He didn't like Davina much, but her kissing Jack had driven Alyssa into Declan's arms and she had felt so perfect there! He paged through his diary and sighed.

"Something wrong?" his assistant, Nicola, asked.

He shook his head at her. "Not as such. Just trying to figure out if I can go back to London in the next couple of weeks."

"Why? I don't have any appointments booked down there for you."

"I know, but I've been visiting my cousin, Jack. It would just be nice if I could sneak in another visit before the Stag do and the wedding in June."

"Ah," she nodded. "Well, I can see what I can reschedule if you tell me which day you want to go. I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best."

"Great," he said and handed her his diary and pointed out a day two weeks away.

"I think I can probably sort it. Plenty of advance notice," she remarked and went to her desk to begin making calls.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Roxy kissed JT and thanked him for breakfast before hugging Amy and waving goodbye to Peggy and leaving the Pub. She made her way to the Cafe where she had said she would meet Tanya. She ordered a cinnamon roll from Jane and spotted Tanya in conversation with a man at one of the tables. She thanked Jane and paid her then made her way towards the table, waving at Tanya as she caught her eye.

The man from the bank stood and shook hands with Tanya as he collected all his papers into his briefcase and nodded at Roxy and Jane before leaving. Roxy took his seat opposite Tanya. "Well?" she asked. Tanya nodded. "I can take the Salon off your hands as soon as you like for the price we agreed," she smiled.

Roxy nearly leapt up and down in her seat. She could buy the club off Ronnie and Tanya could have the Salon. "That's brilliant!" she beamed. "Thanks."

Tanya nodded. "I should be thanking you Roxy, you're giving me a job I actually want to do!" she smiled back.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Jane watched the back of the café as she rapidly served the morning customers. The way Tanya was smiling Jane was sure it was going well. She saw Roxy was nearly bouncing in her seat and was sure that meant Tanya had bought the salon. She smiled for her friend. They were definitely going to be celebrating tonight. They would have to go easy though. She shouldn't get her friend too drunk when she had a small child to deal with.

Roxy looked down at her phone as Tanya wrote out the cheque. She forwarded the text from Ronnie to JT and smiled at Tanya as she handed her the cheque. Roxy passed her the deeds, keys, and licence for the Salon and beamed at her. "Pleasure doing business with you, Ms Branning," she smiled.

Tanya nodded with a huge grin. "Same to you, Miss Mitchell," she agreed and Roxy nodded once more before rushing off to the bank to cash her cheque

Tanya nearly skipped to the counter and hugged Jane. "You are looking at the proud new own of Walford's Salon, though the name is going to have to change back to Booty, I'm not having it called Roxys," she shuddered dramatically and grinned at Jane. "I can't wait to get back! she said excitedly.

"I'll have to call a staff meeting though, I mean, Roxy said that she was selling it to me, but," Tanya shrugged. "I want to meet them all anyway, I know Chelsea isn't there before, it's a whole new team!" she said anxiously. "But, I don't think Roxy had a very hands on approach with the Salon anyway, I think she left it all to that woman, the one who's surprise party it was..." she paused as she tried to remember the woman's name. "Redhead, oh, Alyssa," she nodded. "So I'll have to have a chat with her about the way that the Salon is going to be run now," she nodded.

"Try not to run too far over her, though, Tan, yeah? She pretty much saved the place from Roxy running it into the ground. She turned it around and the clients and the girls that work there like her," Jane advised.

"Now, Christian finally got back with the goodies, so," she said with a gesture at the display case. "Pick something, it's on me. And we'll celebrate properly later."

Tanya smiled and nodded. "I don't intend to run over her, just make a few changes in how the place is run," she stated and eyed the goodies behind the glass greedily. She pointed at one of the cakes and smiled at Jane. "So, when d'you reckon I can move into Ronnie's flat, I've just about reached my limit with Max."


	8. Chapter 8

****We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale****

**Chapter 8**

Jane reached the cake out and put it on a plate and handed it to Tanya.

"Well, I know she's moving out sometime today. I would guess tonight would be fine," she said with a smile. "I'll give you a better idea of time when she's finished moving her things out."

"Now, go eat your cake," she teased with a wink and turned to help Zainab who had just come in.

Tanya smiled and took the cake from Jane. She said hello to Zainab and went to take her seat in the booth she had just abandoned. She smiled as she watched out of the window, she was moving out of that godforsaken house! She wasn't sure how much longer she could have stand it. Max was driving her barmy and the girls and Oscar all there too made it seem too much like the past. The past that they were all trying so desperately to forget. Well, moving out was a good start and then she would take Ronnie and Jack's flat with Oscar and live there with her new business. She smiled as she bit into her cake. Sounded like a good plan.

/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa chuckled and climbed off the bed. She went through to the bathroom and shut the door in case room service turned up while she was in the shower. She climbed under the flow of hot water.

She got out of the shower and used the hairdryer next to the sink that she had found on their first day to dry her hair. She quickly brushed her teeth then packed up both his toiletries and her own. She came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel with the two wash bags and dropped them on the bed before rummaging in her suitcase for her dress that she planned to wear today. She slid on her underwear and slipped the dress over the top then grabbed the two wash bags and put them into her suitcase as she began pulling every thing out to put it back in it in a more organised way.

Jack went around the room while Alyssa showered, ransacking the drawers, the closet and even under the bed, checking everywhere to make sure they had everything. He heard her get of the shower just as there was a knock at the door. He let room service in and signed the ticket. He made sure her things were by her case and casually tossed his things into his before sitting down to eat.

He watched her come out and begin to ransack her case.

"Sit down and eat, Lyss," he admonished.

Alyssa looked up at him and gestured to her folded clothes. "I will once I've finished packing," she told him with a small smile. Alyssa got on with arranging her clothes into her case, making sure that she had everything fitting in nicely. She zipped up her case and went over to join him with the food at the table next to the window.

Jack shook his head. Her food was going to be cold.

She sat opposite him and pulled her breakfast towards her with a smile. "So, how're the waffles?" she asked as she dug her fork into her blueberry pancakes.

"My food is fine, nice and hot," he remarked blandly and kept eating.

"And I'm sorry, but I'm picking the radio station on the way back down to London, because whatever we had on during the way here was rubbish!" she told him.

"Look, I don't care what station is on in the car, I rarely even listen to the radio when I'm driving so stop blaming me for the crap music choices when my choice is usually off," he groused at her and huffed out a breath. "Are you going to be like this the whole way home?" he asked her and eyed her as he considered his odds on leaving her behind so he could have a peaceful drive home. For someone who professed not to know how to drive, she certainly enjoyed telling him what he was doing wrong.

"I'll tell you this right now, if you don't I will tie you up, tape your mouth and you can ride home in the boot," he threatened.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows at him and shut her mouth. It often amazed her how he could be in a seemingly good mood one minute and then suddenly change and go moody. Wasn't it women that were supposed to get the mood swings? She ate a mouthful of pancake and watched him curiously. What had put him in a bad mood? Going home? She shrugged inwardly, she would keep her mouth shut on the way home. 2 and a half hours without talking? She wasn't sure if she could manage it. Alyssa ate the remaining food on her plate and looked about the room. She was packed now. She wondered what time they were going back to London.

Her gaze drifted to his suitcase, it wasn't properly packed yet, she sighed and folded her cutlery on her plate.

Jack saw the direction of her gaze and looked at her.

"Leave my case alone," he told her and got up and zipped it shut. He walked over to her, grabbed her arms and pulled her from the seat.

"Now, promise me there will be no comments about driving or I tie you up in the boot," he stated and raised an eyebrow as he waited for her answer.

Alyssa chewed her lip as she considered his threat.

"The cases are going in the boot right?" she sighed and nodded.

"Do you mean no negative comments on your driving? Because if so, I promise not to criticise your driving and only to deliver praise, worship and such like," she agreed with another small nod. "Or do you mean no comments full stop? Because that I'm not sure I can manage," she smiled.

"Praise and worship as fine, just don't overdo it. Just don't go telling me how to drive or I will not only tie you up in the boot, I will spank you before I do it," he promised and then dropped a quick kiss on her lips. "Now get your things so we can hit the road," he said and ruffled her hair before turning to pick up his case and running out the door.

He went downstairs and took care of the bill and to give Alyssa time to cool off after mussing her hair. Sometimes she could be amazingly easy to wind up – unable to tell when he was kidding. He was only able to get away with it when Rowan wasn't around though. They had signals or something, the pair of them, and she would always tip Alyssa off and ruin everything.

He stood off to the side and waited for Alyssa once he'd finished taking care of things.

Alyssa glared at the door after he dashed through it. He knew she hated him messing up her hair, she hated anyone messing up her hair. Alyssa turned to the mirror, she didn't want to dig through her case for her brush. She frowned at the mess he had made of her hair and set about fixing it.

Alyssa finally got her hair resembling something decent and less messy and picked up her case. She made her way down to the reception area and made her way over to Jack as she spotted him. "It's your own fault now if I go on about your driving," she told him as she lead the way out of the hotel.

"Oi, that was vengeance for harping on about my driving the whole way here. And for complaining about the music which you could have changed at any time. And I mean it, one word and in the boot you go. Also, I think if you know so much about driving, maybe you should do some," he told her and climbed into the car after slamming the boot shut on their cases.

He smirked at her and started the car.

"Let's hit the road."

/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\

Ray watched Rowan get dressed, he wouldn't forget the breakfasts this morning, but he wasn't going to move soon, simply because he didn't want to.

Rowan finished pulling her shoes on and looked at Ray. She did not want to go. But, JT wasn't here, she had to go. She sighed and kissed him before heading back downstairs, tidying her ponytail as she went.

He sighed as she left and decided that getting dressed would probably be a good idea. Just in case anyone other than Rowan came upstairs. He shifted his legs onto the floor and slid his boxers on and then his jeans for good measure. He sat comfortably on the sofa and sighed again.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Rowan went straight to the walk-in on the pretext of getting more bacon, but she wanted to make sure her skin wasn't flushed. She came back out with a few random things and set about helping Syed with the breakfast orders.

"So, did you get the crate all moved?" he asked and gave her a knowing look. Rowan managed to gaze at him blandly before replying.

"Yes, it was just a few things I had shipped from back home that I want to unpack later," she said blithely. It was partially true, the crate existed, it just hadn't needed moving. She turned back to the stove and Syed snorted a laugh, finally drawing a blush from Rowan. She made sure James and Ffion had the station breakfasts packed up and ready so that Ray would be able to take them when he left.

Ray finally decided that it was time to go to work. He went back down into the restaurant and kissed Rowan goodbye before making sure he had the breakfast order for the Station and leaving the restaurant. He placed the breakfasts in the car as he got in and drove his way to work.

She gave Ray a quick smile before he kissed her and watched him grab the box the breakfasts were in and carry it out. She yawned hugely, feeling a bit more tired than usual and focused on getting through the breakfast rush.

Ronnie hurriedly buzzed JT up when he arrived and pointed out the boxes that needed to go on the truck. He helped her carry them downstairs and stack them on the pavement outside and called up the stairs at her when he saw the truck pulling up.

She came down and greeted the men Jack had hired to drive their things to the house where they would be staying. They began to quickly and efficiently load the boxes onto the truck and then set off. Ronnie sighed as she watched the truck drive away.

JT followed her back upstairs and looked at the few boxes that she needed to have stored.

"Well, I'll get these carried over to the pub and...well...do you just want to go over there. This place seems pretty bleak now it's empty and you've got your things in that suitcase," he suggested.

Ronnie nodded.

"Why don't you help me take my things over to the pub and I'll give you the keys so you can move the rest of the boxes over," she agreed.

He grinned and helped her get the stroller downstairs and then went back and grabbed her two suitcases. She had the diaper bag and her handbag slung over her shoulder and nodded that she was ready. She walked with JT to the pub and he put her cases at the foot of the stairs before heading back to her flat to get the boxes to be stored. Ronnie went upstairs and sat with Peggy and wondered where Roxy was.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Ray left the box of breakfasts on the table in the middle of the room. he had eaten already, but took the opportunity to snaffle a cinnamon roll before Rhys showed up and scoffed them all. Strangely once Rhys reached work the food seemed to miraculously vanish into nothing. Ray was glad that he delivered the food because it meant he got to take out what he wanted before everyone got the chance. He took the roll back to his desk and eyed the third draw down on Alex's desk. She wasn't here yet, she wouldn't know. Ray left his roll on his desk as his computer loaded up and opened her drawer. He grinned at the sight of the Pop Tarts. He pulled out a box and opened it.

"RAY CARLING! I _KNEW _IT WAS YOU STEALING MY STASH!"

Ray looked up in alarm and cringed at the sight of Alex, busted! He quickly hid the box behind his back, tucking it into the waist band of his trousers and nudged the drawer shut before she could see that he had actually been in it. "I don't know what you're talking about Drake, I dropped a pen and it rolled all the way over here," he told her innocently.

Alex frowned at him. "I've told you Ray, you can't call me Drake anymore, it's not my name!" she sighed. "And I don't see any pen," she challenged. Ray hurriedly looked around him and ran his hand over his head, he hadn't thought this through, Alex and the Guv weren't usually in this early. "Well, that's because I can't find it!" he retorted. "I am not the one stealing your stash of Pop Tarts!" he told her as he stood carefully and kept his front facing her so she wouldn't see the box tucked into his trousers.

Alex glared. She didn't believe him one bit! "Which pen?" she asked curiously. Ray shrugged. "I don't analyse which pen I'm going to use Alex, I pick a random one out. I don't plan ahead like you, my time is spent doing things more interesting than deciding whether to use the green pen or the red pen," he scoffed, causing Alex to bristle.

Alex stalked to her desk and yanked open her drawer. Her head snapped up as he backed away form her casually. "YOU'VE NICKED THE CHOCOLATE ONES!"

Ray shook his head insistently. "Not me Alex, I've told you, maybe Rhys, he eats a lot," he suggested and Alex narrowed her eyes at him. "They were in my draw when I left last night and you'd already gone, as had Rhys, also, Rhys isn't in yet. I know it's you, so give them back Ray," she ordered.

Ray narrowed his eyes at her. "Or what?" he said, "You gonna tell one me?" he mocked her. A gleam lit up Alex's eyes and she grinned. "I might just do that Ray, I can be verrrry persuasive," she drawled. Ray glared at her, maybe that suggestion hadn't been his brightest idea, the Guv was her husband after all. She could threaten him with all kinds of terrible things. Alex merely smiled at him and sauntered into Gene's office and perched on his desk with a pout.

"Gene," she said, "Ray stole my Pop Tarts," she told him and stroked a finger down his thigh. "Will you get them back for me please? I'd be very grateful," she said as she gazed at him and leaned closer.

Gene glanced up at Alex as she perched on his desk. He raised his eyebrow as she leaned, but he was in no mood for bickering. Sammy had been fussy and Molly had been gripey and he was fed up. He stood up and stepped around his desk, smiling serenely at Alex as he did so. He put his hands on her shoulders and stood her up. He stroked a gentle finger down her cheek and then turned her around, putting his arm around her shoulders as he walked to the door of his office.

"You have a problem with Ray, love?" he asked her softly then gave her a quick push out of his doorway and towards her desk.

"Work it out on your own," he snapped. "I have two children at home, I don't need this sort of bickering here," he finished and turned back into his office and slammed the door behind him. He then looked out the glass partition and dropped all the blinds so he wouldn't have to see them before sitting back down at his desk. He wondered if he shouldn't rethink moving to the Super's office on the other side of the building to get away from it. He sighed and buried his nose back in the file he was going through.

Alex glared at the door that he had shut firmly behind him, locking her out. She bristled as she heard Ray's laughter behind her and rounded on him. He couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her face as he pulled the Pop Tarts out from behind his back. Alex made a grab for them, but he held them out of her reach. Alex scowled and made to grab them again but he just held them up higher.

"Well, that backfired didn't it, DI Hunt?" he grinned at her. "I thought you were into all that independence rubbish, but first little problem you can't solve and you go running to Gene," he mocked her and Alex shot daggers at him. "Just give me back my Pop Tarts, Ray," she demanded and he shook his head. "So, you've completely humiliated yourself Alex, yet you still don't give up," he remarked and held the box where he could see it. "All for a measly box of Pop Tarts."

Ray knew this wasn't about her Pop Tarts, it was more an issue with her pride. He grinned as he pulled out a Pop Tart. Alex narrowed her eyes at him. "Just give them back, Ray."

"Say please."

Alex clenched her fist. "I'm not going to say please to you!"

"Say please or you don't get them back," he told her as he held the box away in case she made to grab it again.

Alex huffed out a breath and took her seat at her desk. She turned to her computer and pulled out her folder. "You're so childish sometimes, Ray," she sniffed.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her, she was going to play it like that was she. He picked up his cinnamon roll and stuffed it into his mouth. Swallowed. Then took a Pop Tart out of the box. He made to walk out of their office. He turned as he reached the door. "So you won't mind if I have these then, if I'm being so childish," he shrugged.

Alex didn't look up at him but shrugged at him. Ray grinned and went out to the kitchen. Alex looked up as he left and glanced over at his desk. She hurriedly went over and raided his drawers, she took everything out and stashed it in the filing cabinet in the main office then hurried back to her desk and resumed her seat at her computer silently.

Ray came back munching on her Pop Tarts and sat down at his desk with a satisfied smirk.

Gene listened to the argument and sighed. He heard drawers being slammed and then silence. He came out of his office and could tell by the look on Alex's face that she was up to something. She couldn't hide anything from him, though he often let her think she could. It helped keep the peace.

"If the pair of you can't stop fighting I'm going to separate you," he told them. "You're doing my head in," he finished. He grabbed the box of Pop Tarts off Ray's desk and stalked off down the hall, taking the box with him.

Alex looked after Gene indignantly as he took the Pop Tarts away. She stood and went through to the main office and grabbed one of Rowan's chocolate muffins and a cinnamon roll from the box and sat down at her desk again after blanking Ray completely. Now she was in a bad mood! Brilliant!

Ray stuffed the Pop Tarts into his mouth and chewed. He glanced at Alex and realised he had probably pushed it a bit too far. She'd get over it, she always did. She would be snappy and pissed with him for a few days then she would go back to normal and start teasing him again!

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Ronnie still saw no sign of Roxy. She loaded JJ into his stroller and thanked JT for bringing all the boxes over and got her keys back. He helped her get the contraption downstairs and she walked to the café to give Jane back the keys and have some tea.

"Hiya, Ronnie, how are things?"

"Better if I could find Roxy," she remarked and smiled. "Okay, I've cleaned the flat and all my things are out so here are the keys," she said and handed the keys to Jane. "Now, I need a cup of tea and one of those pieces of chocolate cake."

"Of course you do," Jane said agreeably and chuckled. "You go on, I'll bring it over."

Ronnie went to a table towards the back and nodded at Tanya as she sat down. Jane brought the tea and cake over to Ronnie and quietly passed the keys to the flat to Tanya when Ronnie wasn't looking.

"So," Jane began as she sat down. "When do you leave?"

"Well, like I said, I have to find Roxy and get the money for the club and I was hoping Alyssa would be back so I could say goodbye to her."

"Oh, that's right; she was out of town and didn't make it to the party last night."

Ronnie nodded. "If she doesn't get back by the time I need to leave then I'll just have to call her or something, say it that way," she decided and took a bite of the cake.

"I tell you one thing I will miss is this chocolate cake of Rowan's. I'm completely addicted. I'll have to make it a rule that anyone who comes to visit me must bring me some of this cake," she laughed.

"I bet Rowan would gladly ship you cake on a regular basis if you asked her."

"You're right, I bet she would," Ronnie agreed. "I will have to ask her."

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

JT got tired of sitting around and finally went to Peggy.

"Well, I've helped Ronnie so I'm going to head over to the restaurant. They're likely busy. Let Roxy know," JT told her. Peggy nodded and went back to the game she was playing with Amy.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Roxy practically skipped back from the bank. The money was now in her account and she could afford the Club. She got to Ronnie's and looked around. No one. She frowned and pulled out her phone to call her sister.

Ronnie picked up her phone and looked. Roxy! Finally! She flipped it open.

"Hey, Rox, I waited for you at the Vic when I got done, but didn't know where you'd got to. I'm at the café now. Where were you?" she asked curiously.

"Outside yours. I just got back from the bank. I've got the rest of the cash for the Club that I owe you," she grinned. "Stay at the Cafe, I'll be there in a tic," she said and shut off her phone. She turned in the direction of the market and nearly ran to the Cafe. She smiled at Tanya as she saw her and took her seat next to Ronnie.

"Here you go," she said as she handed her the cheque.

"Thank you," Ronnie said and folded the check and put it in her bag. She sighed. "Do you want to walk with me over to the restaurant when I've finished this cake? I want to see if Rowan might be willing to send me some on a regular basis."

She paused and then looked at Roxy curiously. "Unless you're going to be visiting…say…once a week? Then you can just bring it when you come," she smiled at her sister.

She finished the cake and drained her tea. She glanced at her watch as she stood.

"Jack will be here to pick me up in an hour or so," she said. "He texted me when he left this morning. He's bringing Penny with him so that should be an enjoyable drive back. I think I'll let her sit up front with Jack and stay in back with the baby."

"Penny is going to be with him? You didn't get along with her so well last time did you?" she sighed.

"Yes, it was less than pleasant. So, if I sit in back with the baby I won't have to endure cold silences or frosty glares," she explained to her sister as they walked.

"Ron, you are going to be living in France not the other side of London. But I promise to visit as often as I can and bring some of Rowan or JT's cooking with me. And Amy, she'll want to see her Dad."

"Well then, let us go and talk to Rowan because I really don't want to miss out on this cake," Ronnie stated and stood up. She waved at Roxy to go and began to push the stroller out.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Rowan sat down tiredly when the breakfast rush was over. She was exhausted! JT looked over at her.

"Why don't you go upstairs and take a nap? Syed and I can handle getting things ready for lunch," he offered. Rowan blinked and looked at him and nodded slowly. She staggered carefully up the stairs and dropped onto the couch. She curled up, tucking one of the cushions under her head. She could still smell Ray's cologne on it. She squeezed it and closed her eyes with a sigh.

She should ask Louisa if you were supposed to get this tired. Before, she'd done much of what she'd done today and still been loaded with energy. She hoped it was just being pregnant and would pass and not that she was becoming ill or that something was wrong. She yawned hugely and fell asleep between one thought and the next.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Jane walked over after Ronnie and Roxy left and her customers were taken care of. She dropped into the seat across from Tanya and grinned at her.

"So, looks like you're all set. Do you need me to help move any of your things? Bianca should be here soon and I'll have some time," Jane offered.

Tanya nodded. "I'll see how long it takes to get Oscar and myself packed up at Max's then go round and see what I'll need from my flat," she agreed. "See you later," she waved as she left.

"Okay, see you later," Jane said and gave Tanya quick wave before going back to work.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

He drove along and any time she looked prepared to open her mouth about his driving he held up some duct tape and a length of rope. He was very glad to finally reach Walford just after lunchtime.

"Do you think Ronnie is still here? I think she was supposed to be leaving today," he wondered. "Let's have some lunch and visit Rowan."

He pulled up to the restaurant and parked.

"Yes, that hotel was posh, but I think Rowan's food was better," he remarked and got out of the car.

"I hope she is still here, I was kind of hoping to say goodbye to her before she left," she sighed as he pulled up outside Rowan's and she smiled at the familiar sight. As welcome as the trip back to Birmingham had been she didn't feel quite as at home there as she did down here in London with Rowan and Jack. She knew that her blood relations: Mother, Father, Brother, all lived in Birmingham, but the people she actually counted as family all lived down here. So this was home; Home is where the heart is. Her heart belonged to Jack.

Alyssa smiled and nodded in agreement, as tasty as the hotel food had been Rowan's was still the best place to eat that she knew of. She climbed out of the car and followed him inside. "The only problem with Rowan is that she doesn't deliver breakfast in bed every morning," she commented as she hung her coat up on one of the hooks near the toilets and went into the Restaurant.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

"I suppose we could ask her, but she'd no doubt refuse after laughing in our faces. See, we should have hired her as our personal chef, then we could get breakfast in bed," he justified.

He waved at James and Ffion as he and Alyssa went to sit down. James followed them to the table, his tastefully-stubbled face stretched into a smile.

"I'm guessing you're here for lunch?" he asked them with a chuckle. "If you want to see herself though, she upstairs having a lie down," he told them.

"I want a huge cheeseburger and a pile of chips and a beer," Jack told him. James nodded and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa raised her eyes at Jack's order, they had only had breakfast a few hours ago and since then he had been sitting down driving. She smiled up at James and ordered one of Rowan's salads before finding herself being embraced by Ronnie, she hugged her back. "I was worried I'd missed you and you had already run off to France," she smiled and took the paper with the address on it. She pocketed it and smiled at Ronnie as Roxy took the other seat and looked directly at Alyssa.

"It's official," she said.

Alyssa frowned at Roxy "What is?" she asked

"I'm no longer your boss, I sold the Salon to Tanya this morning" she informed Alyssa. Alyssa nodded slowly, she was a bit uneasy about the sudden change, she knew Roxy didn't get involved much, if at all, with the running of the Salon and to be honest that was the way she like it, she could do whatever she pleased as long as it brought in the profits. Now Tanya was her boss Alyssa didn't know what to expect. She was comfortable as she was. "Okay," she nodded for lack of anything else to say.

Roxy sighed. "She's fine Alyssa, you'll like her," she enthused. "She's run the Salon before so she knows what she's doing at least."

Alyssa nodded again and managed a smile before turning back to Ronnie. "So, how are you feeling about moving to France? I know you said you were a bit, well, resigned a few weeks ago but surely you feel differently now? I mean, Ronnie, You're moving to France! You get all the yummy French food on your doorstep, gorgeous views, the language, sure there's the frogs legs and the snails but as long as you don't order 'escargots' anywhere you go then you'll be fine!" she beamed. "And you can count on me coming out to visit, I'm not passing up a trip to France, No way!"

Jack raised his eyebrows and looked at Alyssa, but said nothing. A new owner of the salon, and one far more likely to be hands on than Roxy.

Ronnie looked at Alyssa and gave her a small smile. "I don't mind so much. I just wish Jack's daughter liked me more," she shrugged. "I know it will take time, though, so I'm hopeful. Of course, when you do come visit, you must bring some of Rowan's chocolate cake to me. I came here actually to see if I could get her to maybe ship me some on occasion," she said cheerfully. She looked around.

"I don't see her however," she mused.

James came over bearing Jack and Alyssa's food order and looked at Ronnie.

"She's upstairs having a lie down," James told her. Ronnie looked at Alyssa then back at James.

"How long has she been up there?"

"Couple of hours," he replied thoughtfully. Ronnie looked at Alyssa.

"Let's go see if she's awake," she suggested. "Keep an eye on JJ for me for a couple of minutes, please, Roxy?" Ronnie asked and got up and headed for the stairs. She looked back and waved at Alyssa to hurry up.

Roxy nodded and looked down at her sleeping nephew with a smile, as hard work as Amy had been at the age she could remember the bliss when she was asleep as JJ was now. Silence was golden when you had a baby. She tucked his blanket more securely around him and ran the pram backwards and forwards gently to make sure he stayed asleep.

Alyssa smiled at Roxy and pressed a quick kiss to Jack's cheek then walked after Ronnie, she couldn't help but chuckle. She overtook Ronnie and looked up the steps to Rowan and Ray's flat. It was quiet. She looked back at Ronnie and pressed her finger to her lips then proceeded to creep silently up the stairs, glad that she had opted to wear her pumps not her heels. She knocked on the door and waited for a few moments then looked behind her at Ronnie and pulled out her spare key to Rowan's flat then slowly opened the lock.

Alyssa pushed the door open and led Ronnie into the flat, shutting the door behind the pair of them.

Ronnie followed Alyssa and looked around. She saw Rowan sleeping on the couch. Ronnie wondered how Rowan slept all twisted round like that and looked at Alyssa.

"How does she sleep like that? Ray must love that she's so, ummm, bendy," Ronnie remarked and softly snorted a laugh.

Alyssa shrugged. "I don't really know, I don't think I've ever seen her sleep before," she replied and knelt down near Rowan and grinned at Ronnie.

"How to wake her? what do we think?" she smirked. "I could hit her with a cushion, or," she looked around and smiled at the sight of the sink. "A glass of water over her head...or we could make loads of noise, or just the simple prodding until she wakes up," she chuckled. "I can't decide," she shrugged.

"You could just try asking if I'm awake," Rowan muttered. "You two are louder than a group of magpies, I swear."

She unwound herself from the cushions and sat up and rubbed her eyes while she yawned. She blinked and peered up at Alyssa and Ronnie.

"What time is it? What do you need?"

Ronnie chuckled. "It's gone noon and I wanted to talk to you about the possibility of scoring me some chocolate cake while I'm far, far away in France," she explained. Rowan looked at her.

"Do they not have chocolate cake in France?" she groaned as she stood up. "Good grief, I've slept for hours. Had no idea I was that tired."

"Don't worry, it'll pass," Ronnie told her. "Then you'll hit a point where you have boundless energy and you'll drive everyone insane with your cleaning. And to answer your question, while yes they do have chocolate cake in France, they do not have _your _chocolate cake, which I love."

"Okay, leave me your address and I'll see what I can do," Rowan replied agreeably. She turned to Alyssa and hugged her.

"So, how was the visit to the old hometown?" Rowan asked her and gestured the pair of them to precede her downstairs. Ronnie grinned and bounded down the stairs.

Alyssa chuckled and followed Ronnie downstairs, chattering to Rowan about her trip to Birmingham with Jack.

She told Rowan about everywhere she took Jack and about the hotel he had booked for her birthday present.

Rowan listened interestedly to Alyssa talk about Birmingham, nodding knowingly quite often. She'd lived there for a few months. She gasped at the description of the hotel Jack had booked. How wonderful to be surrounded by luxury and pampered constantly!

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Gene finished his meetings and came back to his office. He speared Alex and Ray each with his gaze, they both seemed to be behaving...for now.

"Will you be going to the restaurant for lunch?" Gene asked Ray. "I have a meeting with the Super and I won't have time to go anywhere. If you go, bring me back one of those Philly steak sandwiches she started making and some chips."

Ray nodded, when did he ever not go home for lunch? He snorted and pulled a face at Alex before returning to his work. Now Gene had mentioned lunch he sneaked a glance at the clock, he still had a while until he was allowed to take his lunch break.

Alex smiled innocently at Gene, she would be going home for lunch to see Sam and relieve their child-minder for the rest of the day. She had the afternoon off today anyway so got to spend it with her son. The flat needed cleaning anyway and Molly's room was a tip! She sighed, her daughter would have to get the duster and vacuum clean her room when she got back from school today. She knew that Molly would spend time with Peter after school to do homework or whatever they did when they were together. She sighed as she looked at the clock; she would go home once Ray got back from lunch.

Gene stopped in the doorway of his office and looked back at Ray.

"Well, go on then. The sooner you go, the sooner you are back with my food," he snapped and continued into his office and shut the door.

Ray looked at Alex and grinned. He patted her head as he left, causing her to swipe at him in annoyance. He chuckled and left the office.

Alex felt she could relax once Ray had gone, he hadn't noticed his stuff missing as he hadn't looked in his drawers at any point. So her removing it had been pointless. She smiled that Gene had let him leave early though, it meant that she got to go as soon as Ray got back. As much as she loved work she was itching to go and see Sammy.

She could wait though, if Gene had meetings then she wouldn't leave him without a DI in charge.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Jack drove onto the Square, going first to the flat. He buzzed several times, but after there was no answer he finally got back in the car.

"Okay, she's probably at the pub with her sister," he decided with a glance at Penny who gave the barest shrug of her shoulders as she stared at the window. He drove to the pub and had Penny wait in the car while he went inside. He spotted Peggy and went over to her.

"Where's Ronnie?"

"Oh, she and Roxy have gone over to Rowan's. She was talking about cake I believe," Peggy replied before turning to serve someone.

Jack thanked her and went back out to the car. He climbed back inside and proceeded to drive to the restaurant.

"Seems she went in search of chocolate cake," he tried again, but still received no reaction from Penny. He knew she was no doubt less than thrilled that he was married to Ronnie now and they had a baby, but she had simply clammed up rather than throw a tantrum. He wasn't sure which was worse.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Tanya got sorted throwing her things back into her suitcase. Then dumped everything down by the bottom of the stairs ready to go into her car when everything was done. She got started on collecting all of Oscar's toys from around the house and did a bit of tidying while she was at it. Max wasn't particularly messy but he wasn't as tidy as she would like.

Tanya smiled as she realised that she was all packed up finally and then got moving everything out into her car. She would leave Oscar with Max today so that she could everything sorted in her new place. She smiled as she sent a text off to Jane and drove her car down to Ronnie and Jack's old place. Her new home

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Jack pulled up in front of the restaurant and stopped the car.

"I'll just go in and get her. Do you want me to bring you anything? I will say this for the lady that runs this place, she can't half bake," Jack asked.

Penny looked interested for the first time since they'd left.

"Suppose some cakes or something would be nice," she mumbled.

"Cakes or something," Jack echoed. "Right."

He hurried inside the restaurant and caught sight of Roxy sitting with the pram and then Ronnie coming out from the hall, followed by Rowan and Alyssa. They must have been up in the flat, he reasoned.

"Hey, Ron," he said. She grinned hugely when she saw him and ran to him, flinging her arms around him. He hugged her back and nodded at a smiling Rowan as he extracted himself from Ronnie's embrace.

"Say your goodbyes, love, and get your things, Penny's waiting in the car. She wants some cakes so you have a minute," he told Ronnie. She sighed and nodded.

Rowan stopped at the counter and pulled out a box and waited for Jack to point out what he wanted to get his daughter. She boxed them up and then filled another box with Ronnie's favorite chocolate cake and scrawled Ronnie's name across it. She took Jack's money but refused to take money for Ronnie's cake.

"Consider it a going away present," Rowan said.

"Thanks, Rowan, very kind," Jack said and went back out to the car. He handed Penny the box with the snacks he'd got her and then checked the car seat in the back and put the box of Ronnie's cake in the back next to it then stood near the car and waited for her to emerge.

Rowan went over and gave Ronnie a hug. "I gave Jack a box of cake for you," she said.

"Thanks," Ronnie replied and then wrapped Alyssa and her sister into hugs.

"Come visit soon, okay?"

Alyssa hugged Ronnie back. "I promise that I will come down to France to visit you," she smiled.

Roxy hugged Ronnie fiercely. "I promise, I promise, I promise," she said as she pulled away with a firm nod. "I'm going to miss you like crazy Ronnie, you'd best check your emails and texts at least 5 times a day!" she demanded and hugged her sister again before kissing her cheek and smiled at Jack before kissing JJ's cheek. She turned to Jack and gave him a quick hug. "I'll bring Amy with me when I come down to visit you all," she told him. "She'll miss you," she told him.

Roxy waved Ronnie and Jack off, catching sight of Penny in the front of the car, looking decidedly moody. She sighed, she would miss her sister, Amy had JT, who was really more of a Dad to her than Jack was. JT was the one that was there 24/7 and the one that was there for her when Roxy wasn't. She smiled, Amy really loved JT. But Roxy didn't have a replacement for Ronnie, the closest she got was Christian! And even he wasn't a good replacement for Ronnie.

Ronnie sniffed and accepted a tissue from Rowan and blew her nose.

"I'll come back as soon as I can to visit," Ronnie promised. She picked JJ up from the stroller and Jack walked over to help her fold it up. He nodded at Roxy and carried the stroller out and put it in the trunk and waited for Ronnie to come out. Ronnie pressed her lips closed and looked at her friends and her sister. She gave them a sad smile.

"See you," she said and hurried from the restaurant before she burst into tears. Jack sighed and helped Ronnie put JJ in the car seat. He folded her into his arms after closing the car door.

"Promise we'll be able to visit soon, or at least I will," she whispered.

"Of course, Ron, anything you want," Jack replied softly and stroked her hair.

Ronnie let out a long breath and walked around to get in the back seat. She pulled several tissues out of her bag as Jack climbed into the car and wiped her face. Jack made sure she was settled and drove to the pub to collect her things before they left the Square for France.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Jane read Tanya's text and hurriedly pulled off her apron.

"Okay, B, I'm off out. I'm going to be helping Tanya move. Call Marie if you get stuck alright?"

"Sure, Jane. If you need any help with heavy stuff, let me know and I'll have my Ricky go round and sort it for ya," Bianca offered.

"Thanks," Jane said and pulled her car keys from her bag as she half-ran home. She waved at Tanya.

"Okay, I'm here and I'm ready to go," Jane said.

Tanya smiled and pulled out the key that Jane had given her earlier. She smiled. "I've got all my stuff in my car," she pointed.

Tanya slid the key into the lock and opened the door. She smiled. "So," she said as she propped the door open. "This one I know is yours," she pointed at Jane's flat. "Which makes that one mine and Oscar's," she smiled happily at Jane. "I want to have a look around before I unload all my stuff," she exclaimed and ran up the stairs.

"Sure thing," Jane agreed and grabbed some bags to carry up while Tanya looked around.

Jane put the bags down near the couch and looked at Tanya.

"So, what do you think? Should be plenty of space for you," she said. Jane walked over and pulled open the curtains.

"Wow, she even cleaned the windows."

Tanya went around inspecting each and every room. She chose the larger one for herself. Oscar could have the smaller one. She turned and beamed at Jane. "I love it Jane! It's perfect!" she beamed.

Tanya smiled at the bags Jane had brought up and took them and put them in Oscar's room. "Fancy helping unloading the car?" she asked as she made to go downstairs again.

Jane chuckled at Tanya.

"I believe I've already started helping unload the car haven't I?" she teased and followed Tanya downstairs.

"So, we'll get this lot unloaded and then go to your place and pack up there?" Jane asked. "Once we're finished, then I think we should celebrate."

Tanya grinned at Jane and nodded "It is definitely a cause for celebration" she agreed as she handed a couple more bags to Jane from the car and grabbed the remaining 3 herself. She followed Jane back up to the flat where she dumped the bags next to the rest and looked at Jane with a nod. "Right, I need to go to my flat and pick up everything and then either sell or put my other stuff into storage" she said with a smile and locked her front door. She went back outside with Jane and got into her car with a grin. She waited for Jane to get in then drove off.

"Okay, I'll follow you there. Just in case you need more than one vehicle," Jane offered and climbed into the SUV and followed behind Tanya as she pulled away.

Jane got out of her car once Tanya had stopped.

"So, this is the place?" she remarked as she walked over to Tanya. "I guess we better get busy, the quicker we get done, the quicker we can celebrate."

Tanya nodded and ushered Jane inside. She went around and emptied the wardrobes and then handed the stuff for Jane to take out to the cars as she went around packing all the smaller stuff that she knew wasn't in her new home. Tanya scanned her flat, she had only left anything fixed, her sofa, her arm chairs, the beds. And everything else that was too big to fit into the cars. Jane's SUV had her TV in it as she refused to leave it behind. She would put the rest of her things into storage and sell anything they no longer needed, it seemed like a good time for a clearout.

Tanya led Jane back to Walford and they spent their time sorting out her new home. Once everything was finally put in it's place and the beds were made and her TV set up in the front room and the smaller one moved to her bedroom she collapsed next to Jane on the sofa. She smiled happily. "So, how about we have a private house warming party?" she grinned.

Jane happily helped Tanya, loading up the vehicles and occasionally filling a box when needed.

She grinned at Tanya's suggestion. "Let me just nip downstairs and get the wine."

She jumped up off the couch and hurried downstairs with more energy then she thought she had. She grabbed two bottles of wine and the bottle opener and then as an afterthought, grabbed some crisps out of the cupboard. She went back upstairs.

"You know, I've got these crisps but maybe we should get a takeaway for dinner. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel on the hungry side."

Tanya nodded her agreement. "I'm thinking Indian. I haven't had curry in forever" she grinned as she got a couple of glasses from the kitchen. Tanya brought them back into the front room and handed one to Jane and set the other on the table as Jane opened the wine. She had to admit, she did love when she and Jane had nights in like this

"Well, Max has agreed to have Oscar for me until I've got this place sorted so I've left him with some clothes, some spare clothes and all Oscars nappies and things," she smiled. "So, I'm definitely thinking a girly night in tonight," she smiled as she went to get her folder of Takeaway menus from the draw where she had placed it. She pulled the menus out and separated the ones for the Indian restaurants "Which one d'you think?" she asked as she studied them.

"Argee Bhajee it is then, let's go," Jane said and headed for the door.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Rowan watched Ronnie leave and then looked back at Alyssa and Jack.

"So, heard you had a nice time in your posh hotel," she remarked and Jack grinned.

"Food wasn't as good as yours," he stated and went back to his cheeseburger.

Rowan shook her head and then told Alyssa where she had lived and worked when she'd lived there around five years ago. No doubt Alyssa might just know the places. Rowan thought it might be funny if they had run into each other when Rowan lived there.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Ray grinned as he finally reached the restaurant, for some reason just seeing it made his mood brighten. He supposed it was because he knew that Rowan was inside. He spotted her at a table with Jack and Alyssa and smiled. He strolled inside and went straight up to their table and bent to press his lips to Rowan's. He smiled down at her as he pulled up a chair and looked at her expectantly. "So, where's lunch?" he asked with a smile.

Alyssa looked up as Ray came in and snorted at his question to Rowan causing him to raise an eyebrow at her which she discarded with a shrug.

Ray glanced over at Jack "So, how was it in _Birmingham_?" he asked putting on a brummy accent causing Alyssa to glare across the table at him. "That, was rubbish," she told him and put on a Brummy accent herself. "If you're gonna say it, say it right, yo know what I mean bab!" she said and chuckled to herself.

Ray looked at her. "You really are from Birmingham aren't you? Normally you sound so posh, but that was an actual, proper brummy accent!" he told her and Alyssa rolled her eyes. "I did grow up in Birmingham, just because I lived at the posher end doesn't mean that I didn't have friends that had really thick brummy accents," she told him.

Rowan shook her head and looked at Ray.

"It's in the kitchen, waiting to be cooked, where do you think?" she drawled and gestured James over and nudged Ray's leg under the table with her foot and made a face at him.

Rowan's eyebrows flew up and she looked at Alyssa when Alyssa finished speaking. She burst out laughing.

"You sound so weird when you talk like that," Rowan chuckled. Jack nodded agreement.

"Yeah, the way you eat bacon sandwiches I can handle, but please don't do that again. You don't sound like yourself," he stated and ate some more of his chips.

Rowan looked at Alyssa while James took Ray's order.

"So, are you looking forward to your new boss?" she wanted to know. "She seemed nice enough at the party. She's Jane's best friend so she can't be all bad," Rowan observed. "I wonder how Roxy is going to run both the pub and the club. I have this bad feeling she is going to steal JT from working here to do more at the pub and I'm going to have to find another cook," she noted with a sigh. "I've already started buying halal chicken so Syed can at least cook that. But he can't handle beef or pork at all. Well, he probably would if it was an emergency, but I'm not going to ask him to. And JT is already familiar with most of the food; he grew up eating it too after all."

She waved her hands in front of her face. "I'm not going to think about it right now. No matter what, she can't take JT from here full time until after the end of October," she decided.

Ray snorted at her and looked up at James as he came over and placed his order

Alyssa smiled at them. "I hardly ever talk like that. I'm not a big fan of the Brummy accent, but if you're going to imitate then you have to do it properly," she shrugged and looked at Jack. "And what d'you mean 'handle my bacon sandwiches'? There's nothing wrong with them!" she told him

Alyssa smiled at Rowan and shrugged. "She seemed alright at the party yeah, but I get the feeling that she is going to be more hands on than Roxy ever was. That I'm not looking forward to, I've got used to running the place and I have an idea that she's going to come in and change everything. I know she's run the Salon before but loads has changed since then. If she was using the same system that they were when I arrived then I'm sorry but we are not changing back!" she said a little grumpily.

"Well, you've already employed JT, surely she can't steal him away from here. He does such a good job. Can't you just share him?" she asked.

"I didn't say there was," Jack replied blandly and went back to his chips. He wouldn't be able to wind her up with Rowan here. Rowan would tell on him. He looked at Ray.

"The hotel was amazing. I don't think I've ever stayed anywhere so posh," he remarked in an effort to avoid conversation with the women.

"Well, if it gets too bad you can come here. I know it's not as glam as the salon, but you could wait tables," Rowan offered. "I would never sentence you to the drudgery of the kitchen. I'd bring James into the kitchen," she said, glancing up at James as he brought Ray's food over.

James snorted and looked at her. "So you want me to burn this place down then?" he asked and Rowan chuckled.

"You'd learn," she quipped and looked back at Alyssa. "It may take a bit of time, but I think the pair of you will be fine. She'll get used to the fact that your system is pretty efficient. Oh, and remember, she is a single mum with a toddler and she's used to being able to spend as much time with her kids as she wants. That's going to factor in there somewhere," Rowan added.

Alyssa rolled her eyes at him and turned back to Rowan. "I'm just dreading that she will come steam-rolling in and start making changes that don't need to happen. I suppose I'll have to meet up with her soon so that we can sort everything out. I mean, I'm perfectly happy doing what I'm doing now, and if I'm honest, I don't really want to be doing any less than I am. I like being busy!" she sighed "But you're right about her being a Mum. Max isn't going to want to look after the baby when he's got the carlot to look after. So, I'm kinda hoping that she will leave me in charge while she looks after her kids," she sighed.

"We already do share JT. The trouble is, I'm going to need someone who knows the food and can run the kitchen for a few weeks. I'm going to reach a point where it's going to be difficult to do things. I'm already not allowed to do heavy lifting. Not that I'm complaining," she was quick to add before Ray could chide her for the remark. "But it does make work a bit more difficult."

Jack glanced over as he finished eating another chip.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her and gestured at her belly "You are not doing anything that will damage you Ro, that includes lifting, and over strenuous stuff that you shouldn't do" he told her firmly "We've been through this" he added and looked around grumpily "Where's my lunch? I'm starving!" he huffed and looked at her "Shouldn't someone be cooking something for me to eat?" he asked her with a frown.

"Did you hear me complaining? I was merely pointing out that I was going to need help and why. And the doctor told me what not to do and I didn't argue then either. And your food is right there, James just brought it over," she frowned. "You are as grumpy as a bear with a sore paw," she observed. "Eat your lunch."

She looked at Alyssa. "Sheesh, I thought I was the one that was supposed to get temperamental," she commented loudly and then glanced over at Ray.

"She could always have Peggy start running the pub again," Jack said. "It was her place before it was Roxy's."

"Which I am going to suggest to her if she asks me to do it. Kitchens are one thing. Helping out behind the bar for a spell is one thing. Running a pub is not something I know about and I don't want to know about," JT remarked as he walked over.

"Do you want me to make another cake?" he asked Rowan.

"Probably should, thanks," she replied then turned back to Alyssa so they could resume their conversation.

Alyssa looked up at JT with a smile and watched him wander off. "You could always talk to Roxy when you need JT to be here to take care of the restaurant. I'm sure she'd understand!" she shrugged. "It's not like she can't find someone else to help her, all she has to do is put out an advertisement and she'll get loads of interest," she said. "Everyone is looking for a job nowadays, besides, you need JT more, he is one of the only people that knows exactly how to make all the dishes on the menu," she smiled.

"I think a meeting would be an excellent idea. You should call her and see if she can meet you in the morning before the salon opens. That way you don't fight in front of the employees," Rowan teased, but held up a finger. "You do have a temper Alyssa, I can't say about Tanya, but I don't imagine a disagreement between the pair of you would be pretty and it would be good to get that sort of thing out of the way before the girls that work there, or worse, the clients, see you two arguing," she advised.

Alyssa sighed. "I know, it would be bad for business. I get that. I'll have to invite her round or whatever so we can get some stuff all sorted out. Though maybe a neutral environment would be better," she mused. "I'll find out and we can meet up and get things sorted out," she shrugged.

Ray pulled the plate towards him and dug into his food. He was only grumpy because he was hungry and the food was taking a while getting here. Normally when he got there Rowan had his food waiting! He supposed their early morning activities must have mucked up her plans for the day a bit. He shrugged to himself, he would take Rowan over her food any day!

"It probably wouldn't hurt for me to advertise for some kitchen help though. Have JT help me train them," Rowan shrugged. "I don't know."

Alyssa smiled and nodded. "Well, you have Syed and JT, and Ffion and James. So that's three of you in the kitchen and two serving," she observed. "If you really thing you need more people then you only have to paste a sheet of paper to the window or stick an advert in the newspaper," she said. "Have a think about it and maybe discuss it with JT or Syed. See what they think."

Alyssa chewed her lip. "It's okay, if I need to I can text Jane," she smiled. "We had this whole text conversation about Davina a few weeks ago, it's nice to know that someone else hates her as much as I do," she said.

Ray looked up at her, "I'm going to make sure that I'm not working any night shifts once its born," he told her. "You're gonna be exhausted and you get cranky when you're tired," he told her. "And if you end up anything like Alex did, then you are going to need your sleep," he told her with a grimace and then turned back to his food.

Alyssa chuckled at them and bit back laughter as Ray glared at her. "I'm not joking, have you seen her when she's tired?" he said pointing his knife at Rowan. Alyssa nodded. "I used to live with her Ray," she smiled.

Rowan burst into laughter and Jack couldn't help but chuckle.

"I don't exactly hate her, but I dislike her excessively," Jack put in. "I don't know what's happened to her to make her act the way she has been, but I wouldn't even be able to stand being mates with her. Just the idea of being around her makes me cringe."

Alyssa looked at him "I hate her!" she remarked. She was more glad than she would let on about Jack saying he couldn't stand being mates with Davina. Alyssa was already paranoid enough where that woman was concerned. She didn't think she would be able to stand it if Jack was friends with Davina, she would constantly be on edge. She sighed, she had the idea that had it been under different circumstances that they had met that she and Davina may have actually got on. They seemed quite similar in respects and certainly shared each others taste in men: though that wasn't necessarily a good thing.

She reached over and slid her hand into Jack's. "I'm glad you don't like her," she admitted quietly to him. "I'm not sure I could cope if you did," she smiled at him gently and squeezed his hand.

Rowan looked over at Ray. "As grumpy as you get when you haven't been fed," she shot back and smiled sweetly at him. She stood up and walked around the table to him where he was seated next to Jack and stood behind him, wrapped her arms around his chest and kissed his cheek.

"But it's very sweet of you to be home with me in the evenings," she said and squeezed him. She put her hands on his shoulders and looked around the dining room and then at Alyssa.

Ray nodded with a small shrug and shot a glance at her over his shoulder. "Hasn't happened yet, so don't thank me too soon. I may decide it's too much work and take the night shifts," he teased and kissed her cheek before returning to his food.

"Well, looks like I better get to it. The lunch rush is on," Rowan said. She plucked the piece of paper with Gene's order on it from Ray's shirt pocket and then walked over and gave Alyssa a quick squeeze.

He glanced down as she took the paper from his pocket. "Yeah, meant to give you that," he told her as he shovelled another forkful into his mouth.

"If you want to meet her here for breakfast or dinner or something I'm happy to make sure you have a table, even if it's after my normal hours, because it's you. Text me and let me know," she said.

Alyssa hugged Rowan back with a smile. "Now I feel loved!" she beamed and nodded. "Thanks, Ro, I'll let you know what we plan. Though, if the offer of here is on then I have a feeling we may have to take it," she smiled and waved as Rowan walked off to the kitchen.

She gave a quick wave then went to the kitchen and got to work.

"If she hadn't decided she should have me back when I'm with you then I might be able to be friends with her. I think the pair of you would be friends and all. She was always a bit on the posh side and she's actually quite a decent person. She works with challenged children. She got started doing it when she worked closely with Karla when we were at Waterloo Road. Karla had Aspergers. Davina was great with her," he told Alyssa.

"Shame she has these issues," he added. He sighed and pulled some notes from his wallet to pay for the food. "Let's go home."

He stood up and gave Ray a rough clap on the shoulder.

"See you later," he said and grabbed Alyssa's hand.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Peggy looked at Roxy.

"So, now you have R&R and this place? You know I'll help out here as much as you need. So will Pat," Peggy offered and looked across the bar at Pat, who nodded.

"I have to say, Peggy, it would be a lot of fun," Pat agreed.

Roxy smiled at the both of them. She already had a mind to ask Peggy to take over the pub, she knew exactly what she was doing and it would leave Roxy with time to look after the Club. She smiled at her Aunt.

"Actually Aunty Peg, I was wondering whether you would like to, well, basically look after the bar like you used to? It would mean I can get the Club sorted, and you know what you're doing in the Vic," she smiled.

"I wonder where she's going to be living. She'll be staying around if she's bought the salon," Rowan wondered. "I bet Jane rents her Jack and Ronnie's flat. Do you want me to call Jane and get Tanya's number for you?"

"Yeah, I think I might see about getting more help. It's been getting busier at lunch quite often and I'm thinking about staying open until six in the evening now, apart from just Fridays when I do the buffet. I'll have to think about it. I want to make sure the place doesn't end up short-handed when I take some time off for the baby," she said and grinned.

"Really? Oh, Roxy, I'd love to," Peggy cried and threw her arms around her niece.

Roxy was a little startled as she found her aunt attached to her but hugged her back regardless. She pulled away with a smile. "Thanks, Aunty Peg," she beamed.

"Oh, you're welcome, darlin', and thank you," Peggy bubbled. She looked at Pat and the pair of them rubbed their hands together with glee.

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Alyssa had agreed to meet Tanya to discuss the running of the Salon. They had decided to meet early morning at the restaurant as Alyssa hadn't eaten and was hoping to beg some breakfast from Rowan while she was there. She smiled and waved at Tanya as she waited patiently outside the Restaurant for Rowan to open up and let her inside. Her bag had her big folder in it and it was killing her shoulder.

"Morning Tanya," she smiled and Tanya nodded back. "Good Morning."

Alyssa looked up as Rowan opened the door to the restaurant at last and beamed a smile at her sister and gave her a grateful hug before leading Tanya inside.

Tanya said hello to Rowan as she followed Alyssa inside. She sat down opposite Alyssa at the table and watched as Alyssa started getting out her folder and unloading everything. Jane was right, the woman was efficient.  
>Alyssa held in her temper. Tanya had looked over the design she had done for the appointment book that she had designed when she first got here. Alyssa watched carefully, Tanya clearly didn't like it. Tough, it was simple enough and it worked. There was no point in creating an overly complicated system.<p>

Tanya handed the appointment sheet back. Alyssa's explanation had been easy enough to understand and everything seemed to make sense. But she still wasn't used to this way of running the Salon. She also didn't like that Alyssa seemed to fit being in charge, as nice as it was to have someone to fall back on she didn't need someone undermining her all the time which Alyssa would undoubtedly do. She handed the sheet back and began to explain her ideas for changes around the Salon. Including the brand of products they were currently using, she didn't like this brand that Roxy had favoured.

Alyssa frowned at Tanya. "You do know that the quality is the same don't you? And what we are using now is cheaper when we buy in bulk," she explained. "That's half the reason we use it, the other reason is that the customers seem to like the brand," she said and Tanya nodded. "Be that as it may, I would still rather change," she said. "I don't trust the products you're using at the moment and I won't work with something I don't trust," she said stubbornly.

Alyssa frowned. "Tanya, that makes no sense, you're just making us pay almost double the price for something that works just as well as what we are using simply because you have something against what we are using," she said in exasperation. "It makes better business sense to stay with the cheaper product. I'd agree with you if there was a substantial difference in the quality and reputation of the two brands but there isn't."

Tanya shook her head stubbornly. "Still, I still think we should change."

Alyssa gaped at her, so accepting the system was fine, but changing the products because of, what? A personal dislike? What was that about? She threw her hands into the air. "Fine, change it. But we can't afford to put prices up for treatments, things are expensive enough as it is. If we push the prices any higher then we will lose clients," she explained. "You're just going to lose the Salon money!"

Tanya shook her head. "I disagree," she said simply and Alyssa gaped at her again. She clearly wasn't going to get Tanya to change her mind. She sighed and pushed forward her new promotion idea.

"I was thinking of doing this," she said as she handed Tanya her plan. "We offer a half-price pedicure with every manicure. It's coming up to Summer, that means sandals and strappy shoes which means that everyone is going to want nice toenails. So we offer a half price pedicure, if we start next week then they will last until mid July, then they will come back to get them redone for the rest of July and August. We also advertise in local newspapers, drum up new interest, new customers," she explained as Tanya read through the plan.

Tanya nodded. "I like it, the manicures are more expensive anyway. So a half price on the pedicures makes sense," she agreed and looked down at her watch. They had covered basically everything. She had told Alyssa that she would be there almost every day unless she had issues with Oscar. So on those occasions Alyssa was in charge, when Tanya was there then she was Junior Manager as she was for Roxy, but with less to do.

"What time do you open at the moment?" she asked

Alyssa checked her watch, too. "I usually aim to get there about now to do checks on the work stations and top ups of bottles etc. before we open and the girls arrive," she said and Tanya nodded. "We had better get going then," she said as she stood up. Alyssa sighed and packed up all of her stuff. She went and thanked Rowan for breakfast and gave her another hug and a huge eyeroll before turning back to Tanya with a smile and following her out.

Rowan was glad to see Alyssa show up with Tanya for breakfast. It was still too early to properly open so she locked the door behind them and went to find out what they wanted for breakfast and then went to fix it. She listened to them argue back and forth.

She could not understand why Tanya wanted to change the products. Rowan didn't use them herself, she bought things from Louisa and her mother back home. But surely Tanya had to realize that people liked the products the salon carried already. She sighed and hoped Alyssa would be able to work things out with Tanya.

Brett pulled up outside the house with a smile at Whitney as he climbed out of the car. They had been getting back to normal for a while now as Brett had been ignoring Davina completely. He felt that his relationship with Whitney was a bit more important thanks to Davina's display with Jack at the birthday party. He had then put all his efforts into his relationship with Whitney. It seemed to have worked, she hadn't chucked him at any rate.

Brett grabbed her bag from the boot of his car and took her hand as he walked her up to the house. "So, this party at the Vic is tonight right?" he asked, she had asked him to go earlier on in the week and he had readily agreed, they hadn't gone out together in quite a while and he was looking forward to it.

"Mind if I hang around here until we get going? There really is no point in going home, by the time I get there then it will be time to come back again," he smiled at her and gave her his best pleading gaze. "I promise to be good."

Whitney smiled at Brett and nodded as she pulled out her keys and led him into the house.

"Go ahead and put the kettle on and I'm going to go stick my stuff upstairs," she said and brushed his cheek with her lips before heading upstairs.

"I can't wait till we get to the party," she bubbled as she walked up behind him and wound her arms around him.

Brett grinned, turned and wound his arms around her and pulled her close to her. "I know, it seems like ages since we went out somewhere, I know it's just the Vic but it is a party" he told her with a grin  
>He smiled down at her and pressed his lips to hers lightly "Tea or coffee? What're you having?" he asked as he gestured to the kettle as it boiled and released his grip on her and got down the mug he knew was hers and deliberately took Jacks Mug. He had been round here often enough to know which mug his former headmaster always tended to use. He liked winding Jack up, but not quite as obviously as he used to do. He didn't want Jack banning him from the house.<p>

"With all the craziness at school right now it's not been easy for us to go out," she reminded. "I'll have tea, please," she replied and went to the fridge to see what food there might be.

"Do you want a snack or should I just open some biscuits?" she wanted to know.

Brett started making her tea and looked over at her, he stopped what he was doing and looked into the fridge. He sighed. "I think I'll go with biscuits," he told her with a smile then finished making them both a mug of tea. He handed hers over and picked up Jack's mug with a smile. "So, what time d'you want to go down there?" he asked.

Roxy was rushing around downstairs in the bar putting up decorations. JT was the best person for this job, he could actually reach everything without too much trouble. But Peggy had got him doing something or other outside, probably hanging the main banner over the door: he could actually reach without too much problem. It was Peggy's official party, a management party. Roxy smiled, it was nice to see her Aunt happy again, she hadn't seen Peggy this happy in ages and felt a little proud and smug that she was the cause. She hung the banner up finally and stood back to look it over, it was wonky. She cursed under her breath and stood back on the stool and made sure she was steady before trying to fix it.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Rowan finally finished handing out the last dinner take out order and smiled at Syed.

"Thanks for helping out when JT needed to go. How do you think the new kids are doing?"

Syed shrugged. "Well, they both seem smart and willing to learn. Ffion and James really like Nora and Trevor seems to be catching on to the recipes okay. JT could tell you better, he's been working with him a lot more closely than I have," he explained.

"But you think they're settling in okay."

"Yeah, I think they are. You did good, Boss," he teased and dodged her hand.

Rowan finished tidying up and hung up her apron and followed Syed to the door to lock it behind him. She went upstairs to tidy up and change her clothes for the party. She turned sideways and looked at herself in the mirror on the back of the door as she ran her hands over her belly. She was finally showing. She tilted her head and wondered if she should be quite so big. She shrugged. She couldn't quite remember how big Alex had looked at about the same time.

She went and grabbed a clean dress and pulled on some leggings and her flat boots and waited for Ray to get home so they could go to the party.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Jack left school and climbed into his car and drove to the salon to pick up Alyssa. He did appreciate one thing about Tanya owning the salon. Alyssa didn't have to stay late and do the books anymore, at least, not every day. He just hoped they would start getting along better. He peered in through the window and saw she was at the desk and went inside.

"How is the love of my life today?" he asked cheerfully. "Ready to party at all?"

Alyssa looked up at Jack and beamed at him. She looked back down at the appointment book she was going through, she had everything sorted for tomorrow and it was Tanya's turn to close up tonight. She looked up at Jack as she shut the book and grabbed her bag. "I'm ready" she beamed at him as she went over and pulled him down into a kiss. "How was school?" she asked as she slipped her hand into his and looked over her shoulder to wave at Maddie who she knew was in the kitchen getting coffee for Kim.

"School was fine. Things getting a bit lively since we're nearing the end of the year. I suppose I'll have to talk to Roxy now about the end of year party. I hope she'll be as accommodating as Jack always was."

He drove them home and noticed Brett's car parked in front of the house.

"Great, looks like we have company. What do you say we just get ready right quick for the party and go?"

Alyssa chuckled. "I'm sure you won't have a problem with Roxy, though you may want to watch the booze if she lets you have the party there," she warned and got out of the car. "I really don't see what you're problem is with Brett, Jack," she sighed as she shut the door and pulled out her house keys. "He's a nice lad," she told him and nodded. "I'll be quick, we're meeting Ro and Ray down there anyway," she smiled.

Alyssa opened the front door and waved at Whitney and Brett in the kitchen. "Heya," she called out and heard Brett say hi back. She left her bag behind the sofa in the front room and then darted upstairs to get ready.

Alyssa was back downstairs before Jack, she had only had to change from her work clothes into her dress and brush her hair, she had done her makeup at the Salon for lack of anything else to do. She smiled at Whitney and Brett as she got herself a glass of water. "You two coming down to the pub tonight?" she asked and Brett nodded. "That's the plan."

Alyssa's eyebrows rose as she saw Brett drinking out of Jack's mug and she gave him a questioning look which he countered with an innocent smile. Alyssa snorted lightly and sat down at the kitchen table as she slipped on her heels.

Jack glanced at Alyssa. Brett. A nice lad. Jack was pretty sure that Whitney's suspicions about Brett having an affair with Davina were no doubt accurate. Brett had pursued her avidly once before. What was to stop him doing so now?

He followed her into the house and gave a smile and a nod to Brett and Whitney.

"Ummmmm," Whitney began and glanced at the clock. "I guess let's just have our tea and a couple of biscuits and then go," she shrugged and turned as she heard Jack and Alyssa arrive.

She smiled and waved at the pair of them before turning back to Brett.

Jack went into the kitchen and chose to ignore the fact that Brett was using his mug. He knew Brett was only doing it to wind him up, he chose not to rise to the bait. He would be a good boy. He went upstairs and put on a clean shirt then hurried back down.

"So, we ready to go, Lyss?" he asked.

Alyssa nodded and drained the water from her glass. She stood and smiled. "See you both in a bit then," she told Brett and Whitney as she slipped her arm around Jack's waist.

Whitney cradled her mug of tea and leaned against Brett. "We'll see you over there in a bit, yeah?" Whitney called after them.

Alyssa smiled at him as she led him outside and made her way towards the pub.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Peggy and Pat walked around, getting the pub ready for the party. She smiled hugely at Roxy and at Christian as he helped hang some more decorations.

JT came back inside and slung an arm around Roxy's shoulders.

"So, I think we're about done," he remarked as he looked around the pub. "I've got the food ready and Rowan's going to bring the cake."

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Ray parked up his car outside the restaurant and looked inside. He smiled as he climbed out and took the packet of Pop Tarts with him. He was counting how many boxes he was getting through without Alex noticing. So far he owed her about 6 boxes. That was her birthday present sorted when it finally arrived, his present to her would be the amount of Pop Tarts that he had nicked from her. He chuckled as he went upstairs and dumped the packet in the bin.

"Ro?" he called out as he looked around and spotted her on the sofa. He smiled as he went over to her and sat down next to her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then stood up. "I'll go get ready, we're still going to this party at the pub right?" he asked as he went through to the bedroom.

"I hope so, I've got dressed up and everything," she teased and got up and went into the kitchen. She saw the empty Pop Tart package in the bin and picked it up.

"Ray, what's with the Pop Tarts?" she asked him. Rowan didn't buy them. She carried it into the bedroom. "How much of these are you eating?"

Ray changed his shirt and came out. "I'm winding Alex up, don't worry. I'm not eating all of them. You know her stash? Well, whenever she goes out I nick a few and share them around the office. She notices they're gone and gets really pissed off," he said with a chuckle. "You should see her face Ro, one time she went to Gene to get him to have a go at me for it and he refused to help her. Most hilarious thing ever," he chuckled and pulled her into a hug. "I'll replace them for her birthday though," he said and kissed the top of her head.

"Besides, if I snack to much then I can't eat as much of your delicious food can I?" he grinned and patted her arse. "Pub?" he said as he took the packet off her and dumped it back into the bin.

Rowan wound her arms around his waist and shook her head.

"You really are just evil, aren't you," she teased as she leaned against him and jumped when he patted her backside.

"Yes, let's go. Just don't get too drunk," she warned. "I don't mind driving home, but remember, I'm not allowed to lift heavy things and you are definitely a heavy thing," she finished and grinned up at him before slipping from his arms, grabbing the box with Peggy's cake in it and heading out the door.

Ray chuckled. "I promise not to get too drunk to the point where I pass out" he told her as he followed her downstairs and got into the drivers seat of the car "But, if I do fall unconscious in the car then just leave me in it," he advised her as he started the car up after she got in.

"I couldn't leave you in the car," said Rowan.

Ray's gaze fell on her stomach briefly as he started the car, she was starting to show. He felt a sudden and unexpected wave of pride wash over him, he couldn't help but grin at her before driving away from the restaurant.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\\

Davina looked at herself in the mirror. She admired the way the new dress flattered her and bent to pull on her shoes.

Since his ex had moved out of the house and into her own flat, Max had been calling Davina quite often. She didn't mind. He was decent enough in bed and sometimes she managed to catch a glimpse of Jack. This party Max wanted to bring her to promised to be fun. And she was sure Jack would be there. She would have to be careful though. No cornering him and snogging him somewhere dark.

But she could look and attempt to entice him. She would be nice and occasionally dismissive and try to pique his interest. She smiled. She was going to get him back.


	9. Chapter 9

****We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale****

**Chapter 9**

Davina met Max at his home and smiled as he took her arm and walked her to the pub. She would enjoy herself. It would be a brilliant night.

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Jane left the cafe and headed for the pub. She briefly considered heading to the salon to check on Tanya, but her friend would get things done faster without Jane there to bother her. She headed towards the pub and went inside, glad to see Peggy smiling and in charge behind the bar.

Peggy stood with Pat behind the bar and smiled and greeted everyone cheerily. She couldn't remember when she'd been so happy. The pub was hers again. She glanced over at Roxy, still unable to believe Roxy had handed it over to her. Of course, the club had been started by Roxy and her sister, so it only stood to reason she would want to take full charge and unload the pub. Peggy was just glad she'd been chosen.

JT finished putting the food out for the buffet and glanced at his watch. Only the cake was missing and he was sure Rowan would be here with that fairly soon.

He planted a quick kiss on Roxy's cheek and then sat down at the bar with a pint and joined in Syed and Christian's conversation.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Brett watched them both leave and found himself glad that they were together, the way Jack looked at Alyssa told him that there was no way he would go after Davina. No matter how much Davina tried to change his mind. That was good. His thoughts shocked him, why was he being like this over Davina, he thought that he had got over her, he thought that he was focused on Whitney! Brett sighed inwardly, he wouldn't go back to obsessing over Davina again. He had managed to fix things with Whitney finally, after all this time. He wouldn't blow it again. Mind you, if Jack did reject Davina again after she tried to make a move on him then Brett could be there. Waiting, with open arms...

Brett took a biscuit from Whitney. He would NOT go after Davina, not again.

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Ray pulled up near the pub and grabbed the cake box carefully for Rowan as she got out then smiled as he led her into the pub.

Rowan gave Ray a sideways glance as he grabbed up the cake, but held the door open for him to go in the pub.

He waved at Roxy and Peggy as he came in. "Pint and..." he glanced over at Rowan. "You still drinking lemonade?" he asked.

Alyssa let go of Jack as she wandered into the pub and made her way over to Ray and Rowan as she spotted them. She sat down at the bar with them and gave Rowan a hug. She looked over at Roxy and saw her busy so waited for her own turn when she was free.

Rowan nodded. "Yes, lemonade, please," she replied and took the cake from him and took it carefully from the box to put it on the table.

Rowan smiled and hugged Alyssa back.

"I'm really starting to show now," she chirped excitedly. "I can't wait until the scan. I intend to find out if I'm having a boy or a girl," she stated.

Ray nodded and Roxy went to get Rowan a drink, too.

Alyssa looked down at Rowan's stomach and nodded her agreement. "So you are," she smiled. "You've still got a long way to go yet, which would you prefer though? A girl or a boy?" she asked curiously.

"I know, I'm sure I'm going to get huge," Rowan remarked with a sigh. "I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it," she replied and shrugged. "I'm not sure I care either way as long as it's healthy."

"So, does you having a baby make me Aunty Alyssa?" she grinned at Rowan and nudged her playfully.

"Yes, it makes you Aunty Alyssa," Rowan replied with a laugh. She took a sip of her lemonade and looked over at the buffet. "I'm getting hungry," she said and her stomach growled in agreement.

Rowan smiled and waved at Gene and Alex as they walked over before she slipped off the stool and went over to fill a plate. She gestured at Alyssa and Alex and went over to a table so she didn't have to hop on and off a stool and sat down.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Alex sighed as she waited for Gene to hurry up. Molly had homework to do and had said that she would babysit Sam, Alex had been ready to go almost 10 minutes ago now and Gene wasn't ready yet.

"Gene," she called out as she tapped her foot impatiently "Are you coming to the pub or not?" she mumbled to herself as she waited for him to emerge.

Gene walked out of the bedroom, stomping his feet to settle them in his boots.

"I'm coming woman, keep your wig on," Gene grouched and grabbed the keys to the Quattro.

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Tanya sighed as she finally locked up the Salon. She half wished that she had got Alyssa to do it instead, but they had worked out a rota of nights that they did it, three days a week each. Today was Tanya's day. She looked at her watch. Oscar was being looked after by Abi as her daughter had wanted to spend some time with her baby brother. Tanya had agreed and Abi was staying over at hers tonight. Tanya knew that Max's new bimbo had been around at his a lot recently and also knew that neither of her daughters were keen on her. She supposed that Abi was trying to get away from her for a bit, no doubt she would be stopping the night at Max's. She wasn't that surprised that Abi wanted to stay for a bit.

Tanya rushed home and got herself changed into something more comfortable then kissed Abi and told her to order whatever food she wanted. She gave Oscar a kiss and then left to meet up with Jane.

Tanya spotted Jane at the bar instantly and made her way over to her best friend. "Come on, Jane, this is supposed to be a celebration," she grinned as she pulled up a seat.

Jane looked over at Tanya and handed her a glass of wine.

"I was only waiting for you to get here," she said and raised her glass towards Tanya with a smile.

Tanya grinned at Jane and ordered them a bottle. She topped up Jane's glass then took a sip of her own. "That should last us at least 10 minutes," she said with a smile as she took another sip. "I need an evening like this," she said. "Being back at the Salon is more work than I remembered, even though I am sharing all the admin stuff with Alyssa," she sighed and looked over at the redhead across the bar. "She's still unhappy about me taking over, but I took your advice and tried to be nice," she insisted.

"Well, it's good you're being nice. It's only been a couple weeks though, give it time. Things will smooth out. I'm sure she'll be a lot easier too after the wedding," Jane remarked. "Oh, look, there's Max and his tart."

Tanya looked over at Max and rolled her eyes at Jane. "Abi is staying with me tonight, I think that means that Miss Blonde Bimbo over there is staying over tonight. If I'm honest I don't blame her for not wanting to be there," she sighed and sent a look over at her ex-husband. She knew that he would always have a woman on the go, but it didn't mean that she had to like every single one. And for some reason, Jane had a problem with this one. Tanya agreed, there was something about Davina that she really didn't like.

Jane made a noise of disgust low in her throat and nodded at Tanya. She had her own reasons for disliking Davina, reasons that were pointless now that Tanya was back.

She checked the level on their bottle of wine and went to get a fresh one.

Tanya smiled happily as Jane got a fresh bottle and put her ex-husband out of her mind. She had come here with the intention to have some fun, and that was what she still intended to do!

"So, do you think they'll be doing karaoke?" Jane wondered. "If they do we should get up and sing," she grinned.

Tanya chuckled at Jane. "And what would you suggest that we sing?" she asked with a broad smile at her best friend.

Davina and Max walked into the pub. He led her up to the bar and ordered whiskey for himself and wine for Davina. He led her over to a table and sat down with her. Davina kept her attention focused on Max, but couldn't keep from glancing over at Jack. She still wanted him.

If he happened to meet her gaze, she would give him a small, sad smile and look away as if she was ashamed. Jack couldn't fathom it. Up until now, she'd been nearly in his face, throwing herself at him. Maybe she had finally come to her senses and was embarrassed by her behavior. He hoped so. He was tired of the way she'd been acting. He thought of going over to talk to her but no, with Alyssa around that would be a very bad idea, but he still thought it. Let Davina know there were no hard feelings.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Alex waved at Molly as she followed Gene out of the house and climbed into the Quattro. She sat patiently as he drove to the pub and got out and headed into the building. She spotted Rowan, Alyssa, Jack and Ray at the bar and made her way towards her friends. She took the seat next to Alyssa and ordered herself a glass of red wine and Gene a pint. She pushed the drink across the bar towards Gene and sipped her wine.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Alyssa looked up cautiously as Davina came in, she shifted her seat a little closer to Jack and glared at the blonde. She went back to her conversation with Rowan and Alex, but kept some of her attention fixed on Davina, she looked absorbed in a conversation with Max. Alyssa relaxed a little, Davina didn't look as though she was after Jack tonight.

A second glance at Jack from Davina put Alyssa's suspicions back into place. She wasn't going to lose Jack to Davina. The woman seemed intent on pursuing him when she had no right to. Alyssa slipped her hand down Jack's arm and slid her fingers in between his as she held his hand. She knew that Davina could see. She wasn't going to let her take Jack away.

Jack noticed Davina and Max come in and Alyssa move closer to him as a result. He squeezed Alyssa's hand as she took it and grinned when he saw Gene and Alex come in.

"I'll be playing darts, darling," Jack told her as Gene approached. "Why don't you go sit with Rowan. Davina won't bother me, I think she's learned her lesson."

Alyssa chewed her lip in deliberation, Jack didn't want Davina so surely there was nothing to worry about? She looked up at him and gave him a small smile, then pressed a kiss to his lips and pulled away to go and join Rowan at the table. She kept one eye on Davina as she went, she knew that she would not be able to let the woman out of her sight today, no matter how much she wanted to.

Alyssa got herself a plate of food and sat with Rowan and Alex at the table that Rowan had picked. She took a drink of her spritzer. Her gaze drifted to Jack as he played darts with Gene. She felt a hand cover hers and looked up to see Alex.

Alex smiled at her. "Don't worry about her, Alyssa," she told her as she looked at Davina. "I doubt that she'll start anything tonight," she reassured her. Alyssa nodded and squeezed Alex's hand then let go.

Rowan nodded.

"She's been warned," Rowan told her. "I'm sure she's not quite that stupid."

Rowan looked over and waited for Davina's gaze to catch hers. Davina's eyes widened as she met Rowan's gaze and quickly shifted herself so that Max was between her and them, blocking the view. Rowan snorted a laugh and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows back and gave Rowan a grateful smile. She raised the glass to her lips and looked over at Jack, he was playing and talking with Gene and Ray. He seemed fine. She let out a controlled breath and moved her attention back to the conversation.

Alex smiled and turned round to Rowan. "So, have you been having any weird cravings yet?" she asked interestedly.

She shook her head at Alex's question. "Not really, no. But I get hungry a lot more often. My scan is coming up a few days before the wedding and I'm pretty excited about that."

"And how's Ray coping?" she asked. "I can't see a difference at work yet, he's still his usual annoying self," she grumbled.

She glanced over at Ray. "I think he's coping fine so far. He seems really excited. Of course, I've been pretty even-tempered so that probably helps and when I feel a bit off, I try to stay calm when he's around. I'm sure I'll go mental on him at some point though," she chuckled.

Alex grinned back. "I didn't get anything too weird. But that cracker tip you gave me does work, just in case you know," she smiled. She sighed. "And no doubt he'll be grumpy and upset in work the day after you blow up at him." she said as she looked over at the three men at the dart board. "I need a new hiding place for my stash."

Alyssa frowned. "Stash?" she questioned and Alex nodded. "Yup, my now-not-so-secret stash of Pop Tarts, unfortunately Ray knows where they're kept and keeps stealing them. _And _I know that it's him!" she grouched. "I need a new hiding place," she said again and tapped her nails on the table as she thought.

Alyssa thought. "Why not keep them somewhere with a lock? That way he can't get at them. But make sure that you keep the key on you," she said and Alex shrugged. "Maybe, I need to look around the office for some place that he won't think to look."

Alyssa nodded. "But keep an empty box where they are now, that way he won't know that you've moved them. He'll just think that you haven't replenished your stash."

"I think I've been lucky so far. I didn't have any morning sickness and my moods have been pretty stable for the most part. No major meltdowns just yet. Though I've been getting tired a lot," Rowan said. "Really worn out."

Alex nodded her understanding. "Just be grateful you haven't had the morning sickness, that was one of the worst things, I used to miss lying in bed with Gene in the mornings before I tried that cracker tip. I used to have to rush to the bathroom and spew. After that I didn't really feel like going back to bed," she sighed.

Rowan laughed and ate some more of her food. "I am grateful, believe me," she commented. She listened to Alex and Alyssa and chuckled.

"He's doing it to annoy you. He actually told me about it today," she told Alex. "I think leaving an empty box is a good plan and find someplace else to keep them. I don't suppose you could hide them in Mr. Hunt's office? I don't think Ray would dare to go in there," she chuckled. "And if he asks why you haven't bought more, tell him you're on a diet."

Alex sighed. "I know that he's only doing it to wind me up! And it bloody works, which is the most annoying thing," she huffed and took a large sip of her wine. "I don't think so, I know Gene won't eat them, but he doesn't like to get involved," she sighed. "I'll just have to find somewhere to put them,". Alex grinned at Rowan. "I'm liking the diet idea though, I can see that working."

"He deserves it. Besides, it won't kill him to stop eating so much sugar. I know he's trying to quit smoking and I'm proud of him for it, but I lose my patience with the amount of sweets he seems to want," Rowan complained.

Alex nodded. "Ray is not going to know what hits him when you do finally blow up at him," she smiled. "I am going to laugh so hard!" she told them.

Rowan sighed and then chuckled. "Not that he doesn't get a lot of exercise," she snorted and blushed. She cleared her throat and took a drink of her lemonade.

Alyssa giggled and glanced over at Ray. "He is looking thinner," she commented with a grin at Rowan.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Gene nodded at Rowan, Ray, Jack and Alyssa and took his pint from Alex with a smile. He looked at Jack who nodded and picked up his glass and followed Gene over to the dart board with a glance back at Ray to see if he was coming.

"You ready for your stag?" Gene asked. Jack looked at him and grinned.

"Ready as I can be, I reckon," Jack replied. Gene winked and got the darts.

Ray let the girls go and looked over at Gene and Jack. Darts! He nearly groaned, no doubt this would be the same as every game with the pair of them. He might as well not be there. He sighed as he drank down a gulp of his pint and leant against the wall next to Gene. "When are you having this stag?" he asked.

Gene looked at Jack.

"Well, I like the idea of having it before the wedding, like Chris did. Don't want to be hungover at my own wedding," Jack replied. "So we're doing it the Saturday before the wedding."

Gene nodded and took his turn.

"We'll have our first drink here at the pub and then see where we go from there," Gene added and grinned.

Ray nodded his agreement as his attention flew between the game, the conversation and the pint in his hand. "I think it's best that it's before the wedding, can you imagine Alyssa's reactions if you turned up hungover?" he chuckled.

Jack nodded and he put a look of fear on his face. "I don't want to imagine her reaction to my being hungover, or the possibility of turning up late. It's more than my life is worth. Alyssa has a temper like you would not believe," he explained.

Gene chuckled. "You're whipped, man," he remarked.

"Nope, not at all, just very, very cautious."

Ray chuckled. "To be fair Guv, Alex has a temper on her too, and Ro," he shuddered. "I really don't ever want to get on Rowan's bad side," he admitted as he sneaked a glance at her across the pub, his gaze lingering on her stomach as he smiled slightly.

"Well, you want to be careful now. She's pregnant so she's gonna go mental at some point. You'll end up on her bad side and you won't even know what you did wrong," Gene told him."

"You saw how Alex could get, and that was only a small portion."

Jack chuckled. "At least Alyssa doesn't want any of that nonsense. Not that I would mind if she did want kids, but I don't mind that she doesn't," Jack said. "I can't even imagine what she would be like under the influence."

He shivered theatrically and took his turn.

Ray looked at Gene. "As long as she doesn't go around flooring me, I'll be fine," he grinned and looked over at the 3 women with a small frown. "I hated to imagine what you were going through, she was hell at work," he said with a small grimace.

Ray shrugged and looked over at Jack

"Surely, she can't be as bad as Rowan?" he asked as he looked over at Alyssa. "Mind you, she is a redhead, and they are supposed to have fierce tempers," he commented thoughtfully.

"She was hell at home a lot of the time. She cried a lot, too. Always bloody crying," Gene snorted as he handed Ray the darts and then picked up his pint.

"She can be one vicious creature," Jack said as he glanced over at Alyssa too, then turned away. "I don't think Rowan comes anywhere near Alyssa's temper. And she has two kinds, she either completely blows up at you or she goes like ice. They're both bad. Though I think the ice one might be a bit worse, because she's more likely to get violent," he said and leaned over towards Ray and lowered his voice. "Davina found that out when Alyssa beat the stuffing out of her New Year's Eve."

Gene chuckled. "I remember that. She was pretty frightening. I hope you're smart enough never to go to bed with her angry, you might not wake up."

"Oh, believe me, I make sure to grovel heavily before I take the chance of sleeping in the same house with her when she's mad," Jack told him.

Whitney finished her tea and looked at Brett. "I'm ready to go, how about you?"

Brett nodded at Whitney and put Jack's mug into the sink alongside Whitney's. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze as he pulled her from the house and led her to the pub. He got her inside with a smile and walked with her to the bar and ordered himself a vodka coke. He leant against the bar and glanced around, then there it was. The flash of blonde. Brett gulped and turned away from Davina quickly. He had promised himself that he wouldn't do this again and he promised himself that he wouldn't. He smiled at Whitney and took a slow sip of his drink.

Whitney noticed Davina sitting in the pub with Max and glanced at Brett. She knew Brett had seen her, too, but he seemed to be ignoring her. Good. Though she had a feeling she wasn't going to want to stay at the party long.

Brett looked over at the buffet table, he had only had a couple of biscuits at Jack's house. His stomach grumbled and he looked at Whitney. "Food?" he said hopefully. He was glad that Davina was sat on the opposite side of the Pub from the buffet table. It meant he wouldn't have to walk past her. He tugged Whitney's hand. "Come on, I'm hungry, that biscuit did nothing for my appetite," he smiled at her.

Whitney nodded.

"Yeah, I'm hungry, too," she agreed and followed him over. She waved at Alex and Rowan and Alyssa as she passed. She noted that Alyssa kept glancing over at Max and Davina, but it looked like Davina had moved herself so Max was between them and blocking the view. She was pretty sure Alyssa had a lot less to worry about.

Brett cast his gaze over the buffet table greedily. He licked his lips as he took the wide variety of food and grabbed a plate. He piled his plate with all the food he wanted and smiled at Whitney. He looked around, they had been sitting at the bar before and there wasn't much room now table-wise. He wasn't sure that Whitney would want to sit back at the bar to eat. He nudged her gently once she had got all the food she wanted. "Where d'you want to sit?" he asked as he cast his gaze around once more. He wasn't opposed to sitting at the bar to eat but it was much more comfortable to sit at a table.

"Ummm, I don't know," Whitney shrugged. "I could probably sit with Alyssa and them, but I don't know about you. I think they're talking girl talk."

Brett frowned, he didn't really want to get involved in all that. He looked back at Whitney. "I don't really want to sit around with them if they're are talking about girly stuff," he said to her.

Chris grabbed Shaz' hand and practically dragged her from the office.

"C'mon, there's a party going on and we want to get there before the fun really starts," he admonished.

"Yes, of course, the fun won't really start until we get there," Rhys stated smugly and looked over at Ginger who nodded decisively. Rhys grabbed Shaz' other arm and Ginger pushed her from behind and the three of them muscled her out of the office.

"Maybe that Tanya bird will be there. I'd like to have a chance to talk to her," Rhys commented.

"Simon will be there," Ginger put in.

"So," Rhys snorted and Ginger chuckled. "You are really such a smug pain when you are in a relationship you know that?"

He turned to Shaz with a look of long-suffering patience. "You'll take pity on me, won't you, Shaz? And you'll talk me up to Tanya if you get the chance, too, because you're my mate," he said and gave her a pleading look.

Chris laughed and put his hand in front of Shaz' eyes.

"Stop that," he mock-growled and Rhys laughed and bounded off, singing some ridiculous song at the top of his lungs as he danced across the Square.

Shaz couldn't help but laugh at the three guys. She placed her hand over Chris' and gently eased it off her, she looked at Rhys as he pranced around and let loose another laugh. She slid her arm around Chris' waist as she rolled her eyes at Ginger.

"I really don't think that I'm the right person to ask to be his wingman," she laughed. "I'd probably do something evil and tell her all his nasty little embarrassing quirks," she said evilly and cackled as she watched Rhys. "In fact, I might do that just because I can," she said so Rhys couldn't hear and cackled again.

"Awww, be nice," Ginger said. "You should feel honored. He doesn't consider many women to be friends, usually conquests," he told her and grinned. "Let him have his fun."

He waved at Simon as Simon approached and Chris slung his arm around Shaz' waist.

"I'm sure she's overwhelmed with honor," Chris joked and looked at Shaz and winked. He held the door open for her when they reached the pub and gestured her to precede him.

Shaz chuckled. "I'm bowled over with this incredible honour," she grinned as she followed the three men into the pub.

Shaz kissed Chris as she made her way over to Rhys. "Tanya's at the bar," she told him quietly. "Just so you know," she giggled and went and got a drink before sitting down with Rowan, Alyssa and Alex.

"I did see that, but thanks, Shaz," Rhys said and sauntered over to the bar.

Chris watched Shaz walk away and then headed over to the dartboard.

"Who's winning?" he asked. Jack and Gene both turned.

"I am," they both answered smugly.

Chris looked at Ray and held out his hand for the darts.

"I'll have a go. Whose team are you on, and I'll be on the other," he said and took a turn.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Davina moved a bit and saw Brett go with his girlfriend to the buffet, then glanced at the table where Alyssa was sitting. She would keep an eye out, at some point, Alyssa would need to use the loo and then Davina could take a minute to just have a few words with Jack. Nothing too obvious, nothing overt, maybe if she played a bit hard to get he might decide to pursue her.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

"I don't know. Something suitable for a couple of party girls," she grinned. "What do you think? Of course, we should find out if they are actually doing karaoke," Jane said and chuckled. "I'm going to get some food, save my spot."

She went over to the buffet and got herself some food and hurried back with a quick wink and Rowan, Alex and Alyssa as she passed. She was sure Tanya was probably hungry, too.

"Okay," she said as she dropped back onto her seat. "Your turn. Then we'll find out if they have karaoke."

Tanya chuckled and slipped off her seat. Tanya made her way over to the buffet table and filled her plate with food then moved back to sit by Jane. She took another sip of her wine before starting on her food.

She looked over at the bar and caught Roxy's attention.

"Roxy, are you doing Karaoke tonight?" she asked curiously. Roxy grinned and looked over at Peggy who was busy serving. "I think definitely," she replied with a grin. "I'll let you know when we start, I think we might get Christian to run it again. He's good at it," she said and turned around. She turned back with the song sheet and handed it over.

"Thanks, Roxy," she grinned.

Tanya turned back to Jane and pushed the song sheet towards her. "So, what do you fancy singing?" she asked.

"Well," Jane said as she looked over the sheet. "I really think there's only one song we could sing," she replied and pointed at "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." She looked at Tanya and raised an eyebrow.

Tanya laughed at Jane and nodded as she bit into a sausage roll. She swallowed. "Oh, yes," she beamed. "Perfect!" she agreed.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Rowan began to chuckle helplessly and blushed again.

"I probably won't know what hit him when I blow up at him," she added.

Rowan ducked her head again and blushed at Alyssa's comment. Only Alyssa seemed able to tease her that way and make her blush. Of course, she'd been around them so much in the beginning of her and Ray's relationship.

Rowan had been very glad when he'd got the flat over the sari shop for awhile because by then, Rowan had started watching football with him and had kissed him excitedly one afternoon when his team scored a goal. Ray had lost control and Alyssa had nearly walked in on them. They hadn't got very far, for which Rowan had been grateful. Bad enough the front of her dress had been gaping open and Ray's hands had been on her….well…she had tried to keep control of the situation after that, but Alyssa always seemed to come in the room at the most inopportune moments. So much so, Rowan had almost got a TV to put in her room. Though, somehow, she thought, that might have made it worse.

And Alyssa was the only one who could make her blush.

She followed Alyssa's glance over to Ray and gazed at him. "He always looks perfect to me," she said distantly, her attention elsewhere as she felt her heart beat faster.

Alyssa chuckled at Rowan and patted her shoulder. "I bet he does," she commented as she stood.

Alex smiled. "He always looks annoying to me," she added. "But then so does Gene," she shrugged "The reason that Gene looks annoying to me is because he is so annoyingly _him_!" she smiled, "but then, I wouldn't have him any other way."

Alex smiled at Shaz as she sat down. "So, does Chris look perfect to you like Ray does to Rowan or annoying like Gene is to me?" she asked with a smile.

Shaz raised her eyebrows a bit taken aback by the question. She looked over at Chris and tilted her head as she considered him. "He just looks like Chris," she shrugged. "But when he smiles at me then he's perfect," she told them as she sipped her drink.

Alyssa moved over for Shaz to sit down then stood up. "Back in a tic," she smiled and made her way to the toilets.

Rowan realized she needed to go too and got up and followed Alyssa after a quick glance at Ray. She never tired of looking at him.

"Do you want to come along to the scan? It's the day before your Hen night," Rowan asked.

Alyssa looked at Rowan as she caught up. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You want me to come to your scan with you?" she asked, she smiled and nodded. "I'd love to see my new little niece or nephew," she smiled excitedly.

She still couldn't believe that Rowan was pregnant; she was glad that she was. Alyssa knew how much Rowan had worried about whether or not she could have children, she also knew that Rowan wanted to be able to. So it was good that she could.

Alyssa personally didn't want kids herself, it wasn't the pain of childbirth or the whole pregnancy thing that worried her. None of that put her off. The thing that scared her was the thought that she would end up like her Mum. She didn't want to be a cold mother and put a child through what she had grown up with. Alyssa knew that it was unlikely that she would end up like that but didn't want to take the chance and have a child just to behave as her mother had done. Her Dad had spoken to her about how Caroline hadn't always behaved how she did now, Alyssa knew she was probably being overly cautious and probably a bit paranoid. She was just glad that Jack hadn't seemed to mind when she told him. She hadn't told him her reasons, but he didn't seem to care about why she didn't want a baby. He had just accepted it. She was very glad of that.

Alyssa came out of the toilet and washed and dried her hands as she waited for Rowan. She smiled, she was going to be an Aunty though, that was something. She beamed at the thought. She would like that.

"Sure, why not? I only get to have one unless something is wrong which I won't even think about. Ray won't mind. You're family," she said and gave Alyssa a squeeze when she finished washing her hands. "You could come to the birth too, if you want," she offered.

"I'm really wondering when Ray's mother will show up. I like her, but she may try to take over," Rowan giggled. "I'll probably be glad of the help though," she admitted. "Ray can't cook, apart from stuff like toast. The times I have tried to teach him to cook, I've lost count. I should probably have JT do it, Ray gets too….um…distracted," she said and tried hard not to blush.

Alyssa looked at Rowan and chuckled. "You've gone rosy again," she noted. "That means I don't want know what you really meant," she added as she finished drying her hands and checked her hair in the mirror above the sink. She turned back to Rowan. "I think I might be at the birth if that's okay, emotional support," she smiled.

"I'd like you to be there," Rowan said simply.

"And, if you're curious about whether Ray's Mum is going to come down then give her a ring, have a chat with her, she's going to be a grandmother, she'll be excited I reckon. Maybe a bit nervous too" she advised as she finished and looked at the door.

"I suppose I could. Just feels a bit strange, calling her up out of the blue like that. It's not something I'm used to," she said and shrugged. "She was thrilled when we told her, though. Shame Gem won't be here. It's not like she's afraid of flying, but she's not crazy about the idea of it."

"Well, if she was happy to meet you then I think she wouldn't be opposed to having a conversation with you over the phone, Ro," she smiled back. "You can always take Ray and Baby back over there to see everyone," she said.

"No, but it doesn't stop me from being nervous talking to her. Think how you would feel if you had to meet Jack's mother? Are you good enough for her little boy? It's very unnerving. Oh, we'll definitely take the baby over there once he or she is old enough to fly. And it's a long flight as well, so that will take some consideration."

Alyssa contemplated that, how would she react to meeting Jack's mother? Anxious she guessed. She sighed and nodded at Rowan. "I can understand that, it's that mother-son bond right?" she gave a small smile.

Alyssa pushed out of the bathroom and held the door until Rowan caught it and moved back to the table. "I'm sure even Ray can manage beans on toast though, or is he one of those blokes that can't do toast without burning it?" she teased as she sat back down.

"His toast is fine; pretty decent, to be honest. He can actually do it without burning it. Now, the beans, that's hard to say. Besides, there's a whole restaurant downstairs, and there's always leftovers in the walk-in cooler, so it's not like he couldn't easily fend for himself," she added and sat back down next to Alyssa.

Alyssa took a sausage roll from her plate and bit into it as she listened to Rowan. "That's true enough," she smiled. "I think he'd go for that or order takeout, for some reason I'm having trouble imagining Ray actually cooking," she chuckled.

Rowan laughed too. "Personally, I think he pretends he can't cook because he likes my cooking so much," she snorted. "Well, that sounded arrogant, but I can't help but think it."

"Come on Ro, even Jack wants you as a live in Chef!" she grinned. "It's only natural that Ray should take advantage of having your food there 24/7. And a little arrogance now and then never hurt anyone," she chuckled.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

"Well, our only other option at this point is Darren and Jodie," she said and headed in their direction. Whitney tried very hard to be nice to Jodie as often as she could. The girl was helping her by working the stall for her when she was in school.

She smiled at them before asking if she and Brett could sit with them. Jodie giving Whitney a huge smile before quickly moving over so Whitney could sit next to her. Whitney looked at Brett and sat down.

Brett sat down on the other side of the table. He smiled at Whitney as he stuck his fork into his food and looked at Jodie and Darren, he had met them both briefly before when he had been around Whitney and knew that Darren worked at the car lot and Jodie on Whitney's stall.

He sighed as he ate, he could see Davina from the angle he was sitting at and deliberately shifted his chair so that he couldn't see her. He didn't want to. She was with that bloke, and Jack was here and after her display at the Surprise Party, he didn't want to go anywhere near her. She was just using him. He didn't like being used. Whitney wasn't using him, and she seemed to genuinely like him, he genuinely liked her, so this was good. He still had feelings for Davina, sure, he figured he always would. But he didn't want her anymore. And she certainly didn't want him.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Rhys flashed a charming smile at Jane as he moved up next to Tanya.

"Hello," he greeted her. "Haven't seen you in awhile. Have you been hiding from me?" he asked, his tone slightly teasing.

Tanya looked up at Rhys as he appeared next to her and she shrugged at him

"Not hiding, no," she smiled back. "I've been busy," she told him. "New business, new home and everything," she smiled.

"Well, that's good to know. I wouldn't like to think I might have scared away someone as lush as you," he told her earnestly and Jane had to turn her head to keep from laughing.

He noticed the song sheet and raised his eyebrows.

"Are you going to sing in the karaoke?" he asked her. "I bet you have an amazing singing voice," he complimented and took a sip of his pint. He was vaguely aware of Ginger and Simon sitting down next to him and almost didn't catch the retching noises Ginger began to make at Rhys' comment.

He pretended not to notice. Surely Tanya didn't hear.

"So, what new business, if you don't mind my asking?"

Tanya elbowed Jane in the ribs where Rhys couldn't see. She knew why her best friend was laughing, Rhys clearly didn't do subtly, she had the idea that if he wanted to say something then he wouldn't dance around the subject.

She smiled at his compliment and nodded. "I don't mind no, I've taken over from Roxy as owner of the Salon now she's got the Club and the Pub. She decided that she couldn't afford 3 businesses so I bought her out of the Salon," she explained to him."And there is no way that I am anyway near drunk enough to sing on my own. Jane and I are planning on doing a duet," she told him with a look behind her at her friend.

Tanya frowned at Jane and flashed her a look. She liked that Rhys was interested in her, he was sweet and good looking. The whole non-subtly thing was different too and refreshing. Max had never been that good at speaking his mind and letting her know exactly what he wanted.

"Well, then, I'll look forward to it," Rhys told Tanya.

Jane oofed when Tanya elbowed her, but she couldn't turn around. She would start laughing again. She looked over at Max sitting with Davina, who was all over him, but her attention was clearly on Jack. Why couldn't Max see it? He no doubt didn't want to. He had a blond to shag and wasn't much bothered if she wasn't really into him.

Rhys leaned aside a bit.

"This is my best mate, Ginger and his partner, Simon," he introduced. Ginger widened his eyes at Simon and cleared his throat before turning around to smile at Tanya and offer his hand.

"Nice to meet you," he said to her.

"Ginger is a DC and Simon is the doctor around here," Rhys explained.

Simon leaned over and gave Tanya a smile and a wave.

"Hello," he said and took a sip of his drink.

Tanya smiled at the both of them and shook Ginger's hand. "Nice to meet both of you," she said as she nodded at Simon.

So these were Rhys' friends, they seemed friendly enough. She turned behind her and shot Jane another look, her back was still facing her and Tanya knew why. She picked up her glass of wine and sipped it before turning back to the three men.

She looked between them. 2 police officers and a doctor. She smiled.

"The local Doctor?" she asked Simon. "I'll bear you in mind when Oscar comes down with something, which he undoubtedly will," she smiled.

"I'm going to raid the buffet," Ginger said to no one in particular.

Simon watched him go and then turned back to Tanya.

"Yes, the local doctor," he replied. "And how old is Oscar?" he asked.

Rhys sat back and tried not to look annoyed at being in the middle of a conversation. Couldn't Simon see he was trying to chat this woman up? With any luck she would leave with him.

Tanya watched Ginger walk to the Buffet, casually wondering what Ginger's real name was. Surely he hadn't been named Ginger; it must be a nickname.

She looked back at Simon at his question. "Oscar? He was 2 in February," she replied with a smile. "He's a right little tyke!"

"They're great when they're that small. I'll probably never get to have kids so I really enjoy getting the chance to take care of them. My best friend and her husband have just found out they're pregnant so I might get a godchild," he confessed with a grin. He gave her a quick wave and then headed for the buffet also, leaving Rhys to it.

"So, that's my best mate and the love of his life," Rhys joked. He noted her empty glass. "Can I get you another?" he asked with a quick gesture at her glass.

Tanya nodded with a smile. "They're both lovely," she smiled at him and shook her head, she pointed at the half full bottle she was sharing with Jane. "Jane and I have got to get through this first," she told him and refilled her glass.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see that there. I guess I'll just have to sit here and talk to you until you finish it so I can buy you a drink then. And of course," he said and leaned over close. "I'll have to cheer you on when you sing."

He reached over and touched her hand.

Tanya glanced down briefly at his hand touching hers and raised her eyebrows at him momentarily before composing her expression. You had to admire his guys, and his determination. Ever since the first time she had seen him in the hospital he had been finding reasons to talk to her. She found it charming certainly, and flattering. He _was _gorgeous after all! Tanya chewed her lip as she studied his face and then smiled at him and took another sip of her wine.

"Talk about what?" she asked with a smirk.

Jane finally turned around, managing to get her laughter under control finally. She saw Peter come in and waved him over.

"Heya, Jane," he greeted and looked around.

"Where's Molly?" he asked. He would have thought she'd be here.

"I think she's babysitting her brother. Alex is over there, why don't you go check. I'm sure they won't mind if you join her."

He nodded and walked over to Alex.

"Hi, Mrs. Hunt, is Molly at home and do you mind if I go round and visit her? I had thought she might be here, but," he shrugged and grinned at her.

Alex looked up from her conversation with Shaz and smiled at Peter. She really wished that he would call her Alex, but she had told him more than enough times yet he always called her Mrs Hunt. She supposed it was because of Gene's intimidating nature, Peter always called Gene Mr. Hunt and her, Mrs. Hunt. She sighed inwardly.

"Sure, text her before you get there though, she's not supposed to open the front door to anyone," she smiled at him. "And be careful not to wake Sam, the last thing we need is him awake tonight," she warned him.

"I do have a younger brother, Mrs. H, I promise I won't wake the baby," he told her. He grinned and hurried off, sending a text to Molly that he was on his way.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Ray caught Rowan and Alyssa looking over and raised an eyebrow as Rowan looked away quickly. He chuckled to himself and his attention turned to the redhead and he looked at Alyssa warily as she got up and moved to the toilets. "I don't know how you cope with that!" he commented. "She doesn't look capable of something like that," he said as she disappeared from sight.

Ray handed over the darts. "I'm not entirely sure," he studied Gene and Jack and their scores. They were doing just as well as each other. He sighed as he ran a hand over his head. Gene had had all good shots so far, but Jack had had a rubbish one. He looked between both men and nodded. "I'll go with the Guv," he said.

"Yeah, well, your Rowan doesn't look capable of taking down a full grown man, so trust me on this. Plus, she fights dirty. She doesn't punch, she kicks and she slashes, those nails of hers are lethal," Jack remarked.

Ray pictured it in his mind and found it remarkably easy. He nodded Jack silently and then looked at Chris with a smile.

Chris grinned at Ray's comment as he took his turn. "I'll be on Jack's team then," he offered. They never even bothered teaming up against Gene and Jack anymore, they lost too miserably and Chris couldn't afford to keep buying so many pints. Far easier to pick between Jack and the Guv. At least that way, he broke even.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Davina saw Alyssa get up and her little friend get up and follow after. Safe. She hurriedly offered to get herself and Max another round and went up to the bar. She glanced over at Jack, then at Max out of the corner of her eye. Max was talking away to Dot and not looking her way. She turned her attention back to Jack after ordering the drinks.

"Can I have a word?" she asked him quietly.

Jack groaned as he heard Davina talking to him and rolled his eyes at Gene and Ray before turning and stepping slightly closer to her.

"What, what do you want?"

"I want to apologize, for my behavior the other night. It was inexcusable and really, I'm very sorry. I was drunk and clearly I wasn't thinking straight. I've been wanting to apologize for some time now, but _she's_ always around," she explained.

"Fine, you've done so, accepted, now leave me alone," he told her.

"So, there's no chance we can even be mates?" she asked sadly.

"No, Davina, you blew that chance pretty well with your antics."

She bowed her head and then looked back up at him.

"What if I apologized to Alyssa as well? I'd really like us to all be friends if that's possible. I mean, if not for my stupidity, I'm sure Alyssa and I would have been great mates," she continued.

"I don't know. I really don't want to be friends with you, Davina. But if you want to try and make friends with Alyssa, you go right ahead. Just don't be surprised if she slaps you," he warned her. "She never got back at you for that night."

"But…." Davina began.

"Yes, Rowan did, but Alyssa really likes to get her own licks in. She's very picky that way. Now, I have a game to play," he snapped and turned back to take the darts from Chris.

"Ta, Chris," he said and focused his attention on the board to take his turn.

Davina sighed, glanced at Jack's friends then turned and picked up the drinks Roxy had poured and went back to the table after one last sad look at Jack.

Gene watched her go and looked at Ray and Chris, his eyebrows raised before he shrugged and looked over to see Jack throw.

Chris watched the woman walk off and turned to Ray.

Ray watched curiously as Davina spoke to Jack, just out of earshot. He looked around and saw that Rowan and Alyssa weren't there, his eyebrows flew up. Davina wasn't that stupid then! Mind you, she had tried to take on Rowan. He chuckled at the memory, Rowan angry was a sight, he wouldn't like to get on her bad side, but watching her take someone else down was amusing. You really wouldn't think she had it in her when you looked at her, but he was very glad that she could take care of herself. He didn't want to be worried about her getting hurt all the time, having her being able to defend herself was a small comfort.

"So, how's the quitting smoking going?" Chris wanted to know.

Ray watched Davina stalk off with a shake of his head and looked at Chris. "I'm telling you now mate, it's bloody difficult! If she hadn't given up as well it would be much harder. I smoke at work still, but not at home and I'm really trying for her," he sighed. "I keep having to distract myself whenever I feel myself hankering after one and it's hard!"

"I still can't believe you're doing it and she didn't even ask you to," Chris said. "I did it for Shazza, but she asked me to," Chris said as she watched Gene throw. "Well, she really just didn't want me smoking in the flat and it just seemed easier to quit full stop."

"I'm sure she has no trouble distracting you," Chris noted. He had on rare occasions, thought back to that "lunch" he'd had with Rowan. She'd been something else, but then she'd brought Shaz back to him. He was relieved that Rowan had got together with Ray, though he wouldn't have thought someone like Ray was her type. He loved Shaz and wouldn't have likely gone out with Rowan again once he'd had Shaz back. And Ray needed someone decent and a bit…aggressive….like Rowan. She was sweet and nice, but she had no problem making it clear what she wanted. Ray had relaxed a lot since he'd been with her, he noticed.

He sighed as Jack flubbed his throw and the Guv won the game. He pulled some money from his pocket and handed it over to Jack to help pay the round for Gene and Ray. Jack took the notes after handing the darts to Gene and ordered the next round.

Ray grinned as Jack blundered and slapped Chris' back lightly. "Chose the wrong side there mate," he grinned at him.

Ray went and rubbed the scores off the chalk board and made sure they were ready to start up again. No doubt they would have another game.

"Yeah, this time," Chris shot back. "But we'll see," he grinned at Ray and looked over at the buffet.

"I'm going to get something to eat before the next game starts," he said and put down his pint.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\

Max looked up and smiled at Davina as she came back with the drinks.

"You all right?" he asked her. She forced a smile and took a sip of her wine.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/

Whitney watched Davina as she went and spoke to Jack after Alyssa and Rowan had left the room. She wondered what was being said, she didn't look happy about it, whatever it had been. She pretended to be interested in something Jodie was saying but watched Brett out of the corner of her eye as Davina came back to sit with Max and Max asked if she was all right. She wanted to see Brett's reaction.

Brett half watched Davina get up and tried his hardest not to pay her any attention and listened to something Darren was saying. He heard Davina and Max talking and couldn't help his ears pricking up at the question and Davina's almost snappy answer. He pushed his attention away from her voice as much as possible and tried to concentrate on Darren rather than letting his mind wander. He hadn't seen where Davina had disappeared to, but had seen Alyssa and Rowan leave the room. He guessed she had gone to see Jack, that was down right irritating! The guy didn't want her, why couldn't she understand that!

Brett stopped his train of thought and focused back on his conversation with Darren, he was supposed to be ignoring Davina not obsessing over her again. It wouldn't do to think about it now, he could do that later when he was alone. He picked himself up from his depressed state of mind and finally participated actively in his conversation with Darren, rather than having the other young man just talk at him.

Whitney talked with Jodie, but watched Brett. She could see it in his eyes; he wanted to look at Davina. He wasn't even listening to Darren. She was grateful he couldn't see she was watching him from the corner of her eye, as long as she didn't turn her head he wouldn't notice, but she wanted to turn around and slap him.

Why her? She finally met someone and he was obsessed over some blond. She picked at her food, her appetite lost.

"What's the matter, Whitney? You not feeling well? I hate being ill," Jodie said. Whitney looked at her.

"I have a bit of a headache," Whitney said with a sigh.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't like headaches at all," Jodie commiserated.

"I think I'm going to go actually."

"Aww, you'll miss the karaoke," Jodie complained.

"All the singing would just make my head hurt worse. I'll see you tomorrow yeah?"

"Sure, Whit," Jodie smiled and nodded.

Whitney turned to Brett. "My head hurts, I'm going to go home. I'll see you," she said and got up and walked out before he could stop her. She paused outside the door and took a deep breath and swallowed back tears. She would _not_ cry! She shoved her hands in her jacket pocket and set off towards home.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/

Davina laughed and joked with Max. He really was decent company, even if he wasn't Jack. She kept a bit of an eye on Jack, watching to see if what she'd said caused any change in him. She didn't notice anything just yet. She thought about what she'd said, becoming friends with Alyssa. Maybe she should give it a try. Make sure they just did girly things together so Alyssa wouldn't think it was an excuse to get close to Jack. Could be a plan. She would go over after they got back from the bathrooms.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/

Rowan took a drink of her lemonade and looked at the buffet thoughtfully a moment.

"I'll be right back," she said and walked back over to the food. She carefully filled a plate and winked at the girls as she walked past to take it over to Ray.

Chris nodded at Rowan as she walked past with a full plate and couldn't hide the jealousy in his expression as she handed it to Ray. He huffed. Why couldn't Shaz do that sometimes?

"Thought you might be hungry," she said as she stopped in front of Ray with the plate.

"Don't interrupt the game, woman," Gene teased.

Rowan furrowed her brow and whipped her head around to look at Gene.

"You just finished a game and the new one hasn't started yet," she shot back and narrowed her eyes at him.

Jack snorted a laugh and clapped Gene on the back.

"Be careful, remember she's pregnant, you could be biting off more than you can chew," he reminded Gene.

"Good point. Let's go get some food then. We're grown ups and don't need our women bringing us food and reminding us to eat like good ickle boys," Gene sneered and walked off.

Rowan watched Gene walk away then turned back to Ray.

"I'm just being nice, you'd do the same for me," she stated and then stuck her tongue out at Gene's retreating back. "But I did get your favorites," she added and tilted her head and smiled at him.

Ray smiled down at her as he gazed at the plate, he didn't care about Gene's teasing. Alex hadn't brought _him _a plateful of food over!

He took the plate from her and placed it behind him and pulled her to him for a kiss. "Thank you, and I don't mind you bringing me food," he told her. "In fact, they're blatantly jealous," he grinned as he pressed another kiss to her lips. He pulled back again and looked over at Gene and Jack. He had a bit of time before they came back and started teasing him again.

"Oh, I'm sure they are," Rowan agreed and kissed him back.

Ray slid his hand down to her tummy and ran it gently over the developing bump. "You're starting to show," he smiled at her and brushed some of her hair out of her face.

She put a hand over his and squeezed it before looking back up at him. She smiled as he brushed at her face and held his hand tight against her. "I know. Oh, I asked Alyssa to come along to the scan. I'll probably only have one and it would be nice if she could be there, too. And at the birth, too," she added and leaned against him. She wrapped her free arm around him. "The two of you are really the closest thing I have to family here."

She looked up at him.

"Um, I was thinking about calling your mother, you know, just um, let her know roughly when the due date is and see if she might want to come visit," she looked up at him as she stroked his hand that was on her belly with her thumb. She liked his hand there. She felt a sudden surge of love wash over her for Ray and looked up at him. She blinked fast and swallowed against tears and then sniffed.

"I'm getting soppy," she confessed in a small voice and looked down at her hand covering his on her belly before she sniffed again.

Ray rolled his eyes teasingly at her. "Why I am holding a pile of mush in my arms I don't know," he mumbled just loud enough for her to hear. He smiled as he placed a hand on her cheek and made her look at him. "I'm fine with Lyss coming to the scan and the birth if that's what you want. We can call Mum if you want to, arrange a time and date for her to come down here or us go up to her," he agreed and pulled her into a hug against him. "You daft mare," he mumbled into her hair.

Ray hugged her tightly against him. "Save the soppy for when we get home, you can cry buckets then or whatever Ro, just not yet okay," he told her gently as he held her to him.

Ray pulled away but kept his hands on her arms as he studied her face. He kissed her again and looked at her with a grin. "Now, I'm hungry," he said as he lifted her easily and placed her on a stool next to the bar and grabbed his plate.

Rowan chuckled softly at his comment and sighed as he held her close.

"I promise, I'm not going to cry," she told him. She gazed at him as he smiled at her. She loved his smile, when he smiled properly. She giggled and rolled her eyes at him when he picked her up and dropped her on a stool.

"I don't plan to sit here and watch you play at darts," she told him. "I'm going to go back to my friends who are probably going to tease me for spoiling you. Not that I care. She snaked out a hand and grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him to her. "I like spoiling you."

She put a hand on his face and ran her thumb across his moustache. "I love you so much," she breathed and then tapped his nose before hopping off the stool and heading back over to her friends, glancing back at him coyly over her shoulder as she swayed her hips.

Ray smiled as he watched her go, his eyes widened as they fixed on her hips and he quickly looked away and gave his full attention to his plate of food that Rowan had brought him. She was right, he decided as he studied the plate, she had got all of his favourites. He smiled as he settled himself against the bar and dug into the food, he watched Jack, Gene and Chris gather whatever they wanted from the buffet table.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/

Brett watched Whitney leave before he could say anything. Something was wrong. This was what infuriated him about her, everything was hunky-dorey one second and then the next something had happened and she had gone off on one. Faking a headache may convince Jodie and Darren but to be fair they were both a bit dim. Jodie more-so than Darren. She annoyed him beyond measure. Brett smiled at the pair of them and contemplated following Whitney and going to find out what was up.

He stood and gave Jodie and Darren a flash of a smile as he left the table. "Gonna make sure she gets back okay," he told them as he left, his gaze drifting over Davina briefly as he left.

Brett spotted her, not so far ahead. He jogged until he caught up with her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Brett turned her to face him.

"Whit, what's wrong? And don't try to tell me it's a headache because we both know that's not true," he said as he scanned her face to try to find his answer.

Whitney frowned at Brett.

"Yes, actually, I do have a headache. I'm tired of watching you try not to stare at her. You think I can't tell that you can't stop thinking about her. You're lucky Darren is not really paying attention or even he would notice that you're really not paying attention to him. So, yes, I'm annoyed and it's given me a headache. I'm tired of being second best, especially to someone like her," she gestured back towards the pub.

"I thought you were something special. I guess I thought wrong," she added sadly and sighed. "So, go," she told him. "Go on, go to her, you know you want to. I just…I can't do this anymore. You're obsessed and I can't compete with that."

She turned away and started walking again.

Brett frowned at her as she walked off again. Okay, so he had been trying not to stare at Davina, and he had pretty much succeeded! He was trying, he really was!

"Whitney!" he called as he hurried after her again.

He stood in front of her and placed his hands gently on her shoulders so she wouldn't dash away again.

"Whitney, I'll admit, seeing Davina made me realise my feelings for her weren't entirely gone, and I know I was wrong for chasing after her again!" he told her earnestly. "But I'm done with that Whit, honestly! I won't lie to you about this because you're right. I have been treating you like second best and it's not fair on you at all," he told her, the regret seeping into his voice. "It's not like I'm chasing after something that I can have either, she's crazy about Jack. I was only ever, and always have been a bit of fun for her! And I'm sick of it," he told her.

Brett studied her face and his easy grip on her shoulders slid down her arms until he had her hands held gently in his. "Please, Whitney."

Whitney studied his face. He seemed earnest enough. How could she know? She couldn't. She looked down at their hands and then back up at him.

"Then, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to be honest. I have to know Brett, did you shag her while we were together? I need to know there are no secrets, so be honest, please," she finally said and met his gaze steadily as she waited for his answer.

She would forgive him, he had already obscurely apologized. But she had to know. She had to see if he would tell her the truth.

Brett was a little taken aback by her question but reasoned that he should have expected it. What to tell her? The truth? He didn't want to lose her, telling her the truth might push her away further than he already had. But what if this was a test? what if she knew the answer and was waiting to see if he was going to tell her a lie? He didn't know, he couldn't read her. Brett sighed as he tried to puzzle her out. He dropped his head and looked at the floor.

"What do you want me to say, Whit? Yes, I did, there's no point lying to you. She called and I came running as she knew I would," he said bitterly.

Brett looked back up at Whitney. "But I'm through with that, I'm through with her Whit, I promise," he squeezed her hands gently and willed her to believe him.

Whitney looked at him, a little surprised that he was willing to tell the truth, but glad he did. She squeezed his hands back and then let them go.

"Thank you for telling me the truth. I want to go home. My head hurts," she said softly. "You can walk me the rest of the way, but you can't come in. I'll see you tomorrow, though, if you want."

Brett nodded, he knew that if she was angry at him then she would have sent him away. He must have got it right. He smiled in relief and wondered whether she would want him to touch her? He decided not, he had just told her that he had cheated on her, he didn't supposed that she would want him near her like that at the moment.

Brett made sure Whitney got home okay and then held the tops of her arms gently as he leant forwards and gave her a kiss on her cheek. He pulled back but didn't let go of her, his grip was loose and she could easily step out of his grasp if she wanted to.

"Call me tomorrow?" he asked.

Whitney let him kiss her cheek and nodded in response to his question as she studied the ground.

She looked up and leaned against him with a small sigh before turning and heading into the house. She closed the door behind her, leaned her back against it and finally let the tears come. But at least he'd been honest. She raked her hands through her hair and went upstairs.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/

Davina watched Jack as he walked past with his friend and headed for the buffet. She saw Alyssa and Rowan had returned and considered once again. Could she become friends with Alyssa? She could try at least. She might get knocked back but at least she'd made an effort to show no hard feelings. She'd wait a bit. She saw that American Alyssa was friends with walk over and dote on her man. She looked at the woman critically. She was clearly pregnant, which meant she probably wouldn't be here late. Davina would have time after the woman left to try and make nice with Alyssa. She could be patient.


	10. Chapter 10

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 10**

Rowan dropped back down next to Alyssa.

"I'm getting so emotional, this is ridiculous. I almost started sobbing over there," she said wryly. "If this keeps up I won't be able to go out in public. But Ray likes the idea of calling his mother."

Alyssa chuckled at Rowan. "I'm just surprised that you haven't blown up at Ray yet, I would have thought something he had done would have irritated you by now," she smiled. "To be fair, crying is far better than being angry," she mused. "I hate being angry," she sighed.

"He does a lot of things that irritate me, the thing is, he tends to defuse the situation before I go from irritation to blowing up," Rowan admitted. The fact that he could sense her moods, and she could sense his, wasn't something she announced. It was coming in very handy just now, however.

"So, he likes his Mum I take it?" Alyssa asked.

Alex looked up "I would love to see how Ray behaves around his Mum, I reckon it was an experience! What's she like?" she asked her eyes widening in interest.

Shaz laughed at Alex. "You're just looking for more ammo to use against him," she exclaimed and Alex nodded at her. "Well yes, he bullies me, I don't see why I shouldn't get my own back," she shrugged and looked back at Rowan. "So, what is he like around his Mum?" she pressed.

Rowan looked at Alex. "She's…a very strong-willed woman, at least now anyway. I can't say if she was always like that, considering what his attitude towards women used to be. I'm thinking that had to be his father's influence, but hers was there lurking underneath. She feuds with her neighbor and she thinks Ray is too thin and that I'm not feeding him enough," she admitted. "She's very sweet and I liked her very much."

She raised her eyebrow at Alex. "I got no embarrassing stories however, not from her, not yet anyway," she grinned. "He's respectful to her, jokes with her; he doesn't go all weird and childlike really."

She leaned over. "You want some real dirt on them, though," she turned and included Shaz in her glance. "There's a pub there that they used to go to, now _that_ is the place to get some dirt. I heard some stories from the bartender there to curl your hair," she confided and then leaned back as she slowly nodded her head and picked something else off her plate to eat.

Alex frowned. "There has to be something that you can tell me," she pleaded. "You have no idea how he behaves at work, Rowan, he's horrible," she whined and looked over at the group of men. "Gene's no help either," she sighed. "Leaves us to 'sort it out ourselves', I think he doesn't want to take sides," she grumbled.

She grinned at Alyssa. "Jack is a lot of fun to tease, I have to agree."

Alyssa frowned "So what exactly does he do that riles you?" she asked

Shaz snorted. "He steals her Pop Tarts," Alyssa frowned but nodded slowly. "Alex mentioned that earlier," she murmured to Shaz and looked back at Alex. "surely that can't be the only thing Alex, they're _just _Pop Tarts!"

Alex shot a disgruntled look at Shaz. "It's not just the fact that he _steals _my Pop Tarts, and stealing is a criminal offence which I can arrest him for!" she huffed.

Shaz laughed. "You can't arrest him for nicking a couple of measly Pop Tarts!" she laughed and Alex frowned. "I don't think you lot understand the significance of a Pop Tart," she sighed. Alyssa shook her head. "Its just sugar, Alex."

Alex shook her head. "It's not just sugar," she replied. "It's a Pop Tart!"

Alyssa rolled her eyes at Rowan.

"Besides," Alex continued, "that's not all he does! He throws paper at me..."

"But you start the paper fights Alex, he never throws it first!" Shaz shot back.

"Not the point Shaz, he throws it back and before you know it, the office ends up covered in paper!" she replied and started talking again before Shaz could interrupt once more. "He mucks up my desk too and constantly takes the piss!"

Alyssa sighed. "Because you give him a reaction! Everyone knows it's fun to tease someone else, Rowan and I wind Jack up all the time because it's so ridiculously easy! You give him a reaction so he does it again. If you ignore him then he'll get bored," she advised.

"I think his behavior would surprise his mother," Rowan began and then furrowed her brow as she considered it, "then again, maybe not. Alyssa is right though, ignore him and he'll stop. At least it's not disparaging remarks."

"It used to be derogatory, chauvinistic stuff, but he seems to have stopped anything like that now which is good," Alex sighed.

Rowan looked back at Alex. "I'm sorry I don't have any of the kind of dirt you want on him," she glanced at Alyssa and then looked back at Alex, her expression mischievously evil. She leaned over. "The only dirt I've really got is what he and I get up to, and believe me, we get up to all sorts. We even joined the Mile High Club," she told Alex softly and then let out a wicked chuckle from low in her throat. She wasn't sure why she was feeling so wound up and feisty, but she was going to enjoy it.

Alex laughed. "I'm sure you get up to all sorts but I don't want to know about any of that. It would just make his ego bigger!" she exclaimed. "And I don't want to make him anymore big headed," she sighed and glanced over at Ray and Chris.

Rowan burst into delighted laughter, although she was mildly disappointed her attempts to shock had failed. She was glad Alex was made of sterner stuff. She got tired of always having to guard what she said.

"I guess I'm going to have to come up with some other way of getting my own back," she sighed.

Shaz chewed her lip thoughtfully then looked at Alex. "Well...you could always lock him in an interview room for an hour or so."

Alex shook her head. "No, he'd make that much noise that someone would let him out."

Shaz grinned. "Well then, take him down to the cells saying you need help with a prisoner and then let him go into the cell first and lock him in," she smiled conspiratorially. "They make so much noise down there and claim to members of the police force a lot to try to get out, no one will know until you actually let him out," she grinned.

Alex sniggered. "I'm liking that idea," she agreed with a thoughtful sip of her wine.

Alyssa sighed. "And what happens when he gets let out Alex? He's just going to do something to make you're life worse," she sighed as she bit into a sausage roll.

Alex smiled. "Yes, but if I let him out at the end of his shift then he can go home," she looked at Rowan. "Which means he'll probably tell you what happened and you can warn me of any plans he may come up with to get me back," she said pleadingly.

She watched the back and forth suggestions of Shaz and Alex.

"What if he doesn't come home and tell me?" Rowan wanted to know. "Because I don't think he will. I only found out about the Pop Tarts because there was a wrapper in the bin and I don't buy them so I asked him where they came from and he told me," she added. "Unless locking him up interferes with something involving me, he probably won't say a word."

Alyssa laughed. "That's cheating," she said.

Alex looked at Alyssa with a shrug. "Maybe, but I prefer to call it tactics."

Rowan glanced at Alyssa and then back at Alex. "There is that, of course, it will make the whole thing escalate and with Gene getting promoted right now do you really want to cause a ruckus like that?"

Alex sighed and grumbled to herself. "I just can't win!" she muttered to no one in particular and Shaz patted her shoulder as she grinned at Alyssa and Rowan. Alyssa grinned back and took a sip of her wine.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Molly looked down at her phone as it went off and dived for it before it woke up Sam, she had got him to sleep 20 minutes ago, he had woken up and it seemed that only her singing to him got him back to sleep, next time she would tried that first before all that other stuff she had tried. She smiled. Peter was coming round. Molly went and got the ice cream out of the freezer and then went to look out of the window. No sign of him so far. She sighed and watched for him.

Once he came into sight she waited for him to get right up to the flat before undoing the latch on the door and pushing it open so that he could get in.

"Heya," she smiled as she gave him a kiss. "I don't know why I even offered to babysit, I've been so bored!" she smiled as she shut the door behind him and got them both a spoon from the drawer as he went to the front room. She handed him the ice cream and his spoon and grabbed the TV remote.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Gene glanced over at the women and frowned. "I think they're talking about us," he remarked.

"I wouldn't doubt it. That's what women do when they get together like that. Men become the topic of discussion," Jack studied the group overtly. "I think right now they're imparting secrets that might embarrass us," he stated sagely.

Chris looked over. "How do you mean?" he wanted to know.

"He means they're probably talking about sex," Gene told him in exasperation. Chris turned to him wide-eyed then looked back over at Shaz and gulped. He wasn't sure he liked that idea.

"If they're allowed to talk about us, why can't we talk about them?" he wanted to know.

"Nothing stopping us from doing so, we just haven't," Jack shrugged.

"I wonder which of us would have the most interesting stories," Gene joked.

"I'm sure Ray has some hair-raisers," Chris blurted out before he'd realized and then cleared his throat and hurriedly walked away at the look on Gene and Jack's faces. He did not want to explain why he might think that. He hadn't meant to say it. He certainly didn't want Ray knowing about his and Rowan's little interlude, even if it was before Ray had even met her, he wouldn't likely appreciate it.

He climbed onto the stool next to Ray and set himself to his food.

"Just a fair warning, Gene and Jack think our birds are over there talking about us," he told Ray.

Gene and Jack stopped at the table before heading back to the game.

"So, all going well?" Gene wanted to know.

"Not giving away any deep, dark secrets?" Jack asked with a cheeky grin.

Rowan rolled her eyes and snorted and looked at Alyssa.

"He has deep, dark secrets?" she asked and jerked her thumb at Jack.

Alyssa looked up at Jack and shook her head. "Not yet I haven't no..." she trailed off with a smile. "However," she turned to Rowan and nodded. "He has secrets, alright," she said and then leaned forward and whispered in her ear. She drew back and smiled at Rowan before turning back to Jack with an overly innocent smile.

Rowan's eyebrows flew up as Alyssa whispered in her ear and she looked at Jack.

Jack's frown grew as he watched Rowan's eyes grow wider and her mouth drop open. She moved away from Alyssa and glanced first at her sister, then at Jack, then back at Alyssa.

"That's….that's pretty shocking," she finally said and gave Jack another look before picking up her lemonade and taking a drink.

"Hey, what did you tell her?" Jack looked at Alyssa and Gene snorted laughter. He grabbed Jack's arm.

"C'mon, they'll never tell you and torture doesn't work on them," he advised as he pulled Jack away.

"That's right, it's like totally against our human rights and shit," Rowan called after him and then collapsed into giggles against Alyssa.

Alyssa gave Jack a little wave as he left and looked down at Rowan as she leant against her. She laughed, too.

Shaz looked on curiously. "What did you say?" she asked.

"Nothing! That's the point, he's so easy to wind up!" she laughed. "Bless him, the look on his face," she said before bursting into laughter again.

Rowan put her hands to her belly as she too, began to laugh harder.

"Oh, my sides are beginning to hurt," she complained. "He really is sooo paranoid!"

Alyssa nodded her agreement as she watched him walk back to the dart board and the gang of men. She sighed as she sat back against the seat. Alex smiled at Alyssa and Rowan. "I bet you two wind him up all the time," she said.

Alyssa nodded "He is such an easy target that's why! We tease him and he falls for it!" she grinned. "He should know by now not to get into anything against us, but every time he does," she smiled.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Rhys shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever you want to talk about," he said and raised his hand from the bar to prop his chin on it as he looked at her. "I am all ears."

Tanya reached for the wine bottle and filled her glass. She frowned at Rhys. "Are you not drinking tonight?" she asked. She hadn't seen him have a drink so far, however her memory was getting deliciously hazy. She smiled. The karaoke later would be interesting.

Jane choked back a laugh and began to cough.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back," she gasped, her voice going up an octave. She hurried in the direction of the bathrooms and once she was through the door, gave in to her laughter.

"What's so funny, Jane?" Max asked and Jane jumped. She hadn't heard him come through the door.

She looked at him, swiped at her cheek and sniffed as she caught her breath.

"That…that Rhys….in there trying to chat up Tanya. It's just about the funniest thing I've ever heard and I'm going to have to use it in my next routine and I really hope Tanya doesn't decide to tag along."

Max grinned. "I see. That bad is he?"

"No, I mean, his chat up lines are crap, but he's so good looking that you can't help but find his lameness charming. I don't know how, but it works for him," she explained.

"So, he's not smooth like me?"

Jane shook her head. "He's smooth in a different way. His looks and that accent take him quite far to be honest."

"Aww, Jane and here I thought you fancied me," he teased.

Jane blushed before she could fight it and cleared her throat.

"I better get back," she said and hurried back through the door. Max stared after her in confusion. Had Jane just admitted in a roundabout sort of way that she fancied him? He furrowed his brow and mulled the idea over as he walked back out to sit with Davina again.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

"You offered because you're nice and you don't charge much," Peter teased and dropped onto the couch next to her. He spooned up some ice cream and idly watched her flip through the channels.

"Mr. Hunt didn't actually try to intimidate me, course, I'm not sure he knew I was coming over here. You're mum said it was okay so I just left," he told her.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Ray looked over at the group of girls talking to each other and frowned. There was no telling what they were talking about, but he knew that he had been getting looks off Rowan and the others. He looked at Chris and shrugged. "We talk about them anyway, why shouldn't they talk about us" he said indifferently. Ray suddenly felt a little uneasy, talking about them? Talking about what? He studied Rowan carefully over his pint glass.

"When have I ever talked about Shaz, I mean, the way the Guv and Jack are implying those girls are over there discussing us," Chris complained.

Ray shrugged. "Dunno mate, to be honest I usually switch off when we talk about that sort of stuff now," he smiled as he glanced over at Rowan. "I have other stuff to think about."

Chris followed his gaze over to Rowan. "It's really odd mate that you never go on about her," Chris remarked. "I keep expecting you to come out with things about her great pair-sonality or talk about the things you might get up to, you've got very tame, mate," Chris observed and chuckled.

"So, what we talking about now?" Gene wanted to know as he approached.

"Nowt, really, Guv. Was just noticing that Ray never goes on about Rowan," Chris replied and smirked at Ray.

Ray shrugged. "I don't talk about her because I don't want to," he told Chris with a glance at Rowan and grinned at Gene and Jack.

"No, he doesn't. Shame since you seem to think he's got the most interesting stories. I don't talk about Alex either, how do you know I don't have the best stories?" Gene wanted to know.

"It would be a bit too weird to listen to, Guv, we have to work with her."

"I shagged Alyssa in a changing booth once. She decided to show me some lingerie she was trying on," Jack told them and grinned. "I highly recommend it."

Ray chuckled at Jack "I think I remember Rowan saying something about that," he grinned as he clapped a hand on Jack's shoulder then went back to his food.

Jack's eyebrows flew up in surprise at Ray's comment. Rowan had said something about it? So, Alyssa had told Rowan about it. He knew exactly what he was going to do now. Sing to her.

Chris' eyes widened and he glanced over at Alyssa and then back at Jack. "Maybe you've got the better stories," he decided.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know, but she's over there telling secrets, and I didn't even know I had any," he stated uneasily. "Now they're all laughing. I don't like that one bit."

Ray frowned as he turned back to Chris. "And what makes you think that I've got the most interesting stories?" he demanded to know.

Chris moved back one step. "No reason," he defended quickly and put his hands up in a calming gesture as he moved another step away. He hadn't thought of that afternoon with Rowan since he'd got back with Shaz, he had no idea what had caused it to pop into his mind and even though it had happened before Ray had met her, it didn't mean Ray wouldn't kill him for it…or at least beat him very badly. Now he might have really put his foot in it. He turned back to his food in hopes Ray would just let it slide.

Ray frowned at Chris and watched him. Why would he say that Ray would have the most interesting stories? It's not like he knew anything about Rowan in that department, though he had to admit, he did have some rather interesting stories. None that he cared to share, they were not going to be told to anyone by him. He liked being the only one apart from Rowan knowing what they got up to.

He supposed that Chris must have meant about what he got up to before he got together with Rowan. He used to brag and boast and make up stuff about the women he had shagged. But he hadn't cared about any of them. He cared about Rowan immensely. Too much, he thought sometimes. He sighed and watched as Jack sauntered away.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Rhys looked at her and leaned back a bit to show his nearly empty pint glass.

"However, if I'm honest, I'm getting far more drunk off your beauty than my pint," he told her and smiled at her.

Max heard that as he walked past and couldn't hold back a bark of laughter. He put a hand over his mouth and hurried to sit down.

Jane walked up to Alyssa and the others and gestured Rowan to scoot over. She did so and looked at Jane curiously.

"Thanks, sorry, but I just can't sit over there and listen to Rhys chat up Tanya anymore, although I should. It's brilliant fodder for my show I have to say," she said and glanced over. "But my sides are going to hurt from trying not to laugh soon."

She heard Max's bark of laughter and gestured. "I rest my case. If it made Max laugh I wish I'd heard it."

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Christian finally got up on the small stage.

"Is everybody ready for the karaoke to start?" he wanted to know. "First, though, I'd like to bring Peggy Mitchell up here to say a few words, yay, Peggy," Christian said and began to clap, encouraging everyone else to do so.

Peggy hurried up and smiled warmly at everyone in the pub.

"I just want to thank Roxy for letting me have My Lady back. And you lot better all behave or you can get outta mah pub!" she finished and chuckled. She smiled around again as everyone cheered her and stepped down from the stage.

"Okay, so let's kick things off with Heather singing some George Michael," Christian announced and then handed the mike over.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Gene groaned. "Why does there always have to be karaoke?"

"Because most people like it," Jack replied and Gene snorted.

"I think I'm going to sing to Alyssa," Jack decided.

"Can you sing?" Chris wanted to know.

"Not really, but that doesn't stop anyone else. Besides, she won't expect it and after what she's done it's only fair to wind her up."

He drained his pint and ordered another, surreptitiously sliding a piece of paper with his song choice on it to Tracey. She nodded and took it over to Christian.

Jack clapped Gene on the back. "Here I go."

"Good luck, mate," Gene grinned and shook his head. Chris chuckled and looked at Ray.

"You should sing something, mate. You've at least got a good singing voice," Chris suggested.

Gene let out a wicked chuckle and looked at Ray. "You do at that. But surely you're not that big a poof."

"Jack's going up there, he's not a poof," Chris argued.

"Jack is only going up there to wind up Alyssa, weren't you paying attention?"

Chris raised his hands in surrender and hopped onto a barstool and focused on his food.

Jack made his way casually across the pub, making it seem he was heading for the loos. When Heather finished Christian got back up on stage.

"And now, Jack Rimmer," Christian said, not announcing the song as Jack had requested on the slip of paper. Jack took the mike with a nod and a grin and waited for the song to start.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Rowan took a drink of her lemonade and finally managed to calm herself down. She glanced over at Ray and saw him looking at her. She held his gaze and smiled before putting two fingers to her lips and making a small "kiss blowing" gesture to him with them.

She was suddenly consumed with wanting him and hurriedly drained her lemonade to calm herself.

"I'm going to get another, want anything?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking as she carefully stood.

Shaz nodded at Rowan. "I'll have another please, Rowan," she smiled while Alex and Alyssa shook their heads. "No, ta."

"It really isn't fair the way we team up on him," Rowan commented and headed for the bar. She got herself a glass of water and Shaz another drink and looked over at Ray and swallowed hard. She focused her attention back on the drinks being poured and pushed away the thoughts that were invading her mind with a soft sigh. She sat back down with the drinks just as Heather finished singing and Jack was announced.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

"I better get back to Tanya," Jane said. "Thanks for letting me sit here though, it was fun," she nodded at the girls and got up.

"See you on stage, Jane," Rowan called after her and Jane grinned.

Jane walked over and handed her brother the slip of paper with what she and Tanya planned to sing and then went back to Tanya.

Tanya snorted a laugh at him and threw a glare at Max as he passed. She looked back at Rhys with an amused smile. "That was by far the cheesiest thing you've said to me so far," she told him with a laugh. "And you have come out with at least enough cheese to make a pizza."

"I'm not being cheesy, I'm being honest," Rhys protested and smiled at Jane as she stepped up beside Tanya.

"So, Tan, you about ready to get up on stage?" Jane wanted to know. She gave Rhys a kind smile and looked at her best friend expectantly. "I've given our request to Christian."

Tanya gave Rhys a disbelieving look before turning to Jane. "I'm all set once I finish this glass," she smiled as she held up her wine glass to show Jane how much she had left. "I'll have finished it by the time we get up there," she grinned. "You did give him the song we agreed right?" she smiled.

"Of course I did," Jane replied and then burst into laughter at Jack singing to Alyssa.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Rowan clapped her hands over her mouth in surprise and nudged Alyssa as Jack got on stage. She heard the song start and burst into helpless giggles and looked at Alyssa as her eyes teared-up from her effort to keep from laughing too hard at his song choice. He was clearly getting Alyssa back.

Alyssa's jaw dropped as she watched Jack get up on stage and she watched him curiously. A peal of laughter escaped her as the song started up and she realised exactly what he was going to sing.

Jack sang a few words and then stepped down from the stage and paced over to Alyssa, singing his heart out and gesturing dramatically with his arms. He took her hand and knelt on one knee before her as he hit the chorus.

"You've lost that loving feeling, woah that loving feeling. You've lost that loving feeling now it's gone...gone...gone..."

He grinned at her as he sang and dramatically let go her hand and put it over his heart as he sang to her.

Alyssa held in the laughter as much as she could when Jack came over to her and she let him take her hand as he sang. Once he let her go she looked at Rowan and then burst into laughter once more. He was being completely over the top and she was loving it. She had guessed he had chosen the song to try to get at her but she didn't mind, she loved the man. She looked back down at him on the floor in front of her and smiled at him as he finished his song.

Gene burst into laughter and put his pint glass down to keep from dropping it.

Davina's jaw dropped when she saw Jack get up on stage and began to sing to Alyssa. She wanted to laugh at his antics, he was clearly winding her up, but it was also clear how much he loved her. She huffed out a breath in frustration and drained her drink. He'd never sung to her, even in jest.

Davina decided she might try the friendship thing tomorrow. She didn't want to be here, not after that display of Jack's. She was too annoyed.

"Let's get out of here," she whispered to Max who raised his eyebrows but nodded nevertheless and followed her out.

Once Jack had finished and handed the microphone back to Christian, Alyssa stood up and went over to Jack. She rested her arms on his shoulders as she kissed him and then pulled back to look up at him. "Now, you have never sung to me before," she grinned at him. "I rather enjoyed it," she said and dropped another kiss on his lips.

Jack slung his arms around her waist and smiled at her.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. My goal in life is to keep you entertained oh Love of My Life," he said in a humorous tone.

He turned and grinned at Chris, Ray and Gene.

"I'm a rock star, she can't get enough of me," he bragged and turned back to Alyssa. He leaned down and kissed her again before moving his lips to her ear.

"I can't wait to get you home," he breathed and gently pressed his hips to hers. He raised his head.

"Now, why don't you get back to your mates over there and be smug over your rock star fiancé and all," he suggested and gave her a cocky grin. He patted her backside and gave her a small push before winking at her and turning to pick up his pint from the bar.

Gene gestured at Tracey and bought another pint and put it in front of Jack.

"You got some balls, mate," Gene remarked once Alyssa had gone and clapped Jack on the shoulder roughly.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Once the laughter over Jack's performance had died down, Christian introduced Jane and Tanya. Jane looked at Tanya and grinned hugely before grabbing her arm and dragging her to the stage.

"Whoo Tanya," Rhys whistled and clapped as Jane unceremoniously dragged Tanya behind her. Ginger turned and looked at Rhys and shook his head.

"Fiver says she won't go," Ginger challenged. Rhys smirked.

"You are on and you will lose as usual," he countered and drained his pint before ordering another one. Tanya was well up for it, of that he was certain.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Rowan stood up and gave Alyssa a quick hug before letting her sit back down again and then returned to her seat.

"That was too hilarious. I don't think I'll ever forget it," Rowan said, her giggles finally having subsided. She leaned over. "And I'm ever so slightly jealous I have to admit," she added with a grin. She watched Jane and Tanya head for the stage and clapped for them as she nearly lost control of her giggles again.

"I can't believe I'm acting like this and I'm not even drinking," she remarked and took a drink of her lemonade. "Well, not alcohol at any rate."

She looked over at Ray again. She was having fun with her friends, but she yearned to be in his arms. What was wrong with her? She sighed, must be her hormones going crazy she decided. But it didn't stop her looking over at him again. It didn't stop her propping her chin on her hand as she looked at him while listening with half an ear to Jane and Tanya singing about girls wanting to have fun, her eyes glazed and her lips curved into a slight smile as she let her mind run free.

Alyssa smiled at him and wandered back to her seat at the table. She chuckled as she sat down and looked at Rowan, Alex and Shaz. "I've been told to be smug about my Rock Star Fiancé," she laughed and reached for her wine glass as Tanya and Jane started up. She noticed with a great deal of satisfaction that Davina and Max were leaving. She sighed happily and sank back into the seat, suddenly feeling a lot less tense.

"Well, he's got guts" Alex smiled "I'd have to have had a lot to drink before I even contemplated getting up on stage like that!" she smiled "But then if I could sing I probably would do it, just for shits and giggles" she smiled

Shaz smiled back at Alyssa "Rock Star? Do you think it's gone to his head?" she asked

Alyssa chuckled and looked over at Jack, a smile crept onto her face as she watched him. She found that she could hardly wait until they left to go home. Her attention went to Rowan and she smiled. Rowan had a glassy expression and was staring into space, no, staring at Ray. Alyssa grinned but left Rowan to it.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Tanya looked at Jane as she heard Rhys cheer for her and took the microphone from Christian as she took her place on stage next to Jane. She knew full well what Rhys was trying to do and what he wanted. She just hadn't decided whether or not she would give it to him. She liked the attention he was giving her but knew that once she slept with him that he would move on to his next target. She sighed inwardly and smiled broadly as she sang. Maybe she should hold off, she did like him chasing after her, no matter how corny he was. He spouted enough cheese to make a decently cheesy macaroni cheese.

Jane grinned as she followed Tanya back to their places at the bar.

Rhys was clapping wildly and whistling at Tanya as he watched her approach. "I have to say, you were brilliant," he told Tanya effusively and he took her face in his hands and kissed her soundly.

"I'm sorry," he said when he broke the kiss off. "But I have been wanting to do that all night," he admitted softly.

Jane sighed and patted Tanya on the back.

"It's late and if I drink anymore I'm going to be too hungover to recover from and I've got the café to open in the morning," she said.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Ray grinned at Jack as he came back over. He looked over at the table as he sensed someone watching him and spotted Rowan, she had a curious expression on her face and he felt a little uneasy. He gave her a smile and then frowned at her. He turned back to his plate of food and finished it off then drank down the remains of his pint. He turned to the bar and got himself a new pint then looked at the rest of them.

"My round, who wants what?" he asked.

"Well, I've just got one," Jack said and pointed at the pint Gene had bought him. He had noted the direction of Ray's gaze and saw Rowan staring in their direction with an odd, glassy-eyed expression on her face. "Looks like your Rowan is daydreaming over there," he said to Ray softly and grinned.

"I'll have a pint since you're buying, Raymondo," Gene spoke up and caught the darts up and began to throw. He wasn't going to have his game disrupted by karaoke.

"Not just yet, mate, thanks," Chris replied. He was glad Ray had let it go. The last thing he wanted was for Ray to think he might want Rowan. He didn't. He also didn't want to get beaten up for the possibility. Then Shaz would start in on him. He loved that she kept him in line, sometimes, he just lost track of his thoughts. He needed her. She knew him better than anyone and always got him going in the right direction. He hated Shaz being cross with him. He looked at his half-empty pint glass and picked it up and drained it then glanced over at Shaz.

"Right, I'm off out," he announced and walked over to Shaz. He put a hand on her shoulder and leaned down. "I think I'd really like to take you home now, Mrs. Skelton," he whispered in her ear as he slid his hand down her arm to catch her hand.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Rowan sighed dreamily and barely noticed Ray smiling at her. Her gaze had unfocused. She stood on the grass, her long filmy dress clinging to her in the rain and he was striding towards her, in unbelievably tight pants and a white shirt half open and plastered transparent against his skin, his hair wet and falling limply in loose curls around his face as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

The sudden applause when Tanya and Jane finished singing shook Rowan from her reverie. She blinked and looked around. What was wrong with her? She was not some feisty, but sometimes helpless female character and Ray was not the big, strong, dashingly handsome male lead in some historical romance, the sort Rowan had devoured when she was growing up. Only Louisa had known about that and that that was why Rowan had never wanted any of the boys they'd grown up with. They didn't match the characters in the book, however neither did Rowan. She was far too tomboyish to be like one of those sighing heroines in the books she loved. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them and glanced over at Ray. He was big and strong though, and, in her mind, he was very handsome. His eyes and his smile made him even more so.

She drained half her drink and looked at Alyssa.

"I think I need some new clothes and things," she said decisively. "We need to go shopping."

Alyssa looked at Rowan in surprise.

Rowan was hardly ever the one who wanted to go shopping, she always complained a little when Alyssa suggested it and she had to plead and bargain to get her to come along. She had only ever asked for Alyssa to come shopping for clothes with her once before. The rest of the time it was Alyssa that dragged Rowan around with her. She swallowed her mouthful of wine as she studied Rowan.

"You sure? _You_? Rowan Tremaine, want to go shopping?" she grinned. "For clothes," she added and nodded with a small snort. "And that wasn't even a question! That was a statement," she smiled and nodded.

"Sure, when?" she asked.

There was some clothes that she wanted to get for the honeymoon. After randomly pointed at the map, she and Jack had finally decided to take their honeymoon in the Alps and had chosen to go skiing. She had decided that doing something that little bit unusual for their honeymoon had amused her and she liked it.

"Yes, well, I'm going to need some new stuff that will fit me. I can't wear any of my jeans and my skirts don't hang right," she said and patted her bump. She toyed with the coaster under her empty glass. "And I should get some more make up too and I was thinking um…..maybe a curling iron," she ventured and glanced at Alyssa and raised her eyebrow. She thought she might get some other things as well, some lovely scarves and some shoes and the flat definitely needed some flowers. And she wanted to look at lingerie, too. The idea of long, clingy nightgowns appealed to her.

She looked over at Ray. 'When would he be ready to go home?' she wondered. She was ready now. She wanted to be in his arms, kissing him, feeling his hands on her. She noticed he had a new pint. That might take a bit. She looked back at Alyssa and smiled as she forced the images in her head aside.

"We could get a few things for the baby, too," she suggested.

Alyssa's eyes widened "Make up _and _a curling iron? Seriously?" she asked and put a hand to Rowan's forehead. "Are you feeling okay?" she teased as she took her hand away. "I need to get some things for after the wedding so yeah, I'm all up for a girly day shopping," she replied with a smile.

She wondered silently why Rowan suddenly wanted more make up, she never wore very much really. In fact, Alyssa had seen exactly how much make up Rowan owned. And a curling iron? That puzzled her, Rowan's hair was usually tied up or flowing freely, the only times it was carefully styled was special occasions. Alyssa frowned at Rowan as she tried to puzzle it out.

"I'm fine," Rowan insisted and batted at Alyssa's hand. "I just…I don't know…feel like I should make more of an effort," she shrugged. "But I do need some maternity things and well….under clothes…and stuff like that. None of my stuff will fit soon. So," she shrugged and tried to be dismissive.

She wasn't sure what she was thinking. She reached up and toyed with the end of her braid before glancing over at Ray again. He was gesturing in her direction and she wondered why. Maybe she should stop staring at him. She turned back to Alyssa.

"So, anyway, how about tomorrow? It's Saturday, the restaurant won't be busy, we could go sort of early-ish?" she suggested. "I'm sure Ray will let me have the car."

Alyssa nodded, she could understand that. And she never objected to a shopping trip anyway. It was just unusual for Rowan to want to go shopping, especially for things such as make up and curling tongs. Alyssa smiled and nodded her agreement, there was nothing wrong with wanting to look good. "Sure, I'll meet you round yours then?" she asked with a smile.

"Sounds good to me," Rowan replied and nodded. "Let's say, what 10? We can have a bit of breakfast before we go."

She yawned and toyed with her empty glass.

"I'm going to see if he's ready to go. I'm tired," Rowan said and gave Alyssa a quick hug and waved at Alex.

"You can come if you want," she offered. "The more the merrier and all that."

Alyssa nodded at Rowan and waved.

Alex smiled. "I'll see if I can get someone to look after Sam for me," she smiled. "I'll text you."

Alyssa smiled at Rowan then turned back to Alex.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Tanya was a little taken aback as Rhys kissed her unexpectedly, though she supposed that she should have anticipated it. Her hands rested on his shoulders lightly as the kiss broke. He was a good kisser she had to admit.

She let go of him and smiled at his words as she took a tiny step backwards but stayed fairly close to him. "I did wonder when you would get round to it," she smiled at him.

Tanya looked over her shoulder at Jane. She glanced at the time and sighed.

"I'd best go too, I shouldn't leave Abi alone with Oscar for much longer," she agreed and looked at Rhys. "I'll see you around," she smiled and grabbed her bag and wandered out of the pub.

Rhys' eyes widened and he snapped his mouth shut against his protest of her leaving. He heard a noise behind him and looked to see Simon and Ginger both snickering at him.

"Yeah, ha, ha, it's quite humorous," he remarked.

"Pay up, loser," Ginger said and held out his hand. Rhys grimaced but fished into his pocket and shoved a crumpled note into Ginger's hand. He had really liked that Tanya bird, he thought he'd been well in there. He sighed and sat down and ordered another pint, wondering where he'd gone wrong and trying unsuccessfully to get the memories of that kiss out of his head.

Rhys sighed and drained his pint and left the pub. Sure, he could have stayed and maybe pulled someone else, but he had wanted Tanya.

He left the pub and headed home to his empty flat.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Shaz looked up at Chris as he came over and took his hand in hers. She stood and smiled at him then turned to the girls and waved at them. "I'll see you all later," she smiled at them. She smiled up at Chris and let him lead her out of the pub.

Silently, Ray made a decision, after this pint he was taking Rowan home. As much as he liked the pub he was growing bored. And he reckoned that Rowan would be getting tired, she was pregnant after all and he had noticed her sleeping a lot more than she used to.

Ray watched Chris take Shaz away and handed Gene his pint. He grinned at Jack as he leant against the counter and sipped his pint.

"Looks like you're at a disadvantage now, Jack," he grinned.

"Humph, I'm never at a disadvantage," he glanced over at Alyssa and Rowan in conversation. "At least she's not being all dewy-eyed anymore and staring over here at you," Jack teased. Yes, Rowan and Alyssa were always able to get at him, but he would not allow that to happen with Ray. And Alyssa, well, wait until he got her home. Then, he'd show her who was boss. He'd get her good.

"Do you think she's doing that just cause she's pregnant or did you say something to her when she was over here?" he wanted to know.

Gene snorted and handed the darts to Jack. "Likely both," he remarked and smirked at Ray and took a drink of his pint.

Ray frowned as he thought. "She was fine when she was over here, just her usual self..." he trailed off. "She did get a bit teary-eyed though," he added. "I didn't say anything unusual," he shrugged and looked at Jack. "I'm putting it down to hormones, pregnancy and all that," he said dismissively.

He was most definitely taking her home after he finished this pint. There was no way he was going to stand here while she made gooey eyes at him. No way Jose! He glanced at her over the rim of his pint glass. They were going home. He drank a generous gulp of his pint and hoped that she wasn't going to go all soppy.

He glanced at Gene. "Did Alex get all like that when she was pregnant?" he wanted to know as he waved his hand in the direction of Rowan.

Jack nodded and took his turn.

Gene looked at Ray. "No, she cried quite a bit, but mostly she was either normal or mean. She overreacted a lot. You remember that drug bust? She went way over the top when I asked her to coordinate. She acted like I was intentionally keeping her out of harm's way because she was pregnant. She didn't want to hear the actual reason I needed her to do what she did, never mind she was the only one who could have done it. Rational and reason did NOT enter into the picture at all. Hopefully, all she gets is soppy. You'll be lucky. I would have killed for soppy."

He looked over in Alex's direction. She got soppy now, though, not that he had any intention of sharing that information.

"If she doesn't become a raving lunatic then count your blessings, Raymondo, trust the Gene Genie."

Ray sighed. "I don't know how to deal with women when they go all soppy," he mumbled. "I'd rather she blow up at me, at least then I know how to react and handle her," he admitted glumly and took another drink of his pint.

He grinned at Gene. "I think everyone in the station heard that argument Guv. You know about it when Alex shouts! Everyone avoided her for the rest of the day after that," he told him with a grin. "Bet you're glad she had the baby if it means that all that stopped," he said.

"Yeah well, don't remind me. It was pretty unpleasant. The tiniest thing could set her off," he said. He noticed Rowan coming over but nodded at Ray's question.

"Very glad and all," he commented. He nodded a greeting at Rowan before turning his attention back to the darts.

Rowan got up and headed over to Ray. She gave him a cheerful, but tired smile.

"I'm ready to go if you are," she said and shoved her hands in her jacket pockets.

She glanced at Jack.

"Nice singing there, Rock Star," she chuckled and Jack grinned.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Tanya pushed open her front door and saw Abi sprawled on the sofa. She could hear mumbles of speech coming from Oscar's room and she took off Abi's shoes and grabbed the fleece blanket to cover her daughter, propping her head on the pillows before going to check on her son. Oscar was sitting up in bed talking to himself. She stood in the doorway and watched him for a moment before he saw her and reached for her. Tanya went over and pulled him into her arms and hugged him. "You should be asleep, little man," she told him and kissed his nose.

Oscar yawned in response and Tanya put him back in his bed and covered him with his blanket, then handed him his teddy bear and left him alone. She stretched as she headed for her room and slipped into her pyjamas. She lay back in bed and touched her lips absent-mindedly, she wondered if she had done the right thing by leaving Rhys in the bar. She sighed, she had done the right thing, she couldn't leave Abi and Oscar alone all night and didn't want to upset Abi by bringing a man back home. Not when Abi had deliberately come to hers to escape Davina. She hugged her duvet to her as she rolled onto her side. He was a good kisser though.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Ray looked over at Rowan as she came over and he smiled at her. He drained his pint and placed it on the bar next to his plate then nodded at her. "I'm ready," he told her and nodded at Jack and Gene as he took her hand and lead her outside. He opened the car and got inside it then waited for her to climb in a drove home.

Ray pulled up outside the Restaurant and parked up. He climbed out and waited for Rowan as he opened her door.

Rowan climbed out of the car and stood close to Ray and looked up at him. She closed the car door and then raised her hand to trail a finger down his chest, letting her eyes follow her finger before looking back up at him.

"Alyssa and I are going to go shopping tomorrow, so I'll need the car. I need to get some clothes and things that will fit," she said lightly. "All sorts of things."

She turned and headed for the door of the restaurant, pulled out her keys and opened it. She slipped inside and held the door open for him to walk in. She hurriedly locked the door behind him and bent to pull of her heeled boots. They were hurting her feet. She was going to have to go back to flat boots now, she decided. She quickly slipped off her leggings while his back was to her and then hurried up behind him.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him to turn around as she tossed her boots aside. She felt her breath start to come fast as she grabbed his shirt and yanked it open. She trailed her hands over his chest and looked up at him before grabbing her dress and pulling it off over her head. She looked up at him again as she slipped off her bra and tossed it aside. She left on only the skimpy lace knickers she had chosen to wear. She had bought them for Ray, she rather thought he might like to rip them off her after Alyssa had told her how much Jack like ripping off hers. She stepped close to him again and put her hands on his chest again. She let her hands slide up to his shoulders and slipped them under his shirt to shove it off and let it fall to the floor.

Ray looked on as she pulled his shirt open and lost a few buttons, he watched her interestedly and held in a groan of need as she took off her clothes. He wanted to touch her, hold her, take her. He would. He smiled as she came up to him and pushed his shirt off.

"Oh, Ray, you really are so magnificent," she breathed as she looked at him, her eyes drinking him in. "So big, so strong," she added, her breathing slightly labored. She reached a hand up to his face and stroked his cheek. "So handsome."

She tilted her head as it occurred to her. Had she ever told him that before?

She raised her gaze from his broad chest and met his eyes. "I don't think I tell you enough," she stated breathlessly. "But you are so very, very perfect to me."

Ray looked at her, pleasantly shocked. His arms came around her and stroked up and down her back. "Is this why you've been getting all moony at the pub? Because I'm so magnificent," he grinned down at her and pulled her closer. "You're perfect too, Rowan," he whispered to her and looked down at her, his eyes tracing up and down her body. "Completely and utterly perfect," he said with a smile.

Ray dropped his head and his arms lifted her off her feet so that their lips met. A groan escaped as he kissed her, and he moved her backwards until her back hit the nearest wall. Bracing her against it, and making sure she would stay if he let go of her, he moved his hands to cup her face and he looked at her a moment. This incredible woman wanted him, and was having his baby. He decided that he couldn't be happier. He smiled at her and his lips moved to her neck and his hands moved down to hold her hips and stroke her legs.

Rowan sighed as he pulled her into his arms and she met his gaze.

"Yes," she admitted. She shivered at his words. She decided she didn't tell him enough and she liked hearing him say it to her very much.

She couldn't hold back a smile as he picked her up. She never minded when he did. Soon, he wouldn't be able to, not without hurting himself. She kissed him back hard, she never tired of it.

She met his gaze as he looked at her. She felt so beautiful when he looked at her. And now she was having his baby and she felt...feminine, unbelievably so. A moan escaped her at the feel of his lips on her neck and she wrapped her legs around his waist as her hands plunged into his hair and she held him close.

"Take me to bed," she whispered, her breathing harsh in her throat. "Take me and make love to me, Ray," she continued as her fingers wound through his curls. "I want your hands on me, Ray," she gasped. "I want you inside me, oh gods, Ray, I want you so much," she cried in near desperation and began to press kisses against the side of his head, moving towards his cheek.

Ray detached his lips from her neck and sighed happily as he held her against him and lifted her from the wall. He moved to the bedroom and tumbled with her onto the bed. He landed on top of her and was careful not to crush her. He simply looked at her sprawled on the bed beneath him. He wasn't sure he had ever seen anything more beautiful. He stroked a finger down her cheek and neck, then smiled down at her and his lips followed the path his finger had traced.

His hands slid down her body as he lifted his head and removed the rest of his clothes. He smiled at the tiny knickers that she was wearing and he pressed his lips to hers as he pulled them off her, tearing them in the process and he threw them away as his arms came around her and eased her into the middle of the bed. He lifted one of her legs around his waist and then plunged into her with a groan and he pressed his forehead to hers as he stayed still and just revelled in the feel of her.

Rowan gazed at him as he carried her around. She was sure her expression was soppy, but she was past caring. She giggled as they fell onto the bed and helplessly gazed at him in adoration. How could she not? Not when he looked at her like he was looking at her now. She closed her eyes and let out a soft moan as his touch.

She watched him as he finished getting undressed. He was so wonderful to look at! She couldn't help but smile into the kiss as he tore away the knickers. Alyssa was right! It was thrilling.

She moaned his name as he plunged into her and gazed into his eyes as his forehead pressed to hers. She ghosted her hands over his arms to his shoulders and then to his chest before gently tracing her fingers down his sides.

"You feel so good," she whispered, her eyes boring into his. She tipped her head to brush her lips against his, even that small movement making her shiver as he held still inside her. It was torture, but it felt so good.

Ray looked down at Rowan's face and breathed as evenly as he could. It was taking all his self control to stay still, he wasn't sure he could manage it much longer, no matter how much he wanted to. He trembled at the feel of her nails as they went down his back. He let out a controlled breath and looked down at her face. There was no way she could hold this. He pressed his lips to hers and ravished her mouth as he finally started to move.

Ray let out a groan that fast became a growl as his hands flew over her skin, touching every part of her that he possibly could.

"Rowan," he murmured against her neck as he pulled his lips from hers and left a trail of kisses down her neck and along her collarbone. Another groan came from him as he sped up and clutched her to him even more fiercely. She drove him wild, he couldn't contain himself around her. His lips moved to her ear and he spoke in a hoarse whisper. "I love you Rowan, you're beautiful," he told her and he buried his face in her shoulder as he felt his body begin to tense.

Rowan couldn't take her eyes from Ray's face as he looked at her. She was completely enthralled. She could see the strain staying still was having on him. She couldn't understand how he was managing it. She bit back a yelp of surprise as he suddenly kissed her and she felt him begin to move. Her eyes flew open as she felt her body suddenly jerk as his sudden movement set her off.

His growl vibrated through her and then his hands were on her, everywhere, and she was climbing again. She lost herself, crying out his name over and over again as she dug her fingers into his back. She would have raked his back with her nails if she had any.

Any modicum of control she possessed fled the moment he spoke in her ear. She wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders as her body began to shake.

"Oh, Ray, I love you, too, you glorious man," she breathed. "I was made for you."

She might have blushed at having said such a cliché, romance-novel line to Ray, but she was too lost in him to care. She didn't even realize she'd said it aloud, never mind she believed it to be true. They fit and meshed together too well for it not to be true.

She felt tears spill from her eyes as she came again as she felt how near he was and then again, even harder, when he did. His always set her off, no matter what.

Ray shuddered and collapsed, he made sure to roll next to her and then pull her close. Made for him? It seemed so, there was no one that made him feel anywhere near what Rowan made him feel. He reached out and grabbed a handful of duvet and dragged it over them, making sure that they were all nicely tucked in. He sighed as he combed his fingers through her hair, she fit so perfectly against him and she was so perfect. He couldn't see himself with anyone else, ever.

He pulled her right up to his chest and tightened his arms around her, protectively, possessively. He made a satisfied humming noise deep in his throat and his hand stroked up and down her back as his other held her fast to him. There was no way he was ever letting this woman go!

Rowan sniffed and sighed contently as he wrapped them up, pulling her close against him. She tucked her head under his chin and laid her cheek against his chest so she could listen to his heartbeat. She ignored the tears that she knew were dampening his chest and swiped the ones from her other cheek with her hand before winding her arm around his waist.

She listened to the humming noise he made, feeling it resonate in her. She loved his growls and humming and never tired at the sound of his voice. It was so deep and soothing.

"I'm so happy," she said softly. She lifted her head and then inched up so that she was face to face with him and propped her head up on her hand. Her other hand moved to his face, her fingers tracing the curve of his brow, the hollow of his cheek and the line of his jaw as her eyes searched his features. His beautiful eyes, the cute, very tiny mole next to his left eye, the one wayward moustache hair that never seemed to want to stay in place, the tiny spot on his chin where he'd nicked himself shaving that morning. She leaned over and kissed him softly.

"I don't think I've ever been this happy," she told him. "I don't think I tell you enough how amazing you are."

She softly brushed her lips on his again and then moved her hand and let her head drop to the pillow. She burrowed one arm under the pillow and slipped the other under his arm so her hand rested on his back.

"Will you sing to me again?" she asked

Ray settled himself comfortably and accommodated her accordingly, he raised his eyebrows as she spoke and frowned down at her face. What was up with her? She kept saying really, really girly things. It was unlike her.

"You're not going soft on me are you?" he grinned at her and fished in his head for something to sing to her. He gave up searching after a while and chose the lullaby that he had taken to singing whenever she asked and it was just them two. There was no way he would sing it to any one else.

He wrapped his arms around her as he sang and rested his head against hers. He let out a soft sigh as he finished the lullaby and buried his face into her hair. "You've gone all soppy tonight," he told her with a smile.

Rowan managed a shrug and nuzzled against him.

"I know," she sighed, as she toyed with some of his chest hair. "I'm feeling very soft tonight for some reason."

She took his hand and put it on the swell of her belly and turned her head slightly to look at it.

"I think it's the pregnancy. It's making me feel very...feminine, I guess."

She looked up at him and smiled a soft smile.

"You were pretty soppy yourself as I recall," she reminded. Not that she was complaining. His eyes and his body always told her what he thought of her, but hearing him say it out loud made her melt.

"Anyway, I just started thinking about how much you mean to me and I know we know how we feel, but sometimes it's nice to say it out loud. I know you don't think much of yourself, but Ray, I do. You have such a lovely chest and back and shoulders," she told him and smiled as she touched his belly. "You don't have a six pack, and I'm glad, I like that you're a little soft just there," she told him. "You've got very nice legs, a fantastic bum," she said and grabbed it, "and you have some very impressive attributes," she added and looked at him with her eyebrow raised as she took him in hand so he would know exactly what she meant. "Your face isn't what some might call classically handsome, but it has character and when you smile, proper smile, you take my breath away. And you have the most beautiful eyes."

She paused and sighed. "I just...you're amazing and sexy and I had to tell you because, well, tonight is a special night."

She heaved a great breath and turned over and rummaged in the bedside drawer and turned to him with a box.

"It's um...it's been a year now...since we met," she gave an shaky laugh. "Can you believe it? So, anyway, I got you this and well, since I'm being all stupid and soppy I thought I would give it to you now, because despite some of the not-so-great stuff that's happened you know like oh I don't know...getting shot on Valentines Day," she let out another nervous laugh. "This really has been one of the best years I've ever had, Ray, and it's all down to you."

She felt her eyes begin to tear up and sniffed as she held the box out to him. "Happy Anniversary, Ray."

Ray took the box from her and placed it on the side. He pulled her to him in a hug. "Stop crying you dopey woman," he smiled as he stroked her hair. "We've been together for a year? Really?" he let out a breath in surprise. Well, this was his longest relationship. Ever. Not that he should be surprised. He held her until he felt the tears stop and then carefully pulled her away from him. He brushed at her damp cheeks with his thumbs and pulled her so she was leaning against him as he sat up and reached for the box.

Rowan sniffed and managed a laugh as she leaned against him. "I will, just give me a minute," she retorted tartly and let herself enjoy him stroking her hair.

Ray opened it curiously wishing that he had got something for her, he hadn't known that it had been a full year since they had first met, he remembered that day clearly though, the moment she had stepped into the office he had felt nothing but lust for her. Now he was glad that that lust had grown into something more. He curiously took out the ID Bracelet and looked at it studiously. There was writing on it. He huffed out a breath. "Ro, this isn't English," he told her as he looked at the words that to him were just a jumble of letters. He draped the bracelet over his wrist and fiddled with the catch trying to do it up. Why did these things have to be so stupidly difficult to do up!

She smiled as he brushed at her cheeks and grabbed the sheet to wipe them better.

She bit her lip and waited as he opened the box.

She chuckled at his comment and took the bracelet from him gently and looked up at him.

"No, it's Irish. It says: 'Ray,'" she looked at him and tapped his nose, "that's you, 'gra anois agus go deo acuisle ma chroi' and it's signed Rowan, that's me," she looked at him again, pressed a quick kiss to his lips and then put the bracelet on his wrist. She put her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. "It means 'love now and forever pulse of my heart'," she told him quietly and kissed him intently.

Ray wrapped his arms around her and held her to him tightly as he kissed her back. He could feel the weight of the bracelet on his wrist and he found that he welcomed it. He broke the kiss reluctantly and cupped her cheek with his hand as he smiled into her eyes. "Thank you," he smiled at her.

Rowan felt her heart skip a beat as he smiled at her and fought back the urge to cry again.

"You could've told me that it was a year before you decided to buy me something though Ro, now I haven't got anything to give to you," he sighed as he pulled her back against him and lay back down onto the bed and dragged the covers over them both again.

She shrugged at his remark. "So get me something tomorrow, I don't mind, honestly. You've already given me so much," she told him as she cuddled up to him. She didn't want to admit she herself had only just realized it had been a year and snuck out of the restaurant just after breakfast to get him the bracelet.

His hand twirled a lock of her hair idly as he stared at the ceiling. How he had ended up here like this he didn't know, but he was glad all the same.

She sighed in contentment as she felt his hand in her hair and pressed a kiss against his chest before letting his heartbeat lull her to sleep.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\

Alyssa looked at Jack curiously and watched him walk towards the toilets. He wanted her to follow him? Why? She sighed and looked at Alex. "Be back in a sec," she said and smiled at Gene as he came over then stood up and moved towards the toilets. She followed him inside and looked at him, her curiosity getting the better of her. "Jack? What are you doing?" she asked as the door swung shut behind her.

Jack turned and grinned at her before pinning her against the wall. He pressed himself close against her and moved his hands to caress her breasts through the material of her shirt.

"Being a rock star," he chuckled and threw the bolt lock on the door before taking her lips with his. He hurriedly unfastened his trousers and let them and his boxers drop before burrowing his hands under her shirt to stroke her soft skin as he moved his hands to her breasts again.

"You can be my groupie," he told her with a cheeky grin and plastered his lips on hers again.

Alyssa moaned softly and arched into his caresses; her arms came around his neck and held him to her as she melted against him. The toilet of a pub wasn't any worse than a changing room; in fact it was a little more private than a changing room. Her fingers tunnelled through his hair as she slipped off her shoes, she let go of his head and her hands went to the waistband of her jeans and she dropped them to join the material pooling at their feet.

Her leg wound around his waist as she pulled him closer and her hand went back to his neck. She couldn't get enough of him. Her other hand crept under the hem of his shirt and stroked up his chest slowly.

Jack slipped his hand under her leg and hoisted her onto the counter. He twined his fingers around a lock of her hair next to her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb. He put his hands on her hips and thrust into her. Oh yes, that was where he belonged. He gripped her hips and caught her lips up into another hungry kiss.

He heard someone knock on the door and pulled back to look at Alyssa and chuckle low in his throat as he moved inside her.

"You wild woman, you," he whispered in admiration and buried his face in her neck with a growl.

Alyssa gasped at the knock on the door, as looked at him in shock, but the feel of him inside her caused her to slid her arms back around him and plant kisses down his neck, she breathed his name as she rocked her hips against his and wrapped her legs around him to pull him even closer.

"Jack," she moaned as she pulled his head from her neck and pressed her lips to his once more, kissing him breathlessly.

Jack gripped her hips tightly, thrusting hard into her. He kissed her back hard. He slid a hand up her back and moved his lips to her neck, letting his teeth graze over the soft flesh before pressing soft kisses after.

He panted heavily, he was so close. He kissed up to her ear and began to whisper in her ear, telling her what she could expect when he got her home. This was merely an appetizer.

He tightened his arm around her and suddenly growled out her name as he felt himself let go. He pressed himself tight inside her and wrapped his other arm around her as he panted for air and tried to recover.

Alyssa clung to him as she came. Her head rested on his shoulder and she shuddered as his words danced through her head. They needed to go home. Soon. Alyssa pressed a kiss to the spot just under his ear and rested her head against his. Her hands stroked up and down his back, smoothing his shirt. She smiled.

Alyssa jumped off the counter that he had sat her on and gave him a light push so he would move out of the way. Her legs were a little shaky, but on the plus side he hadn't ruined her knickers this time, she would be comfortable on the way home. She pulled her clothes back on and smiled at him, his hair was sticking up where she had been running her fingers through it. She reached up and smoothed it out so he didn't look so dishevelled.

She pressed her lips to his and smiled. "We need to leave and go home," she told him as she looked him over. He looked fine; he didn't really look as though he had been shagging her in the toilets. She glanced at herself in the mirror and sighed as she pulled her hair up into a pony tail: there was no use trying to flatten it down.

Jack reluctantly backed up, unwilling to separate from her just yet, but she wasn't going to give him a choice.

He sighed and pulled up his trousers and fastened them up as she smoothed his hair. He glanced around her at his hair in the mirror. It always seemed to be sticking up. He made a quick attempt at flattening it himself, but wasn't really worried about it. He watched as she put her hair into a tail, he hadn't thought he'd mussed it quite that bad, but she could be picky about her hair.

He swept her close and kissed her before he opened the bathroom door.

"We are going straight home and then I can do more rock star things to my groupie," he promised and wriggled his eyebrows at her.

He huffed out a surprised noise when they went in. Gene and Alex were nowhere to be seen.

"I guess they left," he remarked to Alyssa. "Alex would have had Roxy or Tracey take your bag if they did. I'll be outside," he told her and patted her backside gently before he went out and lit up.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\

Alex smiled up at him and drained her wine then placed the glass back on the table. "You'll have to buy me another drink" she told him as she picked up Alyssa's bag and drink and took them to the other side of the bar with her. She took her usual place at the bar by the dart board and placed Alyssa's glass down. She smiled at Masood.

"Whatever you say," Gene teased and got Alex another glass of wine. He raised his eyebrow at Alyssa's glass and bag.

"Don't tell me she..." he began and sighed. "Who knows how long we'll be waiting," he muttered darkly and drained half his pint.

Alex took a sip from her new glass and looked over at the toilet door. She sighed and stroked her hand up and down Gene's arm soothingly. "Play with Masood until they get back," she suggested and smiled at him. "Exercise some patience," she added.

Gene frowned and shook his head.

"This is ridiculous. I'll be outside," he snarled and went outside to smoke.

Ricky looked at Minty and then they looked at Alex.

"What's got him so annoyed?" Ricky asked curiously.

Alex shook her head silently as she watched Gene go and looked up at Ricky. "Jack's supposed to be playing darts with him and he's run off with Alyssa instead," she smiled. "He's just pissed off."

She drained the wine in her glass and looked over the bar at Roxy. "Roxy, can you look after Alyssa's bag until she gets back for me?" she asked and Roxy nodded. She took the bag from Alex and placed it safely behind the bar.

Alex smiled at her and hopped off the stool. She wandered outside and patted Gene's arm before slipping her hand into his. "Come on, time to go home," she said and kissed his cheek. "I think we'd best go and relieve Molly," she said as she pulled the Quattro keys from his pocket and swung them around her finger. "Peter went round to see Molly, he's probably still there," she told him.

"Ahh," Ricky nodded in understanding and looked at Minty.

Gene looked at Alex as she came up next to him and he snorted when she told him Peter was at the flat with Molly.

"He better not be up to any funny business," he snarled as he climbed into the car. "I'd have to kill him and that would be a shame."

He looked over at her. "Not that I wouldn't enjoy it, mind you," he added and flashed a wicked grin.

Alex sighed at him with a grin, she was glad that he was protective over Molly, even though she knew it annoyed Molly sometimes. Though most of the time the pair of them just found it amusing. "Just drive," she told him.

Alex climbed out of the car as he pulled up outside their home and she opened the door. The first thing she did was look over at the TV which was blaring quietly and the boy and girl on the sofa. She smiled at the tub of ice cream that would no doubt be empty. As she got closer she realised that the two of them were asleep. She smiled, Gene couldn't blow up, they were merely resting against each other and holding hands. She smiled and decided not to disturb them just yet.

Alex shook her head at the sleeping boy and girl amusedly and went along to Sam's room. She opened the door and stood for a moment listening to Sam's gentle sleeping breaths. Satisfied she set the baby monitor and closed the door softly so as not to wake the baby. She turned to the sleeping pair of teenagers on the sofa and tiptoed over and picked up the two spoons and the tub of ice cream. She set the spoons in the sink and the empty tub into the bin and shut the door once Gene got inside.

Gene looked at Alex tidying up the mess. 'Why wasn't Molly doing that herself?' he wondered. He slung his coat off and hung it up before going into the front room.

His lips stretched into a mischievous smile as he looked at the sleeping teenagers. He sniffed softly and drew in a great breath.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" he snapped, just loud enough to wake the sleeping teens, but not loud enough to wake the baby. He was getting good at finding that tone. He bit back a laugh as Peter jumped bolt upright and jerked his hand from Molly's.

"You," he said, stabbing his finger in Molly's direction. "Just what do you think you're doing? You are too young to be sleeping with boys, missy."

He turned and took a step towards the couch and put his finger in Peter's face.

"And you, taking advantage like that. You ought to be ashamed of yourself," he bellowed. "Now get out of here before I get really mad," he ordered.

Peter looked at Molly and then back at Gene, his eyes wide with fear before grabbing his coat and bolting from the flat, calling "sorry" as he went.

Gene folded his arms and burst into delighted laughter once the door had closed behind Peter.

"Now _that_ was fun," he chortled and dropped onto the couch. He looked at Molly.

"You should be ashamed, though, the pair of you ate all the ice cream and I was looking forward to that and all," he told her and then mussed her hair affectionately.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\

Alyssa chuckled at him and walked over to the bar. "Roxy? Have you seen my bag?" she asked.

Roxy nodded. "Hang on a tic," she said and reached underneath the bar and pulled up Alyssa's bag. "Here you go."

"Cheers, Roxy," she smiled as she took her bag and left with a wave. She left the pub and saw Jack outside, smoking. She smiled at him as she slipped her arm around his waist and looked up at him.

"Home?"

"Home," he agreed. He tossed his cigarette into the ashtray and slung an arm around her waist as they headed for home. He glanced down at her. "I hope Gene isn't too put out with me."

He idly pulled a box from his coat and handed it to her. "Happy Anniversary, by the way," he said and grinned. "Can you believe it's been a year since Rowan introduced us."

He looked at Alyssa. "I should probably get her a present and all," he mused and took the box from her. "I'll give this to her instead. You wouldn't like it anyway," he teased.

Alyssa looked up at him. "I didn't know that we were doing presents," she told him. "You should've mentioned something," she said with a small frown.

Alyssa reached for the box as he took it away. "Well, why don't I open it and decide for myself, you never know, Rowan might not like it at all," she said as she tried to pull his arm closer so she could get the box. "Please?" she asked looking up at him. "Or I might change my mind about being your groupie."

"Mmmmm," Jack looked down at her, one eyebrow raised and his eyes dancing from barely suppressed laughter. His eyes widened at her threat and he thrust the box at her.

"Might as well have it," he said agreeably. "It wouldn't really suit Rowan, I'll get her something else," he decided and then stopped walking and waited eagerly for her to open the box.

"Well, go on then," he urged.

Alyssa smiled at him and looked down at the box in her hand. She bit her lip as she opened it, then the smile spread over her face. She looked at the emerald earrings and then back up at Jack. She closed the box with a snap and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she told him as she hugged him "They match my necklace and ring," she told him as she pulled away and opened the box again. She pulled out the earrings that she was already wearing and swapped them for the new ones. She put the box that now contained her old earrings into her bag and pressed her lips to his. "Thank you," she told him again.

"Well, imagine that," Jack said in mock-surprise. "I guess Rowan wouldn't have liked them then," he teased and pulled her tight against him as he kissed her back. He swung her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way home.

He grinned as he put her down to unlock the door. "I'll need to practice carrying you, won't I?" he said with a shrug and then swept her up again to carry her over the threshold. He kicked the door shut behind him and carried her upstairs and proceeded to make her scream.

Molly frowned at Gene and tipped her head over and then flipped it back in an attempt to fix her hair. She glared at him. "That, was nasty!" she told him as she folded her arms. She punched his arm lightly in retaliation for him waking her and Peter.

She smiled at him though, it had been amusing. "You do scare the shit out of him, though."

Alex frowned. "Language, Molly!" she snapped and Molly had the decency to look reasonably abashed. "Sorry, but I couldn't think of a different word."

"Then use a thesaurus!" Alex advised as she came over and took her place on the sofa. Molly snorted "Yes, Mum, because I'm going to carry round a massive book to search through to prevent me from swearing," she replied sarcastically. Alex nodded. "Good."

Molly sighed and gave Gene a hug. "Night, I'm going to go to bed seeing as _someone _woke me up."

Molly went over to Alex and wrapped her arms around her Mum. "Night, Mummy dearest!" she smiled. Alex kissed her cheek. "Night, Molls."

Alex looked at Gene as Molly disappeared behind her bedroom door. "I'm turning in to, I'm going shopping with Rowan and Alyssa tomorrow, I've got to be up early. Are you working? Because I need someone to look after Sam," she smiled.

Alex went into the bedroom, changed into her silk nightshirt and climbed into bed.

Gene burst into delighted laughter at Molly's reaction to what he had done.

"I think that's the most fun I had all night. I may, may, mind you, apologize to him for it. Maybe...I'll consider the possibility," Gene admitted. "I'll give it serious thought."

He looked up at Alex.

"Oh, go and let her have that one," he cajoled and patted Molly on the back as she passed.

Bed. Gene perked up and followed her into the bedroom after making sure the lights were off. He ducked under the covers and grabbed her close.

"Yes, I'll look after Sam, but I want something in return," he told her as he toyed with one of the buttons on her shirt. "I want you to get something barely there and wear it for me. I think we should commemorate when you decided to come running back to me because you couldn't live without me," he informed her smugly. "Something like this maybe," he said and dropped a small red gift bag in front of her.

Alex snorted. "Couldn't live without you?" she repeated. "I seem to remember you being stuck in some sort of downward spiral until I turn up," she told him and rolled over to face him. "And may I remind you Mr Hunt, it was you that kissed me first," she smiled smugly. "So, now who can't live without who?" she continued as she pulled the small bag onto her lap. Something barely there? She was intrigued.

"You really are arrogant, aren't you woman?" Gene teased and watched as she pulled the teddy out of the bag.

Alex pulled out the red lace teddy and admired it. He wanted her to wear this? It was gorgeous! "So, if you've already got me one do I have to get another one?" she asked as she smiled at him. The bag still felt heavy though. She looked inside and spotted the box. Alex laid the teddy down and pulled out the box and opened it. She gasped as she saw the necklace and pulled it out. She fixed it around her neck then turned to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you," she said as she pressed her lips to his.

He grinned at her. "Well, you can't have too many barely there things can you?" he asked in an innocent tone.

He broke off the kiss a moment. "You are welcome," he said and kissed her some more. "Now," he began and picked up the teddy. "Why don't you go and put this on?" he suggested and pulled her close with his other arm. "We have to make sure it fits, after all, don't we?"

Alex smiled at him and pressed another quick kiss to his lips as she reached for the red skimpy lace teddy and clambered off the bed. She went to the bathroom and shed her black nightshirt then put on the teddy. She smiled, she was hardly surprised that he had chosen something like this, but she was surprised that Gene Hunt had actually gone shopping. That just didn't happen. And he had bought her jewellery. She couldn't get her head around it. Gene Hunt did not go into lingerie shops, not as far as she knew anyway. And she didn't think he would've ordered online, he didn't like technology!

Alex opened the door to the bathroom and stood in the doorway with a sultry expression on her face. She looked at Gene and slowly twirled for him. "So? Does it fit?" she asked as she took a step towards him.

Gene coughed and looked at Alex hungrily.

"Oh, it fits all right," he growled and roughly pulled her to him. He skimmed his hands over her as his eyes drank in the sight of her.

"Glad to see my pressie all wrapped up," he purred and pressed against her. He hurriedly shoved off his boxers and grabbed hold of the lacy material and yanked it down, not caring if it tore. He'd bought it hadn't he?

"Time to open it, I think," he breathed in her ear and tore at it some more to bare her breasts. "Oh, yes," he growled again and bent his head to her breasts as his hands worked at getting the rest of the teddy off of her. He pulled and tore at the material as his lips and tongue ranged over her flesh, teasing and tasting her breasts. He punctuated the tears of fabric with growls and then pushed her backwards onto the bed.

He grinned as he shoved her legs apart and bent between them, putting his mouth and tongue to work there as he tossed aside the torn scraps of the teddy. His hands gripped her hips as he teased and devoured her. He would never tire of this. He was going to miss their moments in the office. Unless he made good his threat and moved to the Super's office. He would have to think about that he decided and intensified his efforts at the sound of her moans.

Alex threw her head back in ecstasy. If she had known that a skimpy outfit like that would provoke a reaction like this then she would have done it before now! Though now that outfit was scattered all over the floor, she didn't care. All she could think about was what Gene was doing to her. She moaned his name as he pushed her over the brink and sat up as she panted for breath. She pulled him back onto the bed and made him lie down as she straddled him.

Alex traced a finger down his cheek, the leaned forward and kissed him slowly, savouring the taste of him and the feel of his lips on hers. Her hands ghosted over his shoulders and then down his arms. She raised herself up and then sank down onto his with a soft sigh. Alex kept her eyes fixed on his face as her hands reached him and held them down as she began to move slowly. A soft moan escaped her as she continued with her painfully slow pace.

Gene grinned at Alex as she took charge. She was so sexy when she got aggressive. He moaned as she lowered herself onto him and began to move slowly. She was attempting to hold his hands down, he could move them anytime, he was tempted. He didn't want to just watch her body, he wanted his hands on it.

He shifted his hips to thrust up to her as he eyes avidly traveled over her.

"Bolly!" he moaned as it became too much and he pulled his hands and reached for her, his hands caressing her breasts and then gliding down her sides to fasten on her hips as he went over the edge.

He paused to make sure she was finished and to catch his breath, then pulled her to him and rolled so she was next to him.

"You are some woman, Bolls," he growled in her ear and kissed her.

Alex wrapped her arms around him as she broke the kiss and rested her head on his chest. She couldn't help but love this man! She mumbled something illiterate as she curled into his and closed her eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 11**

Alyssa woke early and crawled out of Jack's tight embrace. She spared a fond look at him as she went to get a shower and then got dressed. She made sure she was presentable and went downstairs to make Jack a cup of tea. She left it on the bedside table and then left the house. She still couldn't believe that Rowan wanted to go shopping, granted she would need new clothes as she started to get bigger, and the baby shopping was understandable, but Alyssa was still a little shocked. But pleasantly shocked. She texted Rowan to say she was on her way to the restaurant and put her phone back in her bag as she enjoyed the small breeze.

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Rowan woke up early and sighed happily. She couldn't remember feeling so good. She buried her face in Ray's broad chest and breathed in the smell of him. She turned her head and looked at his arm and caught sight of the bracelet she had got him. She traced her finger over his hand and then over the bracelet. It suited him.

She propped her head on her hand and looked at Ray as he slept and smiled. She loved looking at him when he was asleep. She glanced at the clock and decided she should get up and start getting ready. She was going shopping today!

She furrowed her brow for a moment, she didn't get excited about shopping. Alyssa generally had to drag her kicking and screaming. She looked at Ray again. She wanted to celebrate being with him for a year again, but she needed to shop. Saturday was a perfect day for that. She thought he had to work anyway today. So, at least he wouldn't be puttering around the house on his own.

She carefully slid from the bed and went to have a quick shower. She pulled on a dress and leggings, the only things that seemed to fit her anymore and pulled on a pair of flat black boots before going into the kitchen. She started a pot of coffee and switched on the kettle to make Ray some tea before gazing into the fridge to see what she could make for breakfast. She pulled out eggs and some sausages and put them on the counter. That would do.

She quickly fixed Ray's tea and headed with it to the bedroom. Her breath caught at the sight of him sprawled across the bed, the covers only just reaching his hips. She put a hand to her chest and could only stand and stare in stupefied admiration. She finally managed to walk slowly towards the bed and carefully put the mug of tea on the table before pulling both hands to her chest and clasping them together as she gazed at him. He was such a wonderful sight!

She vaguely heard her phone beep in the next room, but couldn't move. She was rooted to the spot unable to tear her gaze away from him. Why did he have to be so desirable? And why was she finding it so hard to resist him?

An irritating beeping sound woke Ray. He kept his eyes closed and waited for it to stop, when it didn't he frowned and grumpily opened his eyes. He lifted his head when he realised that Rowan wasn't next to him and he looked around. He raised his eyebrows when he spotted her standing next to the bed, not moving. He frowned at her, couldn't she hear that stupid beeping sound? He was pretty sure that it was her phone.

"Ro, I know you think I'm gorgeous, but please will you stop that stupid noise!" he asked as he reached for the mug of tea on his table. He shuffled up the bed so he was leant against the headboard as he drank his tea. He glanced at the time. Saturday? He had work in an hour or so. His gaze flicked over her again. She was wearing a dress? She seemed to be doing that an awful lot recently, wearing dresses. She had told him that she had never been a girly girl, something which he was grateful for. But recently, with wearing dresses and acting all soppy, he was beginning to question that.

Ray finished his mug of tea and idly carried the empty mug in his hand as he climbed off the bed and reached for his dressing gown. He slipped it over him as he padded through to the kitchen. His stomach grumbled in agreement as he looked around for food. He smiled as he spotted the food she had laid out ready and wondered when she planned on cooking it. He made himself another mug of tea as he waited.

Rowan startled and blinked.

"Sorry," she muttered. She wondered again what in the world was wrong with her. She watched him get out of bed and grab his dressing gown. She allowed herself a moment to admire him before turning to head towards the kitchen. She quickly slid two skillets onto the stove and began to cook the eggs. She tossed the sausages into the other pan and snagged her phone from the counter and looked at Alyssa's text.

"Alyssa's on her way," she said and glanced over at him. She dumped the food onto plates and carried it over to the table and put them down before turning to get the toast when it popped up.

Ray looked at her over his breakfast as he ate contentedly. "You don't like shopping," he told her. "You complain when Alyssa makes plans to go," he added with a frown. He couldn't see why she was so seemingly looking forward to spending a day trudging around a load of shops.

"No, I'm not terribly crazy about shopping, but it's necessary. I'll be glad to get some clothes. Nothing fits anymore," she complained. "I need new _everything_."

He smiled at her. "Do you really need clothes though?" he asked. "I don't mind you not wearing anything," he grinned at her, his expression changed as a thought came to him. "Mind you, I don't want you prancing around with nothing on in front of anyone else!" he told her, his tone dark. There was no way he was sharing her with anyone.

She took a bite of her eggs and raised her eyebrow at his comment. "I know you prefer me with nothing on," she chuckled. "I don't want to be prancing around with nothing on in front of anyone else," she said and tilted her head at him.

"That's why I need new clothes," she lifted the loose dress she wore. "Leggings are the only things I can wear and they are getting tight," she said as she showed him. "I've only got three dresses that are loose enough to wear comfortably and I don't relish wearing the same thing day after day."

She made herself a fresh cup of coffee and sat down. "Do you want me to get you anything while I'm out?"

Ray shook his head. "I don't need anything except inspiration. I can hardly send you out to get your own present can I?" he smirked at her then applied himself to his food. He didn't really want to be sitting down in just a dressing gown when Alyssa got here.

She smoothed the skirt down and finished her eggs.

"And I'm only going to get bigger," she added. She buttered a slice of toast and took a bite, chewed and swallowed. "Even my underclothes are getting too tight. I'd show you but I'm sure that would be a bad idea."

She smirked at him and started on a sausage.

Ray smirked at her over his breakfast. He scanned his gaze over her curiously, if she was going to buy new lingerie then shopping wasn't so bad. He was looking forward to her return and she hadn't even left yet. He chuckled to himself as he ate.

Davina woke and got ready for the day. She had eschewed staying the entire night at Max's and after they'd finished their activities, she'd come home. Today, she was going to see if she couldn't befriend Alyssa.

She downed a quick breakfast of tea and toast and headed for the Square. She would have to find out what Alyssa was up to and then plan to "run into" her.

Gene woke up and clutched Alex to him tightly. Last night had been one of the best in his opinion. He was eager for a replay, but a glance at the clock told him it was a bad idea. She had informed him she was going shopping today and he wasn't in the mood to argue after last night. He kissed her shoulder and slipped from the bed and put the kettle on to quickly make her a cup of coffee.

He brought it in and placed it on the table next to her and then went to fix himself some tea. He knew if he stood there he wouldn't be able to help himself.

Alex heard the clink of china hitting the kitchen counter-top as she opened her eyes. She smiled at the mug of coffee on the bedside table and reached for it. She took a tiny sip and frowned, she burnt her tongue on the scalding liquid and decided to leave it while she had a shower. She glanced over at Gene's side of the bed knowing that he wouldn't be there. She sighed and swung her legs off the bed to get up. She went through to the bathroom and got into the shower.

Alex came out wrapped in a towel and she reached for her now cooler, cup of coffee. She smiled as she took a gulp and then set about getting ready to go out.

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Whitney gave Jack a quick wave as she passed him in the hall and hurried downstairs ahead of him and out the door. She pulled out her phone and texted Molly.

"We hanging today? Am at cafe. W :)"

She stopped short at the sight of Davina crossing the Square and her expression darkened. She stalked over to the woman and stopped in front of her causing Davina to step back in surprise.

"Stay away from Brett, yeah, or I'll make you sorry," Whitney warned.

"Look, I'm not the one who is obsessed. You want your stupid boyfriend to stay away from me you should talk to him."

Whitney reached out and shoved Davina. "I'm talking to YOU. You tell him no when he calls and wants to come round. You tell him to stay away from you and leave you alone, do you understand?"

"I've done that you stupid girl," Davina snapped.

"If I find out you've shagged him again I'll rip your hair out," Whitney snarled and pushed at Davina again.

"Oi, Whit, what you doin?" Bianca yelled and came running over. She grabbed Whitney and pulled her away from Davina.

"She's shagging my boyfriend," Whitney cried and writhed in Bianca's grasp.

"No, I'm not. I've told him to stay away. I told him weeks ago. He's done that so far," Davina countered.

"Look, why don't you just get out of here, go on!" Bianca demanded and pulled Whitney towards the cafe. "C'mon Whit, calm down. She ain't worth it."

Davina shook her head and turned to head for the salon at a quicker pace. She glanced back once and saw Whitney's hate-filled gaze. She felt a slight shiver of fear. That girl quite likely would tear her hair out. She resolved to keep telling Brett to keep well away.

It was Jack she wanted anyway.

Bianca dragged Whitney into the cafe and sat her down.

"Now, you're gonna have a cup of tea and calm down," Bianca instructed Whitney and went behind the counter to get the girl a cup of tea.

"Hiya, Jane, sorry about all the excitement."

"No worries, Bianca. Gives people something to talk about on a boring Saturday."

Bianca couldn't help but grin and took Whitney her tea and sat down.

"Whit, look, that woman is clearly finished with him. Maybe it's Brett you need to be talking to. Not that she ain't partly to blame, but she's hung up on that Jack."

"Brett and I talked last night. He promised it was over. I just couldn't help it though, B. They were having an affair, he was cheating on me. If she didn't really want him then she should have just said no."

"I know, Whit. Not all men are good like my Ricky," Bianca told her with a small smile and patted her hand.

"I better get busy."

Whitney nodded and sighed before picking up her tea and taking a drink.

Molly pulled her phone towards her as she sat on the sofa. Gene had got up a few minutes ago and she could hear her Mum in the shower. Sam was sat on her lap, still in his jimmyjams, reaching for her hair. She obliged and tipped her head forward so he could grab some as she read Whitney's text. She smiled.

"Sure, be there in a bit. Gene just got up :) x M"

She set her phone back down and looked around for Gene, the pain in her head reminding her that Sam was still clutching her hair. She turned back to him and eased her hair out his grasp and looked at Gene "Are you working today?" she asked as she moved Sam so he was in a more comfortable position.

Gene looked over at Molly.

"No, I might go in later for awhile, but Ray is working today. Your mum is going shopping with Rowan and Alyssa. Why? I suppose you want to go out and all," he remarked and looked at her.

JT unlocked the door to the restaurant and flipped the sign to "open". He nodded at Nora and then went to the kitchen to continue training Trevor. This would be the first day it would be just JT and Trevor. The true test.

He glanced at the ceiling and wondered if Rowan was awake. He thought Ray had to work today, but he hoped Rowan would find something to do so she wouldn't be tempted to come down and start helping.

Whitney read Molly's reply.

"See you soon then," she sent back.

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Molly rolled her eyes at him and nodded. "It's Saturday, I'm hardly likely to stay cooped up here am I?" she grinned. "Whitney just text me to meet her. I'll hang out with her today," she smiled and stood. She carried Sam to Gene and dumped him into his fathers arms. "See you later," she smiled and patted his head before dancing out of the front door.

Alex emerged from the bedroom to hear the door slamming. She smiled at the sight of Sam and Gene and placed her mug into the sink. She checked the time and then grabbed some bread to put in the toaster. After getting out the butter from the fridge she looked over at Gene. "You sure you're okay to look after Sam today?" she asked.

"I'm not being given much choice," Gene replied in an annoyed tone, but his expression gave lie to him being as annoyed as he sounded.

He put Sam down and went over to Alex and pulled her close. "Don't forget to buy something scanty to replace what I tore off you last night."

He gave her a quick kiss and went to pick Sammy up again.

Alex smiled back at him and nodded. She looked at Sam and kissed the tip of her sons nose before grabbing up her bag and reading the text that had just come through. She smiled and sent one back to Rowan saying that she would pick them up. She waved to Gene and Sam, enjoying the sight of her husband holding her son as she left.

Alex climbed into her car and drove to the restaurant.

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Alyssa reached the restaurant and waved at JT through the glass as he spotted her from the kitchen. She waited patiently for him to open the door and stepped inside. "Morning," she smiled brightly at him.

JT noticed Alyssa outside and walked over to open the door.

"It's not locked, Alyssa," he drawled. His eyes widened as she chattered away on her way to the stairs.

"Ro, Alex and I are going shopping today, it's really weird. Ro actually suggested it," she said. "Took me by surprise," she smiled and looked around him to see Trevor in the kitchen. She patted his shoulder. "I'll leave you to it," she said and bounded up the stairs to the flat.

Alyssa knocked on Rowan's door insistently as she reached it.

Ray looked around at the knock on the door and then back to Rowan. He looked down at himself and gulped down his mouthful of sausage. He stood and made his way to the bedroom. "Back in a bit, do not throw that away," he told her indicating his breakfast.

Ray shut the bedroom door firmly behind him and headed to the wardrobe to get some clothes, he took them with him to bathroom and locked the door behind him before climbing into the shower.

Rowan gaped at Ray.

"Of course I wouldn't," she said in disbelief and watched him hurry off. She wished she could join him, but she had other things to do. She heard the lock on the bathroom door and shook her head. Why would he think he needed to lock the door?

She went and opened the flat door and let Alyssa in.

"Hey, Lyss," she said. "Just finishing up breakfast, come on in. Do you want some toast?" she offered. She led Alyssa to the kitchen and put her other sausage on Ray's half full plate before putting her plate in the sink.

Alyssa beamed at Rowan as she came in and placed her handbag down on the sofa. "No thanks, Ro, I'm not hungry," she shrugged and looked at the plate on the table. She frowned. "He locked the door?" she echoed with a small smile, then shrugged again.

"I'm still shocked that you actually planned a shopping trip, for some reason I just can't get my head around it!" she grinned.

"Oh, I have to show you something," she announced and bounded into the bedroom to get the bracelet she had bought Ray. She looked around but he had clearly worn it into the bathroom.

She came back out. "I guess I can't," she said with a shrug. "I realized it's been a year since Ray and I met so I bought him one of those ID bracelets and got it engraved. I thought he might have taken it off before going into the bathroom to shower, but I was wrong. And he locked the bathroom door for some reason so I can't get it and show it to you."

She held out her wrist with her mother's bracelet. "I just got it engraved with what my father put on my mother's bracelet."

She grabbed up her coffee cup and rinsed it and left it next to the sink.

"I guess I'm ready when you are. Oh, Alex texted me, she's coming, too. She might be driving so let me just text her and find out. If she is, I can leave the car for Ray and we can either walk over to Alex's or wait for her to pick us up."

She flipped open her phone and sent off a quick text.

"You driving or shall I?"

"There, done," she said and closed her phone with a snap and sat down at the table to wait for a reply and tried not to think about Ray in the shower, with water running over his naked body.

Alex pulled up outside the Restaurant and sent off at text to Rowan saying she was waiting outside.

"Yeah, well, desperate times and all that. I need clothes that fit, therefore, I have no choice. I am looking a little bit forward to getting things for the baby though," she admitted.

Ray finished his shower and dressed in the bathroom, he didn't want anyone to see him with nothing on, well, nobody except Rowan. That he was okay with. He brushed his teeth and unlocked the bathroom door as he came out and spotted Rowan and Alyssa in the front room. He looked at the table for his breakfast and saw it was still there. He made his way over to it and sat back down.

Alyssa looked up as Ray came in and watched him in amusement as he went straight for the food. She looked at Ro with raised eyebrows and then down at her phone as it went off.

She followed Alyssa's gaze as Ray went straight for the table and turned back to Alyssa, shaking with silent laughter. She looked down at her phone and read the text.

"Alex is here to pick us up," she told Alyssa and stood. She grabbed her bag and walked over to Ray.

"I'm going now. Alex is driving so I'm leaving the car in case you need it," she said. She plucked up the napkin and gave him a small smile as she wiped sausage grease from his mouth and then kissed him.

She broke off the kiss rather breathlessly and touched his cheek. "See you later," she breathed and then straightened and headed for the door. She turned back to Ray and gave him a quick wave before heading out the door.

She hurried down the stairs and out the door of the restaurant and waved at Alex before opening the car door and climbing in on the passenger side.

"Alyssa can ride shotgun on the way home," she said as she buckled the seatbelt. "So, where to first?"

Alyssa chuckled as she followed Rowan down the stairs and outside. She climbed into the back of the car and smiled at Alex as she got in.

Alex grinned at the pair of them as she started up the car. "Well, first job is to get to the shops," she teased as she pulled away from the curb. Alyssa tossed a few suggestions for shopping centres in and Alex decided on the nearest.

She parked up in the car park and locked the car once the two others were out. Alyssa looked at her friends. "So, what do we all need to get?"

Alex bit her lip against the smile. "I've been ordered by Gene to get something scanty," she smiled. Alyssa grinned and nodded. "I need to get some stuff for the honeymoon, too," she agreed and looked at Rowan. "You wanted to go baby shopping right?" she asked.

"Ooooooooo!" Alex beamed. "That's good, I need to pick up some stuff for Sam and if you need any help with the best brands for cots and things then I can help with that," she offered with a smile.

"I need everything," Rowan put in as she climbed out of the car and laughed at them talking about buying skimpy clothes. She decided she might look too, apart from the underthings she needed. She loved the look on Ray's face when she wore something revealing.

She nodded at Alyssa. "I definitely want to get a head start on the clothes and things. I can buy quite a bit even if I don't know what I'm having yet."

Rowan gave an excited bounce. "I can't wait until the scan so I can find out," she enthused. "So, let's get busy."

She put her hand to her stomach as they crossed the parking lot to enter the shopping center. "There are a lot of bathrooms around here right? I'm having to go a lot now," Rowan asked.

She bit her lip as they got inside. It was a bit daunting. She and Alyssa usually just went to a few shops, never to one of the big shopping centers. She spotted a likely place with maternity clothes and several children's places, but the lingerie shop caught her eye. She pointed it out.

"We might as well start there," she suggested and chuckled.

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Davina left the salon disappointed. No one seemed to know where Alyssa would be shopping. She had been fairly circumspect in her questions, she thought, so she didn't think she was being misled. She stood outside the salon and considered for a moment.

Alyssa's friend was pregnant, so they would likely buy maternity stuff and things for the baby. She nodded to herself as she headed back to her car and drove towards the restaurant.

She caught sight of the car that was pulling away from the restaurant as she pulled up and noted the flash of red from the backseat. She drove after them, staying well back but keeping an eye on where they went to see if she couldn't guess where they would end up. Once she realized where they were going she headed off in another direction. She would pick up some paperwork and then she could meet up.

Davina picked up the paperwork she needed and then drove to the shopping center she knew they were going to. She parked her car and hurried inside, keeping an eye out for the three women. She wanted to make sure she saw them first so she could plan when she would run into Alyssa. She finally spotted them going into a shop that carried lingerie and bit back a chuckle. Perfect. She would have a hard time explaining if they had gone into the maternity place first.

She strolled leisurely towards the shop and pretended to look at the window display as she watched them wander around and look at things, ducking out of sight if one of them looked to be turning in her direction.

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Gene sat on the couch and divided his attention between the tele and Sammy happily playing on the floor. He sighed and picked Sammy up and bounced him a bit, making him laugh. He looked at the clock and huffed out a breath. He fixed Sammy some breakfast and fed him then made sure he had on a clean nappy and put him in clean clothes.

He sat down and pulled on his boots and then put Sammy in the stroller before pulling on his coat then headed off at a meandering walk towards the station.

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Whitney ate her way slowly through the breakfast Bianca gave her and savored the fact that she had got in Davina's face. She couldn't wait until Molly arrived so she could tell her.

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Alyssa nodded her agreement. "And, to be honest, pyjama wise, who cares if you have a boy and bought girl's clothes. No one will see him to care," she grinned. "I know for a fact that Benny used to have to wear all my nightdresses when he was a baby, just because it made it easier for Mum to change his nappy at night," she grinned.

Alex nodded at Rowan with a smile and pointed to the map of the shopping centre. "See, 3 toilets on each floor," she smiled as she opened the door for Alyssa and Rowan to go in.

Alyssa chuckled and watched with amusement as Alex immediately headed off in that direction. She grinned at Rowan and then followed. She wanted to get some new lingerie for the honeymoon, and she definitely wanted a garter. She smiled as Alex wandered off and started browsing and looked around the shop. She spotted something and made her way over.

Alex headed directly for the red lingerie, seeing as Gene had bought her something that colour she figured that she would replace the one he had bought and get another one as well. She smiled as she picked up a few different ones and headed to the changing room.

Alyssa eventually picked out something she liked and grabbed a garter off the hanger to try that on for size, too. She grinned as she remembered the time that she had taken Jack shopping for lingerie with her and felt her cheeks heat slightly, she pushed the thought away hurriedly and pulled the curtain shut behind her as she stepped into the cubicle.

Rowan burst into laughter.

"I'm just going to buy some of those little footie pajamas, I like those," she said and looked at Alex gratefully. Rowan wandered around and some gowns caught her attention. She gasped and smiled delightedly and went through the rack and picked out three white ones that she thought were pretty and went to try them on. They fit even though they were a bit on the long side. She carried them around as she got herself some maternity knickers and then barely hid her look of dismay at the size of bra she had to get. She was sure Ray wasn't complaining though. She grabbed several and went to try them on.

Davina watched them head for the changing rooms and went inside and pretended to browse as she waited for Alyssa to emerge.

Alyssa smiled as she came out of the changing room carrying the pieces she was going to buy. She bit her lip, her experience buying lingerie with Jack was still playing on her mind. She chuckled to herself and headed to the check out counter. She stood in the queue and idly looked around her. She turned her attention to check out lady as it was her turn and she paid for the items she had chosen. She looked around her as she held her bag and sighed as she realised that Alex and Rowan were still trying on stuff.

She turned around and looked at the items still on the racks around her.

Davina noticed Alyssa finally come out and pay for her purchases. She watched her turn to look as some more racks and positioned herself to back up into Alyssa. She turned around quickly to apologize and made sure her expression was suitably shocked to see Alyssa there.

"Oh, ummm," she began and bit her lip to make sure she looked suitably distressed. She sighed and caught Alyssa's arm before she could move away.

"I owe you such an apology," she began. "I don't know how to begin to explain my behavior, it was inexcusable."

She looked down at the floor and then back up at Alyssa.

Alyssa turned as she felt someone walk into her and her neutral expression changed as she saw Davina. Her eyebrows rose, Davina was apologising? Really? That she had not expected! She said nothing as Davina stood before her, she didn't know what to think. Before her was the woman that had kissed her fiancé on multiple occasions, each time resulting in an argument or problem between herself and Jack. And Davina was apologising.

"If you want to slap me now, I understand, though I think your mate pretty much covered that," she attempted to joke.

Alyssa didn't smile at Davina's joke, she only wished she had seen Rowan take Davina down. She didn't doubt Rowan's ability, not after she took out Gene. But it was still something that Alyssa wished she had seen, unfortunately she had been upstairs...kissing Declan. She sighed, no matter how much she wanted to have a go at Davina she wasn't going to do it in a public place. That wasn't going to happen.

Rowan came out of the changing room and spotted Alyssa. She unwound one of the gowns she intended to buy and hurried over to Alyssa.

"Oh, Lyss, look at this that I found!"

She held up one that went off the shoulders, she thought it was the prettiest, to show Alyssa and realized Davina was standing there.

Davina looked at Rowan and the gown she was holding up. It was lovely she had to admit. She took a chance.

"That's lovely," she said aloud. "With your figure it will look stunning," she added. Rowan looked at her and furrowed her brow before looking at Alyssa.

Rowan realized the woman was actually being nice and quietly thanked her.

At the sound of her name she turned to see Rowan and couldn't hold back her surprise as Davina complemented Rowan, out of fright maybe, after what Rowan did to her? She didn't know what to think anymore so she turned her attention to Rowan

"Wow, Ro," she breathed as she reached a hand out and the material of the skirt slid through her light grasp. "It's gorgeous," she glanced at Davina and then back at Rowan. "And she's right, it will look amazing on you," she agreed. She looked back over her shoulder at Davina and sighed, she was confused at her sudden change in behaviour.

Alex finally came out of the changing room and spotted Rowan and Alyssa a little way away talking to a blond. As she got closer she recognised Davina. She frowned and detoured to the counter to pay then made her way over to the three.

"What's going on?" she asked as she eyed Davina curiously.

Rowan beamed at Alyssa's compliment, looked at Davina uncertainly and cleared her throat.

"I'm…um….I'm going to go pay," she stated and smiled at Alex. "I was just showing Lyss this nightgown I found," she explained half-heartedly and went to the counter to pay. She absently handed over her bank card while looking over at Davina. She thought the woman was being sincere, but she couldn't say for sure. It unsettled her.

Davina looked at Alyssa after Rowan hurried off.

"I should go. I just um, you're the last person I thought I'd ever run into here," Davina finished lamely. "And, I guess I thought I'd take advantage of the situation. I think under other circumstances we might have been friends. I'm sorry I screwed that up."

She nodded at Alex and turned to go. She paused and turned back.

"Maybe I can buy you a coffee sometime," she offered and gave Alyssa a small smile.

Alyssa gave Davina a small nod and cleared her throat. "Sure," she said and then looked at Alex who shrugged. Alyssa looked over at Rowan at the counter and then back at Davina. "Umm, I'll see you round I guess," she said as she gave Alex another look and went over to join Rowan at the counter. Alex looked over Davina once more and followed Alyssa to the counter.

"What was all that about?" she asked and Alyssa shook her head "I haven't got a clue. Why she's suddenly gone from being a bitch to acting like that I really don't know," she said. "I'm so confused."

Alex resisted her urge to look back over her shoulder at Davina and bit her lip. "I can't help but feel suspicious," she sighed. "But then maybe that's just the police officer in me, we have to question everything," she said with a shrug. "Why would she want to suddenly change her attitude towards you?"

"God knows! Part of me hopes that it's because she's sincere, she certainly looked it!" Alyssa fidgeted with her bag as she waited for Rowan to pay. "I don't know Alex" she sighed "I'll see how it plays out at any rate, you never know, she may not be the cold-hearted, fiancé-stealing bitch I had her down as,"she said. "Jack says she used to be really nice, she's a teacher for kids that have problems, autism," she said. "She can't be all bad if she chose that as a job."

Alex nodded mutely, she was still suspicious.

Davina left the shop slowly with only a single glance back. She wondered if it would work. Would Alyssa become her friend? She would have to no doubt somehow befriend the other women as well. They seemed quite a chummy group. She strode to a coffee shop and bought a latte and sat down to watch and see where they would go next and wondered if she could engineer another encounter before they left the place. She looked at her cup and realized she was going to have to buy at least a couple of things or they might think she was just following them around. Never mind that was the truth.

Rowan looked over at Alyssa and Alex as they came to the counter. She watched her purchases being bagged as she tucked her card away. She wrinkled her nose at the bras, but couldn't stop the smile on her face as the gowns were bagged. She would have to wear one tonight, the off the shoulder one perhaps, she thought. She was curious to see what Ray would think.

She listened to Alex and Alyssa with half an ear, feeling excitement at all this shopping welling up in her.

"She seemed sincere to me," Rowan put in as she took her bag. "But it's hard for me to say with a great degree of certainty, I'm a bit…." she trailed off and waved her hand in the air. "If she's normally a nice person maybe all that's happened has finally shocked her into realizing how bizarre she was acting and she's trying to make amends. However, I would treat it with caution, but then, I don't trust easily," Rowan shrugged.

"So, clothes next?" she wondered and glanced over at Davina who was walking from the shop.

"I know, I'm so used to disliking her that this sudden attitude adjustment has thrown me," Alyssa replied and watched Davina until she disappeared in the crowd of people that were beginning to fill the shopping centre. Alyssa sighed, she would see how it went. She didn't trust Davina, but she did want to make bridges, surely Davina had understood now that she couldn't have Jack? She pushed it out of her mind and resolved to dwell on it later.

She turned to Rowan and smiled and pointed at the Maternity and Child clothes shops. "Let's get you all kitted out," she grinned.

Alex nodded and walked happily with Alyssa as she led Rowan into the nearest maternity shop.

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Ray pulled on his shoes and grabbed up the car keys. He slammed the flat door shut behind him and waved briefly to JT as he got out of the Restaurant and got into the car. With Rowan not there he had had to do the washing up by himself. How was he supposed to know how much of that soapy liquid stuff to put in the sink? He had given the bottle a good squirt and before he knew it his arms were covered in bubbles all the way up to his elbow. He had not been impressed. That never happened when Rowan washed up, which was precisely the reason why she washed up, he reminded himself. The plates had been so slippery when he had taken them out of the water that he had left them to air dry on the draining rack rather than attempting to use a towel on them. He didn't fancy cleaning up broken shards of plate from the floor.

He climbed into the car and drove to the station a little faster than he should have done.

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Molly picked her way through the crowd in the market as she made her way to the Cafe. She weaved carefully in and out of the people and sighed happily as she got there. She went to the counter after spotting Whitney at their usual table.

"Morning, Bianca," she beamed. "Can I have a hot chocolate please?" she asked as she handed over the money and turned around to look at Whitney.

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Gene got to the station and pushed Sammy to his office first. He checked his desk over and made a face at the paperwork that seemed to always appear. No doubt it would be worse when he was Super. He began to think seriously about refusing the position, but then someone else might be brought in and he didn't relish that.

He came out of the office and looked at Ray.

"Ready for this?" he asked and pointed at Sammy. He was slowly adjusting to being a father and he knew it amused Alex to no end, but Gene knew the real amusement was in Ray being a father. Just the idea made Gene want to laugh.

Ray sighed and shook his head as he looked at Sam apprehensively. He wasn't sure what kids were capable of, sure he had spent time with Louisa's kids over in America. But that still wasn't enough training.

He looked back up at Gene. "I've got another 5 months or so," he shrugged and eyed Sam again before turning back to his computer.

Gene grinned. "It happens sooner than you think. And no matter how sweet and compliant that woman is with you, and don't argue with me, I've seen how she dotes on you; she is going to expect you to lend a hand. So I suggest you get ready," Gene told him. He pushed Sammy out of the office and down the hall to the workroom where the rest of his officers were to make sure things were going smoothly.

Ray nodded. "I know Guv, we've been through this," he admitted. "I plan to help her, I've just got to learn how," he added without looking up from his computer and he looked over the top of the machine as Gene walked away with Sam. He had to admit, Gene really did look odd with a pushchair! It was such a strange thing to see.

Gene looked at Ginger and Chris who were working and sighed. He gave them a brief wave and then headed out of the station. He was tempted to go and play darts in the pub. He remembered Alex saying something about Alyssa going shopping so he nodded to himself and headed for Jack's house.

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Whitney grinned and waved when she saw Molly.

"You will never guess what I did this morning," she said softly, her tone smug. "I went right up to that Davina cow and told her off to her face."

She grinned. "She swears she's done with Brett and I told her she better be. I think she looked a bit scared," Whitney added with a chuckle.

Molly laughed. "It's about time, I've been waiting for you to do something like that for while," she said as she thanked Bianca and took her hot chocolate and went to sit by Whitney. "So, she doesn't want him?" she smiled. "That's good. And Brett says he doesn't want her, so," she shrugged. "Looks like you've got nothing to worry about."

"It was just the perfect opportunity. I never catch her walking about usually."

She nodded at Molly's comments as her friend sat down.

"Well, Brett says he doesn't want her. So I can only hope I've got nothing to worry about."

Molly smiled and patted Whitney's hand "You'll be fine. I think that now you've had a go at her you shouldn't have any problems" she smiled

"So, what did Brett have to say about everything?" she asked.

Whitney grinned.

"Well, it only just happened this morning. I haven't told him. I'm not sure I'm going to. If she's avoiding him like she says then it won't matter cause she won't say. I don't think she would say anyway," Whitney snorted.

"So, what should we do today d'you reckon?"

Molly shrugged. "Well I got all my coursework sorted last night, Oh! I didn't tell you did I? Gene and Mum got back last night and Peter and I had fallen asleep on the sofa. Gene went all macho, over protective parent as he does and Peter got scared shitless! In hindsight it was hilarious but at the time I was furious at him!" she giggled.

Whitney's hands flew to her mouth and she couldn't hold back at chuckle at what Molly had told her.

"I can just imagine," she commented and shook her head. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with that anymore. Jack and Alyssa pretty much keep to themselves, although if Brett and I spend the night together we usually go to his. He likes winding Jack up too much. It really started to annoy me when he stayed over with me, so we don't anymore."

"Well, we could go shopping, we could pop down the cinema, we could hang out at the park or mine or yours and chat?" she suggested. "Though, I've not got much cash on me so if we do go anywhere I need to pop home first and grab some money."

Whitney finished her tea and considered.

"We could just have a wander. Maybe go in the direction of the High Street and around that area. I've actually been doing that on a regular basis. Have a look at what the clothing shops are carrying, seeing what sort of empty space is available. I might see about setting up in a proper shop and get rid of the stall. When I know more of course. We've only done the most basic of projects so far, nothing to stock a shop with."

She stood up and took her empty cup up to hand to Bianca then looked at Molly again. "We could go by Rowan's and I'll buy you lunch. I heard the new cook she hired is fit so we can have a bite to eat and do some proper drooling," she grinned.

Molly nodded and took her mug back to Bianca with a smile, then turned back to Whitney. "Sounds like a plan," she agreed.

Molly followed Whitney outside the Cafe and walked happily with her through the market in the direction of the High Street. She always looked forward to the weekends and holidays, she rarely got to hang out with her best friend during the week, with Whitney being busy with her Uni Course and Molly trying to keep up with her coursework.

Whitney led her around, making notes and occasionally taking pictures of the new clothes in the windows. She also jotted down various empty shop addresses and phone numbers.

"I like to call and see how much a particular place is going for, so I can plan for it," she told Molly. She had to say one thing for Brett; he made her think that way. She'd never considered such things before, now she was always making lists and planning.

Whitney led Molly to the restaurant, trying not to giggle over her stomach growling.

"Hi," Whitney greeted and pulled Molly to a booth where they would have a good view of the kitchen through the pass-through opening. She nudged Molly as she ordered a coke from Nora and jerked her chin in the direction of the kitchen when Nora wasn't looking.

Molly asked for a lemonade and made sure she had a seat with a good view of the kitchen. If the new guy really was fit then she would likely as Rowan for a job here over the summer, if not then she would go and work with Peter or Fatboy. She couldn't be around Peter all the time anyway, she reasoned as she craned her neck and tried to get a glimpse of the new guy in the kitchen as the door opened. She sighed as all she got was JT's back.

Whitney ordered her food and waited patiently for Nora to leave and then leaned over at Molly.

"Look at the pass bar, he'll be walking by there in just a second," Whitney advised her and grinned.

Molly nodded and let her eyes drift to where Whitney said.

She gasped and then grinned at Whitney.

"Oh my God!" she whispered. "Am so asking Rowan for a job here over the summer if I get to work with Him!"

"See, I told you he was fit. I was talking to Ffion, she said she is hard-pressed to keep her hands to herself, but she's really stuck on Bradley and he was so good to her after she miscarried that she can't bring herself to go back to her old ways she says," Whitney chuckled. "Fee says he is 30, but you'd never guess it looking at him. He is also single as far as she knows, so fair game," she added.

"And he's Irish, you should hear him talk," Whitney sighed.

Molly grinned. "Irish!" she squealed quietly. "I love Irish accents, I can listen to them all day and not hear a word," she chuckled.

"Fair game apart from the fact that we are both taken," she sighed. "And way younger than him," she added with a small scowl. "But," she said brightly. "There's no law saying we can't look."

"And now we are here having lunch we can look all we want," Whitney enthused and took a drink of her coke.

Molly nodded in agreement and glanced over at the kitchen again.

"I'd be well jealous of you if you got to work with him," Whitney muttered. "This place is too far for me to come for lunch and visit you during the week."

She balled up her straw wrapper and tossed it at Molly and giggled before turning to look at the kitchen again.

Molly smiled at Whitney. "Yeah, but we can always meet here on Saturdays and ogle together, then," she smiled.

"Now that is a brilliant plan. I like it. We'll have to just do that then," Whitney agreed and grinned back.

Molly grinned back.

Whitney thanked Nora for the food when she brought it over and then looked at Molly.

"So, did I tell you, Mr. Rimmer asked me…well, and Brett….to be chaperones at the party this year? He reckons that since he's going to be dealing with Roxy this year and he doesn't think she's very responsible, he wants extra people, making sure there won't be any trouble," she giggled.

Molly grinned. "That's brilliant!" she exclaimed. "So you'll be at the end of year party! Whit!" she said excitedly. "That's good, I mean even if you are chaperoning, you can still party" she said happily. "Brett agreed to do it? Really? How much did you have to bribe him with to do it?" she teased.

"To be honest though, if I was asked to label Roxy Mitchell then responsible would not be the word that I would use!" she smiled.

Whitney looked down.

"Haven't asked him yet," she confessed. "Jack only just asked last night. He was calling like Darren and Tamwar and then he looks at me cause I came in to get a cuppa, yeah, and he asks if Brett and I will go, too."

She sighed and toyed with a chip.

"I'll have to ask him."

She ate the chip and looked at Molly.

"Why don't the four of us go to the cinema tonight? I can put Brett in a good mood and ask him then," she suggested and nudged Molly's foot with her toe as Trevor walked by the pass-through.

Molly nodded. "I'll text Peter and let him know," she smiled as she looked up at the pass through until Trevor went out of sight again and sighed as she turned to her phone and sent a text to Peter.

"Cinema 2nite, with Whit + Brett? :) xxx"

She looked back up at Whitney as she set her phone on the table top and rested her chin on her hand "He is soooooo drool-worthy!" she sighed.

"I know," Whitney sighed in agreement as she texted Brett about going to see a film with Peter and Molly.

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Peter read Molly's text and smiled.

"Sure. Come by chippy 2 discuss? Bring paper," he sent back.

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Brett looked down at his phone as it flashed and looked down at his essay. He finished his paragraph and then looked back down at his phone. He read the text from Whitney and smiled. "Sure, see you round yours later :) xx"

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Molly frowned at Peter's text. Paper? Why? She shrugged and looked at Whitney. "Peter says it's fine," she smiled.

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Whitney read Brett's text and sent back. "We might be meeting at Peters" and then looked at Molly.

"Should I go grab the movie listings so we can see what's playing?" she wanted to know and craned her neck to see if the daily paper was in its spot on the side of the counter near the register.

The newspaper! That's what Peter had meant. She nodded with a smile, she knew a handful of movies that were on but wasn't sure of their times. She also didn't know what film Whitney and Brett would want to see. When she and Peter went the chose the action films and steered clear of the romantic comedies. They both hated them!

"I don't suppose there's any thrillers on?" Molly asked as Whitney came back and she shuffled over so she could see the paper, too.

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Brett sent back 'Ok' then set himself about finishing his last essay.

Whitney shrugged as she shifted the paper to make sure Molly could see.

"Dunno, Brett and I usually rent a DVD instead of going out. We've been so busy with all these projects it's hard to find time to go out like that on the weekends. We usually stay in, order takeaway, get work done and then relax."

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Molly grinned. "Living the dream, Whit," she teased as she tilted her head. "How about that one? Black Swan?" she asked as she leaned closer to read the synopsis.

Whitney chuckled and looked at the movie Molly had chosen.

"Sure, sounds good to me."

She looked down at her empty plate. "Think we should get some dessert? Chocolate cake?" Whitney wondered and looked at Molly with her eyebrows raised.

Molly bit her lip and shook her head. "Not unless it comes complete with chocolate fudge icing," she smiled. "I'm leaning towards the cheesecake though today, I hate to say it, brace yourself, but I'm not in the mood for chocolate."

Molly nodded her agreement. "And, when you're not in the mood for chocolate it seems the best thing to go for," she decided and smiled as Nora came back over, she ordered a slice of the cheesecake and then looked at Whitney.

Whitney looked up. "I'll have it, too," she said with a nod and looked at Molly.

Molly grinned as Nora walked away and read the synopsis again. "So, we eat this then go down the chippy to see Peter?" she smiled.

"Yes, we do. I've told Brett to meet us there and then we can tell them what we have decided to see," Whitney told her and smiled.

"Awesome," Molly replied as she took one of the slices of cheesecake from Nora and tucked in greedily.

Whitney gave Molly a cheeky wink and then dug into her cheesecake, savoring each bite. When she'd finished, she paid for their lunch and walked along with Molly to the chippy.

She gave Molly a wry look as they finally reached the Square.

"At least we've walked off the cheesecake, I think," she remarked and rolled her eyes.

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Rowan grinned and walked over with them. She grabbed several pairs of jeans and some t-shirts to wear while cooking in the restaurant and then she found her eyes drawn to the dresses and she never heard the "ooooo!" that left her mouth as she walked over to them. She began flipping through them, picking out several in pastels or small tasteful floral patterns. She clutched them close and thrust her bag from the lingerie shop at Alyssa.

"I'm going to try these on," she bubbled and hurried towards the changing room. She pulled on a pink one and walked out to see how it looked. She glanced over at Alyssa.

"What do you think?" she asked as she smoothed the dress. She spotted some white sandals and grabbed her size and slipped them on to see how they would look with the dress. She smiled and looked at Alex and Alyssa expectantly.

Alyssa smiled as Rowan set about picking out her usual jeans and looked around the shop for anything she might be able to convince Rowan to wear. She leafed through the sizes on a promising looking rack and turned as she heard Rowan make a very un-Rowan-ish noise. Her eyebrows flew to her hairline as she watched Rowan pick out dresses, not just dresses, girly dresses!

Alex's eyes widened as she looked at what Rowan had picked out, she half-smiled as Alyssa took the lingerie bag loosely, gaping at Rowan. She had never seen Rowan wear anything quite so girly before!

Alyssa resembled a fish as her jaw dropped. Rowan Tremaine, was going to wear a floral dress! She recovered herself and gulped. "You sure, Ro? Not that it won't look lovely on you...but you never usually go for that sort of style," she said carefully. "It's very...girly!" she said for lack of another word, and girly summed the outfit up perfectly.

Alex smiled at Rowan, recovering herself quicker than Alyssa. "It looks gorgeous," she pulled a white cardigan off the rack and handed it to Rowan. "That should match as well," she smiled helpfully.

Alyssa looked at Alex, she was encouraging Rowan? Mind you, there was nothing wrong with being girly, it was just incredibly odd to see Rowan choosing that style of clothing, the first time they had gone shopping Alyssa had had to pull Rowan away from her comfort area and make her try new things where clothes were concerned. She swallowed and nodded then looked around. "If you're going to go all girly you may as well go the whole hog," she agreed and began gathering up different dresses and tops for Rowan to try.

Rowan looked at Alex.

"You think so?" she asked, turning to look at the back. She barely registered that in the bright lights of the shop the fine traceries of scars on her back were visible. Ray had accepted them and thought she was beautiful, perfect. Then Alex handed her the solution.

She smiled gratefully and slipped on the soft sweater, pausing to stroke the arm of it. She could wear something like this even after the baby.

She looked at the dress and nodded. It was a bit loose now, but would fit fine when she got bigger. She slipped off the sweater and handed it to Alex.

"Let me try on the others right quick," Rowan said to Alyssa, eyeing some of the tops her sister had already grabbed. "I can only get so many things. Though I think I may be able to alter some of these after the baby is born. She hurried back to the changing room and rapidly went through the other dresses she'd picked out. Some were fine to wear now, and some were better suited for summer.

She made a small pile of them on the chair near the changing rooms and strode over to Alyssa.

"Okay, what did you find?" she asked eagerly. She glanced down at her feet in the sandals. "I think I'm going to get these shoes too, they're pretty comfortable. But my toes are a disaster."

She looked up at Alyssa. "Can you do them for me? I won't be able to see them much longer, but if I wear those shoes other people will," she asked as she began to finger comb out her braid.

Alex took the cardigan from Rowan and held it for her.

Alyssa nodded and went and hug up the dresses and tops she had picked out in Rowan's dressing room then looked at Rowan. "Sure, no worries, you want me to do them at the salon or just me?" she asked with a smile, she eyed the dress that Rowan had on and smiled. "That colour suits you," she added as she tilted her head and studied Rowan. "Hang on a second."

She swung around and her eyes scanned along the racks until she found a dress in a similar colour, she smiled and made her way towards it, she skimmed through the sizes until she had one that was Rowan's current size and one a size bigger too, she didn't know how much bigger Rowan was going to get. She picked her way back to Rowan and handed it over. "Here," she smiled. "This one, too."

"Just you, we could maybe do them when we're done today, if we're not too tired," Rowan suggested. She looked over the dresses and tops Alyssa had picked out and took the other one she brought over. She tried everything on and then sifted through everything, trying to pick out what she liked best. She finally whittled the pile down to a somewhat manageable level and put back what she wasn't going to get. She went back into the changing room and put on the pink and white print dress again and folded what she was wearing up and carried it to the checkout. She tugged the tag off the dress and held out the cardigan and one of the shoes.

"I'm going to wear this out," she decided and grinned at Alex and Alyssa. She hurriedly slipped the shoe and sweater back on once the girl was finished and handed over what she'd been wearing to be put in the bag with the other clothes.

She took the bags and turned to her friends with a sigh.

"I can't believe I'm getting so much stuff! Thank goodness I started saving up a while back," she remarked. "Still have baby stuff to buy too, but I'm starving and I smell Chinese."

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Davina overheard the comment about Chinese food and hurried over to the restaurant, grateful it was nearby. She ordered as soon as she sat down so her food would come quickly and make it look as though she'd been here awhile already. She opened a book and began to read as she sipped her tea and kept an eye out for Alyssa and her friends.

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Alyssa smiled at Rowan as she handed the lingerie bag back to her friend. "I'm shocked, too, Ro," she grinned. "You sure you're okay? This is so out of character for you, I mean, everything in that bag that you bought just now is _really _girly!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Not that I'm complaining, I've been trying to get you into something like that for ages now," she grinned.

Alex sniffed the air experimentally. "You must have a good sense of smell, all I can smell is whatever they are trying to sell on that perfume stall," she said as she gestured at one of the stalls in the middle of the walkway.

Alyssa smiled at Alex and pointed to the Chinese restaurant a little way away. "That one?" she said as she started to make her way towards it. Alex followed her and Rowan to the small restaurant and brought up the rear as the three of them made their way inside.

Rowan laughed at Alyssa's comment.

"I don't know, I can't explain it," she put her hand on her belly. "I just feel so feminine, so girly," she added. She looked at Alex as they walked.

"Did you feel like that when you were pregnant?" Rowan wanted to know as she adjusted her shopping and reached into her bag to pull out a brush and brush out the soft waves the braid had made in her hair.

"I can only smell sweet and sour chicken, but then, I'm really hungry," she said to Alex with a grin as the entered the restaurant.

Davina heard Rowan's voice, glad of the American's distinctive drawl, and glanced in the direction of the door before turning her attention back to the book. She would pretend to be oblivious to their presence.

Rowan noticed Davina sitting in a corner table as they were led to a table. She nudged Alyssa and shifted her eyes in Davina's direction before sitting down.

Alex shrugged "I never felt girly as such, just more irritable and moody. Gene was walking on eggshells around me a lot," she smiled. "But then, like Alyssa said, you're not normally girly, I can be," she shrugged again. "I don't think Gene wants to go through the whole pregnancy thing again, mind you, I'm not keen on having any more children either."

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Rhys looked at the clock and headed out of the flat, a grin stretching his face as he walked towards the salon. He knew Tanya was working and he intended her to cut his hair and then use the time to perhaps ask her out. He rubbed his hands together at the cleverness of his plan. He entered the salon and sauntered over and leaned on the counter, giving Tanya his most charming smile.

"I'm in desperate need of help," he told her. "My hair is quite out of control. It's badly in need of a cut."

Tanya smiled at Rhys and raised her eyebrows at him, his hair didn't look too bad. She smiled at him regardless. "So I see," she smiled and ran her finger down her appointment book. "Well, Gayna is taken at the moment and so is Kim, so it looks like you're stuck with me," she told him.

"Well that's terrible," Rhys commiserated. "Would you prefer I wait for someone else?" he asked her, sure that she would say no. He grinned as she led him upstairs and sat him down.

Tanya gestured for him to go ahead of her and Maddie skipped past to man the desk. She took his jacket and pulled out a robe for him to wear over his clothes then led him upstairs and sat him down in front of one of the mirrors. "So," she said in her businesslike voice "What do you want me to do?" she asked as she picked up a comb and ran it through his hair, watching him in the mirror.

"I like it the way it is, it just needs to be a bit shorter. It's starting to make me look lazy rather than fixed that way on purpose," he told her.

He turned and took her hand.

"Be gentle with me," he implored and then turned back to face the mirror and waited.

Tanya smiled at his reflection in the mirror as she pulled the comb from his hair. "So you just want me to tidy it up a bit," she clarified and nodded before setting about sorting his hair for him.

Tanya smiled as she finished and pulled out the smaller two-handed mirror to show him the back. "There you go," she beamed at him as she showed his the back of his head.

"Ah, brilliant, thanks so much," Rhys said as he admired his hair.

"So, maybe you'll let me buy you dinner tonight?" he asked and looked at her hopefully.

Tanya blinked at him. She busied herself with tidying up the work station she had been using as she considered her answer. That kiss last night had been lovely, he was cute, charming. And Abi was back at Max's tonight, as was Lauren. She was fairly sure that she could get Max to look after Oscar too if she went out, or if that failed then she could beg Jane. She turned back to him after she finished tidying up.

"Okay," she nodded with a smile. "When and where?" she asked as she went towards him and pulled the robe off his shoulders and took it off him.

Rhys had to hold back a shout of triumph when Tanya finally agreed. He considered where he could take her, somewhere nice, but not too nice so he would have something in reserve for another time. He would want to see her again he was sure of that.

"How does a curry sound?" he asked curiously.

Tanya nodded with a smile. "Curry sounds good," she agreed. "Argee Bhajee?" she asked with a smile as she led him back downstairs and put his robe back in the wardrobe and pulled out his coat for him.

"Perfect," Rhys agreed as he followed her back downstairs and took his coat.

"What time are you done here? I'll pick you up then, if that works for you," he offered and pulled out his wallet and held out some notes.

Tanya took the money for his haircut and pressed the change back into his palm. "The Salon closes at 4 but I don't leave until 5," she smiled. "But I'll need to relieve the childminder and take Oscar over to Max's," she continued. "So I can meet you at the Argee Bhajee, it's only round the corner," she smiled at him again.

Rhys nodded.

"Okay, then shall we say, 7? Is that enough time?" he asked.

Tanya nodded. "More than enough," she smiled.

"Great, I'll see you then," he said and took her hand. "I won't lie to you, I'm looking forward to it," he told her and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before leaving. He grinned the whole way home. Result.

Tanya watched him go, a small smile playing around her lips. She did like Rhys, how could she not? She now had a proper date with him though, and planned for her children to stay the night with their Dad. She wasn't sure how long she would be out for, she guessed a couple of hours. If Oscar fell asleep at Max's then there was no point him going home, that would just disturb him.

Tanya greeted a woman that came into the Salon and sent Maddie along to sort her out and take her upstairs to get her legs waxed.

Tanya sent off a text to Max asking him if he could have Oscar tonight. If he said no, then she would beg Jane.

Max yawned and read the text from Tanya. She was going to let him have Oscar. He grinned and hurriedly sent back an "okay" in reply. He didn't want to overdo it.

Rhys took a quick shower when he got home, he hated all the bits of hair after a haircut. He dressed and then went to the station to see Ginger.

He strutted in and walked over to Ginger smugly.

"I've done it," he announced.

"Done what? Got your head examined?" Ginger asked and Chris chuckled.

"In a manner of speaking. I went to the salon for a haircut and Tanya agreed to go to dinner with me tonight."

"Oooo, dinner, that's all you're gonna get," Ginger pointed out.

"No, she'll no doubt as her ex to babysit, and he'll want to keep the kid all night, which means," he paused, clapped his hands together and spun around on his heel. "She'll be coming home with me."

Ginger and Chris looked at each other and made noises of disbelief.

"She won't do it mate. She's not like those girls you normally meet," he argued and gave Rhys a look.

"But that doesn't mean she won't. Sometimes they do, don't they Chris?" he looked at Chris, who shrugged and shook his head.

"Oh, come on, what about that bird you said you had 'lunch' with," Rhys pressed. "You know, before you got back with Shaz. You said you'd only just met her and you didn't think she was the sort."

Chris glanced towards the door and back at Rhys and shrugged. "Well, yeah," he relented. "There was that." He turned back to his computer and began to finish up his paperwork.

"So, you see. Anything could happen. So, I'll see you later. I am off to clean the flat and maybe have a short nap before I go and meet the beautiful Tanya. Good day," he said and headed out. He glanced into the office as he headed down the hall and gave Ray a quick wave as he passed.

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Tanya grinned at Max's text, that solved that problem. She sent back one saying she would drop Oscar off at around half five. That then left her an hour to get ready to go. She smiled as she twirled a pen. She was looking forward to tonight now, a glance at the clock made her sigh. She still had to get past lunchtime before she could even start to think about it!

Max read Tanya's reply and nodded.

"I'll be home," he sent back and went to fix up the cot. He knew Davina wouldn't be thrilled, but his kids came first.


	12. Chapter 12

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 12**

Alyssa looked around for a table as they all got inside and her expression hardened slightly at the sight of Davina. She was not about to assume that the woman was following them, the bags near her ankles indicated that she had been shopping and she had clearly got here first. She looked at Alex and Rowan as they were taken to their table and ended up sitting where Davina was easily visible. She wasn't sure why she wanted to be able to see the other woman, but at the moment it felt like a good idea.

Alyssa started as Davina waved at her and cautiously nodded back. She still wasn't sure, and wanted to talk to Jack she realised.

Alex grabbed up a menu and scanned it before kicking Alyssa gently to bring her back to earth and out of her thoughts. Alyssa jumped and turned her head to look at Alex and then smiled in thanks as she took the menu from her.

"I think I've been weepy more than usual, glad I've not become more irritable, JT and Syed would probably try to kill me," Rowan joked.

"I'll be honest," Rowan began after they had ordered their food. "I'm glad it's happening, since I really wasn't sure I could, but I'm not sure Ray and I could do it again. I know he's scared, I am, too. But he was so good with my friend Louisa's boys; I think he'll be okay."

Alex smiled. "I think Gene was coming close," she agreed. "Though it's better now Sam is actually born, sometimes I think that Pete did me a favour by making me go into premature labour, I didn't think I could stand it much longer," she smiled. "However, Gene smashing him into a wall at the hospital was very satisfying."

Alex smiled reassuringly. "He'll be fine, If Gene can cope then Ray can, too."

Rowan gnawed her lip a moment and then took a sip of water. "If I show you something, do you promise it will go no further than this table?" she asked as she slipped her phone from her bag.

Alyssa nodded readily. "Of course," she smiled.

Alex bit her lip. "That depends, if what you're about to tell us includes something that I can use as ammo against Ray then I make no promises," she grinned and then shuffled away from Alyssa and rubbed her arm where Alyssa nudged her.

"You've got bony elbows," she whined and then sighed at the look on Alyssa's face before turning back to Rowan with a nod. "Cross my heart," she said and shot a glare at Alyssa. "If I get a bruise Alyssa Redcliffe!" she threatened.

Alyssa smiled back at her and stuck her tongue out then looked at Rowan expectantly. "So, what have we just sworn to take to our graves?" she asked eagerly.

Rowan paused. "He doesn't know about this and if he finds out he might kill me," she explained. "So, you have to keep it to yourself. Louisa's boys were being really cranky one night and I happened to have my phone in my hand, it just was really perfect timing."

She handed Alyssa her phone so she and Alex could see it better and pressed the button to make it play. She watched them as they watched the video and then took her phone back.

"You cannot tell him you saw that because he doesn't know I filmed it. I started out I was just taking pictures of Louisa making faces and stuff, we were being goofy and then we heard Ray and Junior coming into the house and we were going to stop, and when all that happened and I realized I'd filmed it, I just couldn't bring myself to erase it."

She looked at them and quickly put her phone away. "I've copied it onto my computer though, so I probably should erase it from the phone. Don't want him to stumble across it."

Alex burst into laughter at the little video of Ray singing to two children, Alyssa simply went 'awwwww'. She looked up at Rowan as Alex doubled over and looked at Rowan. "That's actually adorable," she said. "No wonder you love him," she smiled and looked over at Alex. "It wasn't funny Alex, it was cute."

Rowan looked at Alex as she burst into laughter, a smile hovering around her mouth.

"I think it's more Ray is more of a physical being," Rowan said. "He's not much for talking, he'd rather do," she added.

Rowan blushed at Alyssa's comment. "He's very different when we're alone," she admitted. She wasn't going to share that Ray sang to her. It was special and it was private. She kept every instance that he sang to her deep in her heart.

"That's exactly why I'm laughing," Alex wheezed. "Ray is not your normal definition of cute," she explained as she spluttered and calmed herself down. "It's just odd for me, I only ever see him being all annoying and macho at work."

Alyssa frowned. "Surely Gene is like that too though, their behaviour strikes me as quite similar sometimes, but Gene is more 'macho' than Ray I'd say."

"Well, yes, but I married the man, I knew what he was like, I worked with him for 3 years! But he can be sweet, you should see how he is with Sam," she sighed. "You wouldn't believe him capable."

"I know he has a sweet side," Rowan agreed. "He was so gentle when I got shot."

Alyssa shook her head in agreement. "I know, I can't imagine him as being all cute, he's just too intimidating," she said. "But I used to live with them pair," she said with a smile at Rowan. "I can totally believe Ray capable of doing something like singing to little kids."

Alex shook her head and looked pleadingly at Rowan. "Please, let me use this against him!" she begged.

"No, please, don't. He doesn't know I have that. I suppose if you have to, you could just say I told you he sang to them, but leave it at that. Don't say anything about the video or what he sang," she pleaded. She was beginning to wish she hadn't shown the video. She liked Alex, but this feud between her and Ray was worse than she'd realized.

She flashed a quick smile as the waiter brought their food and then looked back at Alex, worry etched on her features.

Alex nodded. "Gene is different too when it's just us, he can still be brash but he's more relaxed and at ease," she smiled.

Alyssa shrugged "Jack doesn't change all that much between when it's just us and when we're around other people!" she chuckled "He's just Jack"

Alex looked at the panic on Rowan's face and sighed, clearly she didn't want her to use this against Ray, and, like she said, he didn't know that Rowan had the video, she smiled at Rowan reassuringly. "If you don't want me to use it against him then I won't," she sighed and toyed with her glass. "I just need a way to get at him," she pulled the plate towards her and started on her food.

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Davina yawned and lifted her head from her book and looked around for the waiter. She caught sight of Alyssa and gave her a small wave before turning her attention to the waiter to ask for her bill. She glanced back over at Alyssa's table and then back down at her book.

Davina glanced over at them giggling and stood up to pay her bill. She'd made a tentative approach and Alyssa hadn't smacked her down, her friends hadn't been hostile either. She nodded in satisfaction and picked up her bags and left. She'd see what she could manage later or perhaps tomorrow. For now, she had paperwork to do.

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Rowan chuckled along with Alyssa. "Jack is bonkers," she noted. "And he's a sweetheart."

"I'm not sure how pointing out Ray has a soft side would really do anything. I think Gene is the only one who would say anything to him about it. None of the others are going to be bothered really," Rowan told Alex.

Alex sighed. "You're right," she agreed and looked at her food glumly before picking up a forkful of rice and eating it.

Rowan started on her food and ate for a few minutes. "You know," she said and hurriedly swallowed her mouthful. "He's going to all the childbirth classes with me and he's been going to every doctor's appointment with me, including the first one," she looked at Alex.

"He's going to be at the birth, too. I thought he might be squeamish over all the woman stuff, but he wasn't. However, the birth hasn't happened yet," she grinned.

"You're lucky that he's prepared to do that, Gene refused when I had my scans, he came to the first few, and didn't want to witness the birth," Alex smiled. "Not that he got all that much choice in the end, my grip on his hand was a little unrelenting."

"Mind you, the only reason he didn't want to be at the birth was because of this baby we delivered a few years ago, he swore after that he would never eat lasagne again" she laughed and then looked at Rowan. "He really went to the first appointment? And stayed through all the check ups and examinations?" she asked a little taken aback.

Rowan laughed at Alex's comment and nodded. "He stayed through the whole thing, yes. I was pretty shocked myself. However, my doctor is a woman and he sat next to my head so he didn't have to…you know…watch anything. His face when he heard the heartbeat though, I really can't wait for the scan. Alyssa's coming to that with us," she said excitedly and dug into her chicken again.

Rowan finished her food and sat back.

"Oh, I feel much better now," she remarked and then made a face and sighed. "Be right back."

She got up and headed for the bathrooms.

Alyssa nodded. "I'm looking forward to it," she smiled. "I get to see my new little niece or nephew for the first time," she beamed.

Alex smiled. "You'll have to show me the picture when you get it," she insisted.

"I will," Rowan promised before she hurried away.

Alyssa smiled at Rowan as she left and looked at Alex, she had to admit, she did feel a bit left out with all this baby talk. It wasn't something that she could really contribute to as she hadn't got and didn't plan to have kids. Alex had been through it twice and Rowan was going through it, so as interested as she was to hear them compare stories and experiences, she didn't feel as though she could add anything.

Alex swallowed down the rest of her sweet chilli chicken and looked over at Alyssa who was absent mindedly toying with her rice. She raised her eyebrows in amusement and nudged her, Alyssa looked up and shot her a small, playful glare. "Now who has bony elbows?"

Alex smiled. "So, what are you going to do about Davina's sudden attitude adjustment?" she asked as she fold her knife and fork on her plate and pushed it away from her slightly. Alyssa shrugged. "I don't know yet, talk to Jack I think. I'll see what he thinks about it, he knows her better than I do," she sighed. "I don't know what to think," she said as she picked up a forkful of her rice and swallowed it down. "I mean, I'd like to think that she has seen the error of her ways and is sincere, but, I don't know, there's something in me telling me not to trust her. But I can't work out whether it is because I just don't like her because of all the problems she has caused between me and Jack or whether it's something more sinister," she sighed.

When she came back she heard them talking about Davina.

"I wish I could help there, with Davina, I mean. I can't tell if she's sincere or not either. But I'll tell you what, if something is telling you not to trust her, then don't. Be cautious where she's concerned. She has to know you're not going to jump at suddenly being her pal. She can't be that stupid."

Rowan shrugged and broke open her fortune cookie. She nibbled for a moment before continuing.

"If she thinks becoming your friend is going to help her get Jack back, then she's crazier than he is. Unless…she wants him to see that she's nice and decent and not chasing him anymore, maybe she thinks he'll start to change his mind about her."

She nodded contemplatively.

Alyssa's eyes flashed, a hint of worry shadowing her face before she pushed it away. Jack was constantly telling her that she was the one that he wanted and that Davina was of no interest to him. She trusted him.

She sighed. "Please don't make me more paranoid about her than I already am, Ro," she asked. "I'm already on edge any time I see her near him."

Alex looked at Alyssa. "He's marrying you right! So you have nothing to worry about, if Jack wanted Davina then he wouldn't be marrying you next month?" she smiled. Alyssa nodded. "Three weeks," she corrected with a small smile.

Alex nodded. "There you go then, nothing to worry about! And after the way he sang to you last night I'd say you needn't think that he has any thoughts about running off to Davina," she added.

Alyssa smiled and nodded. "You're right."

Alex grinned and nodded. "I know."

"I'm not trying to make you paranoid. I'm just trying to figure out why she might think being friends with you would help her. So, either she has a weird, twisted plot in mind or she genuinely realizes what an idiot she was being and is trying to make amends," Rowan explained.

Rowan nodded along as Alex spoke and munched her cookie.

"That was pretty good, when he sang to you," she grinned and dusted the crumbs from her hands. "He clearly couldn't care less about Davina, even if she did get all nicey-nice."

She sighed.

"Well, I think I'm ready for more and then I'll be ready to relax," she grinned. "Though, let's just do one shop for the baby stuff. My feet are getting tired."

Alyssa smiled and grabbed up her purse. She handed over the money for the meal to the waiter and then grabbed up her bag. She looked at Rowan and Alex. "So, where to first?" she asked.

Alex nodded as she stood and grabbed her bag back up. "What do you need to get?" she asked with a smile as she followed Alyssa to the doorway of the Chinese and went back outside.

"Umm, well," Rowan began as she pulled money from her bag for her lunch and handed it over. "I need bedding and clothes and towels," she listed decisively. "Junior and Louisa are shipping over the crib that was mine and my sister's."

She stood up and walked out with them and looked around.

"Where do you recommend?"

Alyssa walked over to the map of the indoor shopping centre and traced a finger down the list of the shops. She turned to Rowan with a smile. "How about Mothercare?" she suggested. Alex moved forward and scanned the list, then looked up at the map and then looked over at Rowan. "Mamas and Papas is closer," she pointed at where the shop was on the map. "See, it's here, we're here and Mothercare is all the way over there," she said.

Alyssa nodded. "She's right." Alyssa looked up at the map again and pointed. "Mothercare is over by the door we need to use for the carpark, so we go to Mama's and Papa's first, then Mothercare and then, if we're done we can go back to yours and I can do your nails for you," she bit her lip as she looked at Rowan. "You have got nail varnish and everything right?" she asked.

"I hate to whine, but can we just go to the one near the carpark? I don't have to buy everything today," she said with a grin.

She bit her lip at Alyssa's question. "We may have to stop and get some of that. I've never painted my nails so I don't have any of that stuff. So, if there's some place that carries it on our way across the mall, we can stop in and get some."

Rowan began to wish she hadn't eaten so much, it had made her tired and they had been at it for hours now, she noted as she caught a glance at her watch. She pulled out her phone and sent off a text to Ray.

"Hope work is good. Having fun shopping. You should see what I got! R xx"

She nearly dropped her phone back into her bag, then changed her mind and sent another.

"I love you. R xx"

She spotted a shop just down a way. "They should have some right?" she asked and headed in the direction of Boots. She could no doubt get a curling iron, too. This way she could also have Alyssa teach her how to use it when they got back.

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Davina went to the flat and finished her paperwork and then contemplated what to do. Max had texted her that he would have all the kids. She wasn't sure she was up for that. His daughters didn't like her, she knew, and she was getting very tired of their dirty looks. Did they think he was going to get back together with their mother? She thought that highly unlikely. Especially not the way that very cute detective had kept chatting her up. She flopped onto the couch. She really should let Max go so she could focus on getting Alyssa to be her friend and work on trying to get Jack back.

She sent back a text saying she was busy and went to the shops and got herself some snacks and a couple of movies.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Max frowned at Davina's reply. He really should finish with her he thought. The girls didn't like her and she always seemed to be busy. He lazed on the chair and looked through his phone, his gaze falling on Jane's name. He should have Jane over. It had been awhile since they'd had one of their dinners together and he found he missed her company. He nodded to himself and sent off a text to Jane to see if she wanted to have one of their mate's dinners.

Jane heard her phone going off and hurriedly put the burger on the plate and took it out. She pulled out her phone and read Max's text and mulled it over.

She knew he only thought of them as friends, and now that Tanya was around she would have to make sure she never let on that she felt otherwise, but nevertheless, it sounded like just what she needed. She knew Tanya had a date with Rhys and she didn't fancy being stuck in the flat by herself.

"I'll make lasagne, you make the salad. I'll buy the wine, you buy the ice cream," she sent back and set about putting together a lasagne to cook and take over. She didn't even realize she was humming.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Max read Jane's message and sniffed before sending back an okay in reply. He was going to have to go to the shops.

He sent off messages to Abi and Lauren to let them know Jane was coming around for dinner, Oscar would be staying the night and he himself was going shopping. He jumped in his car and headed out to buy salad makings and ice cream.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Ray ran a hand through his hair in frustration. They had a court case coming up and he needed to get his paperwork sorted out before then. It was doing his head in! And with Alex not in today he had no one to complain to or bribe to do it for him! He glanced down at his phone as it flashed and beeped and then flashed and beeped again. He stopped what he was doing and picked it up. He smiled at the texts from Rowan.

"Will I like? Love you too x"

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Alex nodded agreeably. "Sure," she smiled and looked at the map as she tried to discern the quickest way to get to the shop.

Alyssa nodded. "It's a High Street drug store, they will definitely have nail varnish, Ro, I get most of my makeup from Boots," she grinned and signalled to Alex that they were taking a detour. Alyssa led Rowan through the aisles until she reached the makeup one. "Now, what colour?" she asked as she set about browsing through them, picking out different shades. She looked at Rowan and deliberated before putting two back and choosing out a different one instead. "I'd recommend these colours, they'll complement your skin tone best," she grinned.

"Well, I'm not going to get much makeup, just a bit of blush and eyeliner," she muttered half to herself. "I ran out of mascara so I need more of that, and maybe a different lipstick?"

She looked at the nail colors Alyssa had picked out and pointed out one she thought was pretty. She mulled over the makeup and finally picked some out and then glanced around.

"Now, where would I find a curling iron I wonder," she commented. She heard her phone beep and looked at Ray's reply.

"Maaayyyybeee ;) xx" she sent back and glanced around.

Alyssa snorted. "A curling iron?" she asked as she replaced the other colours that Rowan didn't want back on the shelf and looked around her. "Curling irons will be over this way," she smiled and led Rowan down the aisles until she reached the one that was jam packed with hair-dryers, hair-straighteners and curling tongs.

"Take your pick," she smiled.

Alex watched Rowan and Alyssa wander off and distracted herself by testing the different mascaras on her hand, she needed a new one.

Ginger walked down the hall to the office and peered in.

"I'm going to lunch boss, want me to pick you up anything?" he offered. "I'm just going to the caf. Chris is staying here."

Ray grinned at the text. "Taking that as a yes x"

Ray looked up at Ginger and nodded. "Get me a sandwich or something, make sure it's got meat in it," he said and looked down at his stomach. "I'm wasting away," he grumbled to himself and turned back to his paperwork.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan followed Alyssa and looked at the array of things.

"What would be the best one?" she asked and looked at Alyssa curiously. "This is something I know nothing about."

She read Ray's reply and grinned.

"You'll see when you get home won't you ;) xx" she sent back.

Alyssa looked over the curling irons and tilted her head as she thought carefully. After a few minutes she reached out and plucked a box from the shelf. "Try this one," she advised. "It's easy to use, and you get a decent sized curl," she smiled as she held out the box.

Ginger looked at him and nodded before heading out. He changed his mind. The diner wasn't much farther away to walk to, so he went over there instead and got the three of them the new Philly steak sandwiches Rowan had started doing.

He half-jogged back to the station and put the foam container with Ray's food in it on his desk and went back to his desk.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Ray picked up the box curiously, since when had the café started using these style of boxes for take out food? He lifted the lid and looked inside it, he smiled as he recognised Rowan's cooking, or recipe, he couldn't be sure that it was her that made this, as she wasn't supposed to be working today. He grinned, Ginger had gone to the Diner. Good. He had nothing against the café, but he was biased.

Ray bit into the sandwich as he checked his phone again.

"I intend to x," he sent back and contented himself with his sandwich as he stared gloomily at the form before him.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan nodded and took the box. "You'll teach me how to use it right?" she asked hopefully and grinned. She noticed more hair things and picked up a very pale pink plastic hair band. She put it on her head and looked at it in the mirror.

"I think I'll get this too," she decided and took it off her head. "I think I have enough. We better get Alex and get out of here. I'm going to be broke soon," she joked.

She read Ray's reply and giggled.

"I think Ray is going to rush home today," she said. "I think he's looking forward to seeing what I bought."

Rowan had to admit to herself, she couldn't wait until Ray got home so she could show him what she bought. She hoped he would like it all.

Jane got the lasagne covered and grabbed some rolls and put them in a bag.

"See you tomorrow, Bianca," she said and headed out.

Max had the girls help him make the salad and went to get the door when he heard Jane's knock.

"All right, Jane?" he said as he answered the door.

"Hi," she greeted. "Brought the lasagne and some rolls and a bottle of red," she told him.

"Well, you better get in here so we can eat," he said and stepped aside so she could come in.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa nodded. "Of course I'll teach you! What d'you take me for," she said in exasperation.

Alyssa's eyes narrowed as Rowan picked out a headband, pink? Alyssa watched her carefully as she tried it on, Rowan really was going girly, first dresses and sandals, wanting her nails done, buying a curling iron and now this!

"Do you still want to go and check out all the baby stuff? Or leave it for today?" she asked as she walked with Rowan to the checkout.

Alex looked up as she spotted Rowan and Alyssa coming back and replaced the mascara she was holding. She glanced at the nail varnish, curling iron and headband that Rowan was carrying and smiled. "So, where to next?" she asked as she stood in the queue with them.

Rowan chuckled at Alyssa and followed her to the checkout.

"Well, we can stop at that one that's on the way to the car. I mean, part of my justification for all this madness was to start on buying the baby stuff," she decided. "I'll go easy though, I had no idea shopping could be so exhausting," she joked as she waited to pay.

She looked at Alex. "Quick stop for baby stuff and then home, I think."

She stepped up and paid and added another bag to her collection. She held up her multitude of bags.

"Ray is going to be shocked at all this, I think," she remarked and headed out.

She juggled out her phone and sent another text to Ray. "Done soon-then home to relax & put my feet up :) xx"

Alex nodded her with a smile.

Alyssa chuckled. "Especially seeing as you aren't usually much of a shopper!" she grinned. "Now look at you, laden with bags full of things," she grinned.

"I know, it feels very strange, but it was also fun," Rowan replied.

Alex lead the way to the Baby Shop, weaving her way through the crowds of people that were now getting larger as it was after lunch time. She smiled, she had been out all day and left Gene alone with Sam, no doubt Molly had gone out to see Whitney and Peter. Mind you, a bit of Father/Son bonding wouldn't hurt either of them. She loved seeing Gene and Sam together. Alex stopped outside the shop and smiled as Alyssa and Rowan caught up.

Alyssa grinned at Rowan as they went inside.

Alex helped Rowan with her bags as they walked back to the car, Alyssa had been given the keys and she opened it as they drew nearer. She ran ahead and opened the boot so that Rowan and Alex could put everything in there. She helped fill the car and then climbed into the front with Alex. Rowan had sat in the front on the way here.

"So, am I dropping the pair of you back at the restaurant?" she asked as she started up the car, she would drop them wherever they needed to be then go home, she thought Gene would be there.

Alyssa looked in the back of the car at Rowan. "Shall I stay round and do your nails and teach about the hair curlers today?" she asked. "I can always come by tomorrow if you're too tired," she smiled.

Rowan climbed into the back after putting her bags into the boot and relaxed with a sigh.

"Yes, the restaurant, please, James," Rowan joked and looked at Alyssa.

"We can spend a few minutes on the hair and then do the toenails. I'll have to sit for that anyway, right? So I can kick back on the couch, I can live with that I think," she said breezily.

Alyssa smiled and nodded. "Curling hair isn't hard anyway, it should only take a few minutes!" she agreed.

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Ray smiled at the text.

"Good! Am home soon x"

He sighed and got back to work, the sooner he got this lot done the sooner he could leave and go home to Rowan. His shift finished in a couple of hours anyway.

Rhys left the flat and strolled across the Square towards the pub. He'd have a pint with Ginger and then see about heading over to the restaurant.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Jane helped Abi finish the salad while Lauren put the bread in the oven to warm. Max brought Jane a glass of wine and leaned against the counter.

"So, Davina not coming round then?" she asked and bit back a smile at Abi's snort.

"No, she's busy. I'm not bothered really. We haven't got together in a while and our dinners were always fun," he told Jane. "Don't want to lose my only female friend," he said with a grin.

Jane chuckled. "Oh, I feel so very honored," she teased back as she tossed the salad.

"And Tanya should be dropping Oscar off soon," he said as he glanced at the clock.

"So, will it be movies or a game?" she wanted to know which set off an argument between Abi and Lauren over a movie or a game. Jane looked at Max who rolled his eyes and shook his head as he left the kitchen.

"What if we do both?" Jane suggested and the girls agreed.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Rowan had Alex drop her and Alyssa at the side door; she wasn't in the mood to walk through the restaurant to get to the flat. She unlocked the door and stuck a rock to hold the door open. She walked over and hugged Alex.

"Thanks for today. I really enjoyed it," she said and went to get her bags from the boot and trudged up the stairs after Alyssa had gone up.

Alyssa smiled at Rowan. "You're welcome, besides, you already know that if it's shopping then I'm not likely to say no."

She carried her bags into the bedroom and then carried the bag from Boots into the bathroom and opened the curling iron and plugged it in. She put a bit of makeup on, some blush, eyeliner and mascara and a bit of lipstick while they waited for the curling iron to heat up.

"Do you want some snacks? I can call down and have JT bring some food and drinks up for us. We can be waited on again," she offered with a grin.

Alex rolled her eyes as she drove away from the shopping centre.

"I'm still full after that Chinese," she said with a small shake of her head. "Won't JT mind bringing stuff all the way up here?" she asked as she slipped off her shoes.

"No, he's family and if he didn't help me then he knows he would get in trouble," Rowan flashed Alyssa a mischievous smirk as she picked up the curling iron and followed Alyssa's instructions on how to hold it and wind her hair to curl it.

"Besides, it's easy if I have something up here for Ray for dinner when he gets home and I don't feel like cooking today," she explained and absently handed the curling iron to Alyssa as she began to send a text to JT to get food.

Alyssa took the iron and began idly twirling pieces of Rowan's hair around it until they curled, picking the bits that she couldn't quite reach while Rowan texted. She smiled at Rowan's reflection in the mirror and wondered at Ray's reaction when he saw her. Rowan was wearing a pink dress, more make up than usual, and was curling her hair. If Alyssa had been shocked she wondered what Ray would think  
>She handed back the iron and took Rowan's hand gently and guided her through how to get a bouncier curl, then let go and let Rowan do it herself, instructing and giving tips here and there.<p>

"I'll have him bring up stuff he's already got ready like chips, and some salad I think, and hmmm, something good for Ray for dinner," she said aloud as she texted. She looked at Alyssa as she put down the phone and picked up the curling iron again.

She listened carefully to Alyssa and put some curls in her hair and then gave her hair a quick fluff before putting in the band.

"What do you think?" she asked curiously as she unplugged the iron and led Alyssa into the living room and dropped onto the couch with a sigh.

"I like this dress," she said and slipped off the sandals and put her feet up on the coffee table.

Alyssa smiled. "You look really pretty," she smiled. "In a different way than usual," she added as she followed Rowan to the front room and sat down next to her, she nodded. "It is lovely Ro," she agreed "Not what I would have expected you to pick out though," she added with a grin.

A short while later, JT came up with food. He stopped and nearly dropped the boxes when he saw Rowan.

"Umm, Aunt Rowan, what happened to you?" he asked and looked at Alyssa.

"What do you mean?"

"You, um, you look like a girl," he attempted.

Rowan snorted. "I am a girl," she shot back in a huff.

"No, I mean, you're dressed all…" he trailed off. "Never mind. I brought a chicken pot pie for Ray," he said and put it in the kitchen. He brought the chips and salad over to the coffee table and then gave Rowan a lemonade and Alyssa a cold can of coke.

"Trevor did pretty good today. He's learning," JT told her.

"Good. So he'll be in excellent shape when I can't help out in the kitchen."

"Yep," JT agreed. "And it seems he's been turning heads. Molly and Whitney and several other females came in today and lingered over their food while keeping their eyes fixed on the kitchen area to catch a glimpse of him."

Rowan laughed. "Well, as long as he doesn't leave the kitchen to go and flirt I guess it's all good," she remarked with a shrug.

JT chuckled and shook his head. "Enjoy the food," he said and headed back downstairs.

Rowan looked at Alyssa, unable to hold back her giggles.

"I had no idea hiring eye candy could be so entertaining," she commented.

"I don't think I've had a proper look at Trevor yet," she mused as she opened the can and took a slow sip.

Rowan chuckled. "Yeah, well, he deserves a proper look. He's very nice guy. Irish, strawberry blond hair, big brown eyes, built and very, very married. His wife is about as gorgeous as he is.

"Why are all the gorgeous ones married," she sighed.

"I'll take Ray any day," Rowan remarked. "But I will admit Trevor is nice to look at. I just realized, Syed is pretty cute and I guess if I don't think of him as family, JT isn't bad looking either," she paused and looked at Alyssa then wrinkled her nose and burst into laughter. "I'm so bad!"

"So, you get to spend your days working with all these gorgeous men, and I get stuck with women," she sighed. "It's like when you were at the café and I was at the car lot, and you got all the fit men coming in then! I got stuck with Max and Darren," she smiled.

"I'm glad I look like a girl, I just hope it doesn't freak Ray out too much."

Alyssa smiled at Rowan. "And JT's right, you do look like a girl," she said flippantly and looked at Rowan's feet on the coffee table. "You want me to do your nails now?" she asked.

Rowan looked at her feet and wriggled her toes before moving her feet in Alyssa's direction.

"Paint away," she invited and leaned forward to watch interestedly. "I suppose I should get myself some pedicures at the salon if I'm going to wear shoes that show my feet this summer," she wondered. "I rather enjoyed that one I had at New Years."

"We can always fit you in at the Salon, and if you come on a day when Tanya isn't working then I can probably get you a discount," she grinned sneakily.

"Is she getting any better to work with?" Rowan asked.

Alyssa shrugged. "I suppose we're getting used to each other. It's still a bit tense, but it's only been a few weeks. She's got no qualms with me taking time off for the wedding and honeymoon though, she's actually giving me more time off than Roxy was, which is nice," she smiled. "It'll get better," she shrugged.

Alyssa smiled as she reached for the nail varnish and set about painting Rowan's toenails. She concentrated as she worked but listened to her friend all the same. "The lighter colours do suit you, Ro, I've tried to tell you this before, when it was me dragging you round the shops not the other way around like today," she grinned.

Rowan blushed at Alyssa's compliment.

"I don't know, I guess I just wanted something different from the dark colors and stuff I normally wear."

Alyssa laughed. "I won't lie, I can't wait to see his reaction when he walks in here and sees you looking all like this!" she exclaimed.

"I can't wait to see it either," she said, hope coloring her tone.

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Molly grinned and nodded, she looked into the chippy window and grinned when she saw Peter, working with Fatboy.

She gestured to Whitney as she walked inside. "Heya, guys," she smiled at them. Fatboy looked up and grinned at Molly and Whitney. "Here's my baby girls!" he exclaimed happily. "How goes it?"

Molly nodded with a smile. "Good Fats, you?" she asked as she walked behind the counter and gave Peter a hug. Fatboy shrugged and nodded. "Ya know, s'all good."

Molly smiled and moved her attention to Peter. "So, Whitney and I are thinking about going to see Black Swan," she smiled.

Whitney waved at Peter and Fatboy and gave Fatboy a fistbump across the counter.

She looked at Molly.

"What do you mean 'thinking'? I thought we decided," she said and folded her arms.

"Whatever you want to see is fine with me," he said agreeably as he slung his arm around Molly's waist and looked at the two girls. "What time does it start?" he wanted to know.

Brett pulled up on the square, he had left as soon as he had finished his essay. He sent off a text to Whitney saying he was in Walford and then climbed out of his car, he'd wait for a text back then go to where she said. He made his way to the Cafe to get a coffee when a familiar haircut caught his eye over the road. The red highlights told him that it was Whitney. He smiled and made his way over and waved at Molly, Peter and Fatboy before winding his arms around Whitney's waist and placing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Hello," he smiled down at her as he released his grip on her waist so she could turn.

Whitney jumped as Brett slipped his arms around her from behind but managed to turn in his arms and smile at him after he kissed her head.

"We're going to see Black Swan," she told him decisively and then looked at Molly with a small, smug smile on her face.

Molly shrugged. "I was attempting to make him believe that he got some say in the movie choice," she smiled as she slid her arm around Peter's waist, too and smiled up at him. "Good, because we're seeing Black Swan."

Molly looked up at Peter and smiled at him, she slid her arm around his waist. "There's a showing at 6 and another at 9," she told him.

Brett raised his eyebrows at Whitney and nodded. "Okay...don't suppose I get a say in the movie choice at all?" he inquired with a small smile at her. Molly snorted. "You can suggest something, we can pretend to mull it over, and then we go with our original choice," she informed him.

"Molly and I have pretty much the same taste so anything she picks I'm probably going to like," Peter said. "Besides, Natalie Portman is pretty fit," he added with a grin.

Whitney looked at Brett and then looked at Molly and nodded.

"I think I could easily pretend to mull something over," she remarked and then looked at the ceiling and tapped her chin with her finger. She looked at Molly and then Brett.

"How was that?" she said and then grinned. Whitney looked at the clock.

"Can we make the 6 o'clock?" she asked and looked at Brett who would be driving, though he might not realize it yet.

"I can leave now," Peter said and looked at Molly.

Molly nodded. "I think that was some expert mulling going on there, Whit," she grinned.

"Why, thank you," Whitney chirped to Molly. "I try to practice every now and then."

Brett looked at Whitney. "Guess I'm giving lifts?" he sighed then tapped her nose before looking at Peter and Molly. "If we leave now then we can get there bang on time," he said as he checked his watch.

Molly looked at Peter then at Brett then nodded. "Sure, I'm good to go," she agreed and took Peter's hand.

Fatboy looked up. "Don't worry bout me bruv!" he grinned. "I'm all over this joint!" he winked at Peter.

Molly tugged Peter's hand lightly then led him to follow Whitney and Brett into Brett's car.

"Bang on time," Whitney echoed and smacked Brett on the backside as he walked out the door. She hurriedly climbed in next to him and mouthed him a quick 'thank you' while Peter and Molly got in the back.

"Thanks, Fats," Peter said with a wave. "I'll close up tomorrow so you can leave early," he promised and headed out.

Brett raised his eyebrows at Whitney but nodded with half a shrug at her thank you. He smiled at her as he started up his car once Molly and Peter had got in. Brett drove them all to the cinema.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Alex drove home and opened the door to the flat.

"Hello?" she called out. Nothing. No response.

She sighed, everyone was out. Oh well. Alex dug out her DVD collection and grabbed herself a slice of the cake that Molly had insisted she buy before settling herself on the sofa.

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Gene sighed and looked at the clock.

"I guess I better walk this one home. Alex will no doubt be there soon," he told Jack.

"Sure, okay. Was good you came over, I thought I might go insane from the quiet. As much as Lyss and Whitney can annoy me with their chatter, you can get used to the constant noise."

Gene nodded as he loaded Sammy into the stroller and gave Jack a quick wave as he headed out and walked home. He saw Alex's car parked in front of the flat and realized she was home.

He let himself in and pulled the stroller in.

"Just me, Bolls," he called out as he shut the door behind him. He picked Sammy up out of the stroller and went into the front room and gave her a small smile.

"Did you have fun shopping," he asked as he glanced around for bags.

Alex looked up at Gene as he came in and moved her plate onto the table. She stood up and took Sam from him and pressed a kiss to her son's forehead. She smiled at Gene as she leant forward and kissed his cheek. "I did have fun, yes," she grinned at him and picked up one of the bags as she balanced Sam in her arms. "I got this," she said as she pulled out the red teddy she had bought to replace the one he had got her. "And I got this one," she grinned as she pulled out the black one, too. "And a new mascara, but I doubt you're interested in that," she grinned as she put the pieces back in the bags and moved them to the bedroom then took Sam back into the front room and set him on her lap.

Gene's eyes widened as she showed him the lingerie she bought.

"Will you wear it tonight if I promise to be careful and not shred it from you?" he asked greedily and smiled devilishly.

Alex looked up at him and smiled. "I'll wear it sooner than that if I can get this one off to sleep," she told him then turned her attention back to Sam, his eyes were still wide, but she could see that he was beginning to blink more, he was starting to get sleepy. She smiled.

"Well, then, I'll got fetch us something to eat and by then he'll be able to sleep through anything," Gene purred as he nuzzled Alex's neck. He pulled away and grabbed his keys and swung them before heading out. He'd get Chinese, he decided as he pulled away. He knew what she liked there.

Alex watched him go with a smile then turned her attention to Sam. He was drowsy, his little body was beginning to go lax in her arms. She stood up with him and carried him into his bedroom and put him into his pyjamas, ready for when he did fall asleep. She sat on the chair in his room after closing the curtains and rocked him as she sang a lullaby.

Alex smiled when Sam finally let himself go to sleep and put him into his crib then pulled his blankets over the top of him. She turned the baby monitor on and closed the door behind her. Alex smiled as she went into her bedroom and pulled out the two teddies. Black or red? She bit her lip. Gene had bought her a red one, she shivered as she remembered his reaction to it. Alex fingered both of them and then chose the black one, then put the red on at the back of her drawer. Alex slipped off her clothes and put the teddy on, she ran a brush through her hair and adjusted herself until she was happy, then she grabbed a dressing gown, in case Molly came home suddenly, and went back to the sofa to wait for Gene.

Gene got back with the food and saw Alex in the front room. He pulled the containers out of the bag and brought them in and realized what she had on under the robe. He nearly dropped the food as his jaw unhinged. He quickly snapped his mouth shut and hurriedly put the food on the coffee table.

Gene couldn't take his eyes from her and nearly spilled his food as she walked over and handed him a knife and fork. He took the things roughly, fighting the urge to drag her across his lap and tear the teddy from her body.

He grunted a thank you for the can and leaned over to place it on the coffee table, his eyes barely able to leave her.

He grabbed up his food and gazed intently at the container of food in his hand as he ate with single-minded purpose.

"Woman, how do you expect me to eat when you sit there looking like that?" he asked her in disbelief.

Alex shrugged and smiled at him as she reached for the container that she knew was hers and opened it. "With a certain amount of self-restraint," she teased as she stood and walked past him. "You forgot knives and forks," she said as she passed him into the kitchen and dug in the drawer until she got had got a knife and fork for both him and her, then got a can out of the fridge for him as an afterthought and handed it to him as she sat back down on the sofa with a smile.

Alex ate her way through her food, her eyes straying from the TV to Gene and back again. The effect this outfit was having on him was almost laughable, and he hadn't seen the whole thing yet, he only knew that she was wearing one underneath because he could see some of it through the gap in her dressing gown.

She pulled the container onto her lap as she leant back into the sofa and drew her legs up next to her.

She replaced her empty container onto the table and folder her knife and fork inside it then leant back into the sofa and fixed her eyes on Gene.

Gene sat still after finishing his food, his can of beer cradled in his hands as he stared at the TV while he watched Alex eat out of the corner of his eye. He her put her things aside and then look at him.

He turned his head and looked back at her. His gaze traced her curves under the dressing gown and then he lifted his head so his eyes met hers again.

"I think it's time for dessert," he muttered and pounced on her. His hands pulling open the dressing gown and began to avidly caress her as he drank in the sight of her. He pulled her to him, slipped the robe off her shoulders and then slipped the top of the teddy off her as he leaned her back again and fastened his lips to her neck.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Ginger left the station and headed straight for the pub to meet Rhys and have a drink before Rhys went on his date and Ginger himself went home.

Rhys glanced at the clock and got up.

"See ya mate," he said to Ginger and headed for the restaurant. He wanted to be early to impress her that he was punctual. He also simply couldn't wait to see her. He went inside and sat so that he could see the door and waited.

/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\

Tanya locked up the Salon and hurried home. She paid her childminder as she took back her son and quickly put an overnight bag together for Max. She doubled checked she had everything for him and fired off a text to Max saying she was on her way over. She ran through outfit ideas in her head as she made her way across the square, she had several things that she could wear, she would have to try them all on and then decided.

She rang the doorbell and smiled as Lauren answered the door, she gave her daughter a quick hug and explained that she couldn't come in because she was in a rush. Lauren took Oscar and the bag, kissed her mum goodbye and then shut the door as Tanya rushed back down the steps.

Tanya made her way back across the square and hurried inside and upstairs. She couldn't believe how excited she was! She hadn't been on a date in a while and she was really looking forward to it. She liked Rhys. She picked out her outfit, then checked the time before jumping into the shower. She washed quickly then wrapped herself in her dressing gown as she set about drying her hair.

She finally finished with her makeup and hair and checked herself over in the mirror, she smiled, pleased with how she looked then looked at the time. She still had about 20 minutes before she was due to meet him. She felt jittery. Tanya opened the fridge and poured herself a glass of white wine, then settled on the sofa with the TV on to try to calm herself down. She could hardly wait!

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Ray switched off his monitor with a grin and tidied his stuff away. He grabbed his coat and climbed into the car outside before driving home. He couldn't wait to see what Rowan had bought.

He sighed happily as he pulled up outside the Restaurant and went in the main door, he smiled and waved at JT in the kitchen before making his way upstairs. He pushed open the door and smiled. "Ro?" he called out. "I'm home," he added as he dumped his coat on the hanger near the door and made his way into the main room. "Something smells good," he added as he sniffed the air hopefully.  
>Rowan looked at Alyssa excitedly when she heard Ray come in.<p>

"Yeah, I had JT bring you up a chicken pot pie," she called out and smiled at him as he came into the room.

He stopped dead at the sight of Rowan on the sofa with Alyssa bending over her toes, he barely noticed Alyssa's head snap up to look at him, he was too busy gaping at Rowan. Pink? She was wearing pink? And what had she done to her hair? It was curly! It was never curly, and she had something pink holding it back too. He cleared his throat and blinked a few times. He frowned at her then opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again, then changed his mind and opened it once more.

Unable to find words he closed his mouth and made his way through to the kitchen. What the hell had she done?

Whatever reaction Rowan had been expecting, it hadn't been the one she got. Her face fell and she swallowed hard as she watched him walk into the kitchen and then looked back at Alyssa.

"Um, can we be done?" she whispered to Alyssa and glanced towards the kitchen.

Alyssa nodded and put the cap back on the nail varnish then set it back on the table. "I'll leave you to it," she whispered. "See you tomorrow," she smiled and gave Rowan a quick hug. Then left the building and went home.

Rowan hugged Alyssa back and nodded. She trailed into the kitchen. She gently touched his arm to get his attention and looked up at him.

"Ray, what's wrong? You don't like it?" she asked him softly as she reached up to toy with one of her curls.

Ray looked at Rowan and took a deep breath as he looked her up and down. "I don't _not _like it," he told her softly in reply. Ray moved his hand to the one of hers that was playing with her hair and took it away from her hair. "Let me see," he said and used her hand to make her twirl. Once she was facing him again he dropped her hand and leant back against the counter. "You look...different," he said lamely.

He could see the disappointment in her face. He sighed. Ray slipped an arm around her and pulled her close to him. "So, you bought all this, and look very pretty and girly, so, what else did you buy?" he asked with a small grin before he dipped his head and gave her a kiss. He pulled back and looked at her expectantly as he let her go and reached into a drawer for a knife and fork to eat the food Rowan had said JT had got for him.

Rowan gazed at him as he replied, a giggle escaping her as he made her twirl.

"I'm not going to go high maintenance, I promise. And stuff like this," she gestured down at her outfit and the hair, "is just for when I'm not working." She leaned against him. "I'm not going to start wanting you to get me jewelry or anything like that."

She stepped away and went to the oven where the pot pie was keeping warm and got it out for him. She put the ceramic baking dish on a plate and put it on the table and smiled at his question.

"Let me fix the dishes and then I'll change," she said as she walked over to him. She slipped her arms around his waist. "I do appreciate you doing the dishes though. Just go easier on the soap next time."

She grinned up at him and then proceeded to dunk the dishes into a sink full of hot water and wash off the soap. She put them back on the drainer and went to the bedroom. She found the bag with the lingerie and pulled out the off-the-shoulder gown, took the tag off carefully and put it on. She took the band out of her hair and ran her fingers through the curls before going back into the kitchen.

She peeked around the wall to see him busily eating and shook her head with a small smile.

"I also got this," she said as she stepped to where he could see her.

Ray nodded as she walked away and grabbed the pie carefully so as not to burn himself. He went and took his seat at the table after grabbing some cutlery and ate his food with a sigh. She had gone all girly. He wondered whether this was Alyssa's influence, she was quite a girly-girl type of person.

He shook his head, no one could make Rowan do something that she didn't want to do, no way could Alyssa have forced Rowan to buy something that she didn't want to wear. This was all her. He wondered if it was being pregnant that was doing it? She had gone all soppy on him last night. He wasn't sure how to deal with it, when she got upset or tearful all he had to do was hold her, rock her and play with her hair because he knew that she liked that. He wasn't sure how to cope with her suddenly going from the Rowan he knew to a girly version.

He looked up as she came back into the room in a long dress. He gaped at her, she looked heavenly in that! He rose and moved towards her and ran his hands over her bare shoulders, then ghosted over the material and down her arms. He loved seeing her with barely anything on but she looked equally as gorgeous in this long dress he had to admit. "Beautiful," he murmured as he looked down at her and ran his eyes down the length of the dress then back up to her face. "But it's a dress," he said, baffled. Since when did she go around wearing long dresses?

Rowan's heart nearly stopped at the look on his face at the sight of her. That look made getting the nightgown worthwhile. She couldn't wait until he could see the other two!

She shivered under his touch and looked up at him and let out a giggle at his comment. "It's not a dress, Ray; it's a silk nightgown, for wearing to bed."

She gestured at the expanse of her chest revealed by it. "I could never wear this in public."

She pressed close to him and bit her lip as she gave him a half smile. "And I've got nothing on underneath it," she whispered.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her and a grin spread over his face. He spared a glance at his half eaten food then shrugged before swinging her up into his arms and taking her back to the bedroom. "I hope you've got no plans for the rest of the afternoon," he smiled as he laid her on the bed and hovered over her. "Because I've got plans now, and I don't want to change them," he said simply. Ray sat back on his knees and looked down at her laid out before him.

"So, where to start..." he murmured half to himself as he traced his hand over the silky material and smiled at her. He shrugged and leant forward to press his lips to hers.

Rhys began tapping his foot nervously as he waited for Tanya. Any minute now and she would be here. He gestured for another glass of water. At this rate, he would be in the loo when she arrived.

Tanya looked at the time and jumped up, she was very nearly late. She smiled as she grabbed up her bag and checked her reflection once more before leaving her flat and making her way to the Argee Bhajee. She looked around as she got inside and spotted Rhys sitting by himself. She moved towards him with a smile. "Hello," she smiled at him as she took the seat opposite him.

Rhys saw Tanya walking towards him and immediately stood and smiled at her.

"Alright?" he greeted. "Good to see you. You look lovely," he told her and sat back down when she did. He gazed at her for a few moments and took a breath.

Tanya smiled at him. "Thank you," she beamed as she settled herself in her the chair.

"So, would you prefer red or white?" he asked as he gestured the waiter over.

"A dry white please," she told him as she looked over him with a small smile. He really was gorgeous. She placed her bag strap over her chair and looked at him with a smile once the waiter had left.

Rhys ordered them wine and looked at Tanya.

"So, what would you like to talk about?" he asked and smiled. "I suppose I could break the ice," he offered. "My name is Rhys Griffyths, I'm 29, I'm a DS, I'm from just outside Cardiff. I've never been married, I don't have any children. I have 4 sisters and 2 brothers. My sister Ffion lives here, she waitresses over at the Diner and lives with Bradley Branning. So, me in a nutshell," he finished and picked up his glass, saluted her and drank half the glass down.

Tanya smiled and reached for her glass, she took a sip as he finished and nodded. "Suppose I should repay the favour," she smiled. "I'm Tanya Branning, I've got 3 children, 2 daughters and a son and a stepson. I've been married once and have the ex-husband to prove it. I have one sister who I rarely see and when she does show it's bad news. I'm the new owner of the Salon, which I previously owned before my divorce. My best friend is Jane and, oh, I've been to prison for trying to murder my husband," she shrugged. "But he had really pissed me off," she justified as she reached for her glass again. "So yeah, unless you want to go into my marriage with Max, which was a disaster from start to finish, then that's me," she smiled.

Rhys looked at her wide-eyed. He decided he didn't want to be on her bad side, she clearly had one.

"My family is pretty great actually. Ffion settled down awhile after she moved here. Course, Christmas and the new year was a bit hairy," he said.

He smiled as the waiter came and took their order and then looked back at Tanya. "No, we don't have to go into your marriage with Max. I'm more interested in you. I don't even think Ginger would be interested in Max, even if he didn't have a boyfriend now," he chuckled.

Tanya chuckled. "Max has got himself that new blond now anyway," she shrugged and sipped her wine again as she smiled at him. "So, what else would you like to know about me?" she asked with a grin as she leant forward slightly, a curious expression on her face.

Rhys grinned at her.

"Anything you want to tell me," he told her and leaned his chin on his hand.

Tanya nodded at him and proceeded to talk to him about herself and her life as it was.

Rhys listened, fascinated, talking about himself and his family when invited. He was thoroughly enjoying himself. He wondered if he would get her to go home with him.

Tanya ate her meal happily, chatting with Rhys and sharing stories, some about her, some about him and some about other things. She was thoroughly enjoying herself and couldn't remember having so much fun on a date.

Rhys nodded when the waiter brought over the check and handed over the money.

"So, what would you like to do now?" Rhys wanted to know.

Tanya shrugged. "I don't know," she answered. "We could go and get a drink at the pub?" she suggested with another non-committal shrug.

Tanya nodded and picked her coat off the back of her chair. She walked with Rhys out of the Argee Bhajee and down the road towards the pub. She smiled at him as she walked and bit her lip before throwing caution to the wind and slipping her hand into his.


	13. Chapter 13

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 13**

Rowan woke up and yawned and looked over at Alyssa, still passed out next to her. She rubbed her face and stood up. She looked down at her t-shirt and sweats that she'd slept in and decided against a robe as she headed into the kitchen to start coffee brewing and then switched on the kettle. She looked at the litter of women strewn across the front room and in the spare room. She was glad she hadn't had Ray put the bed into storage yet. She just hoped the restaurant wasn't too wrecked, though she wasn't sure she was going to open today. She sat down and poured a glass of orange juice and put a hand to her swollen belly.

She still couldn't believe what she'd found out at her scan. Twins! She'd nearly fallen off the table when the tech had told her. When she'd asked why it hadn't been discovered sooner, the tech explained that depending on the position of the babies, the second baby's heartbeat could often be masked and not heard. So, she was having a boy AND a girl. She was going to have to do more shopping. She just wished Ray had been there. She understood, Sammy had been sick and Alex needed Ray to cover so she could take the day off, but it still grated on her. At least Alyssa had been there. She'd had someone to share her shock and excitement with.

She had expected more from Ray though, when she told him. Granted, he'd been exhausted from working such a long day, but still. He'd just lain there, a bored "that's great, Ro," was all she'd got in reply. Maybe he thought she was just kidding around. She shrugged to herself and went downstairs to see about making breakfast.

She left a bottle of paracetamol on the table before going downstairs. She could at least make everyone toast and see how hungry they all were and if their hangovers would even let them eat. She pulled a box out of one of the cupboards and began to brew up her hangover tea. It would work better than the painkillers she'd left out, if she could get them to drink it.

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Chris drew in a heavy breath and blinked as he looked around. His head was pounding, but some paracetamol would take care of that. He levered himself off the floor and went into the bathroom and hunted some up and dry swallowed two of them. He peeked in the master bedroom and saw Jack sprawled on the bed. How had he gotten back? He sighed and barely glanced at the Guv who was sleeping in the spare room before heading back downstairs.

He went over to Ray who was passed out on the couch.

"Hey, Ray, wake up, the Guv and Jack are still asleep. We should wake them up," he hissed. "I've found a bucket, we can give them both a good soaking," he added.

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Declan sat and nursed his coffee at the café. He had a golden opportunity here. He'd seen Davina come across Jack after he was handcuffed to that bench in the Square. She set him free and then gave him her jacket and walked him home. He would never have made it on his own. If he played it right, he could use this to make Alyssa reject Jack. He would tell Alyssa what he'd seen, but he would phrase it in such a way that she would misunderstand and think Jack had spent the night with Davina. It was brilliant. He wasn't technically lying to her. She was deceiving herself.

He nodded to himself and smiled. Genius plan.

Alyssa rolled over and groaned. Why she had drank so much was a mystery to her, she had thoroughly enjoyed herself though, partying with her friends was always brilliant fun. She looked around and realised where she was: Rowan's. She sighed as she rolled onto her back. Her head was pounding. She held a hand to it as she struggled to sit up. The room was empty apart from her and her memories of last night were hazy. Though she did remember quite a few drinking games and a...disco? She certainly remembered Alex doing something, _what _it was Alex had done she didn't know, but there was something!

She could hear noises, small snuffling grunts and groans from the next room. No doubt her friends were starting to wake. She wondered where Rowan was though...her gaze fell on the clock and she rolled her eyes, Rowan always was up early. She summoned her energy and swung her legs off the bed and stood to great protested from the pounding in her head. She staggered through to the kitchen and cast her eyes over the tangle of sleeping women littered around. She smiled wearily at Rowan. "Don't suppose you have a hangover remedy?" she asked meekly as she leant against the counter.

Shaz grumbled as she lifted her head from the comfort of the sofa and looked over the top to see a bedraggled Alyssa and tired looking Rowan in the kitchen. "Keep it down will you," she grumbled "Some of us are trying to sleep," she added as she collapsed back onto the sofa and pulled the pillow to her face to block out the light. A cushion fell off the floor and the small thump was accompanied by a muffled curse from Alex.

Alyssa managed a small chuckled before her gaze fell on the calendar. Her stomach churned, half with nerves and half with excitement. She was getting married in a week. A _week_! In 7 days time she would be Mrs. Alyssa Rimmer. She was torn between jumping up and down with excitement and shaking with nerves half the time. She couldn't decide which emotion had a greater hold over her. She was beginning to get paranoid that something would go wrong and had been checking and double checking that everything was fine and ordered and ready to be there on the day. She had all the confirmation invoices, but couldn't help but ring up and make sure. She knew that Jack was getting annoyed with her, but she couldn't help it. Everything was going to be perfect. She hugged her middle, 7 days! 7 days until she was married to the man that she loved.

Rowan looked at Alyssa, startled and nodded.

"Yeah, I brewed it up downstairs, it's in that teapot there," she said and pointed. "I'm getting breakfast going downstairs in case anyone is hungry. Not enough room up here to cook for everyone.

Rowan chuckled at Shaz' comment and handed Alyssa a cup.

"I still can't get over that I'm having twins. Ray's reaction was a little...odd. I'm wondering if he thought I was joking, like teasing him because he couldn't go to the appointment," she shrugged. "I don't know. At least he seems to have adjusted to the clothes. Of course, I suppose you could always say that they are 'easy access' so," she blushed and turned to leave the kitchen.

"I'm going to go back downstairs, get some food going. I'm hungry even if no one else is."

Alyssa giggled as Rowan left and she sagged against the counter as she sipped her drink. She grimaced slightly at the taste but gulped it all down regardless. Once she had drained the cup she put it into the sink and took a couple of mugs over for Alex and Shaz. She was sorry that Ronnie hadn't been able to make it back for the Hen Party, she had called her and apparently she was needed that night to look after Penny and JJ. Alyssa had told her it was fine and that she would see her soon. They were going to France for their honeymoon, well the French Alps, she was sure that they could take a detour to see Ronnie and Jack while they were in France. She would ask Jack when she saw him later. She couldn't wait to hear all about the Stag do.

Alyssa nudged Shaz gently and placed both mugs on the coffee table.

Shaz opened an eye and looked from the mug to Alyssa and then shut her eye with a grumble.

Alyssa smiled. "Rowan is doing breakfast," she said quietly as she sat against the sofa. She couldn't go downstairs until the smell of the food had gone, she couldn't eat after a hangover and the smell of food would make her feel queasy.

Alex pulled herself up. "Breakfast as in food?" she asked as she pulled her hair out of her face. Alyssa smiled and nodded. "Is there any other kind of breakfast?" she grinned.

Alex got carefully to her feet and grabbed one of the mugs. "I'm going to go downstairs," she announced and Alyssa nodded while Shaz made a muffled noise of acknowledgement. Alex nodded decisively and made her way downstairs as she cradled the mug.

Rowan glanced up from her cooking as she heard footsteps. She smiled as Alex walked into the kitchen. She finished rolling up the breakfast burrito she was making and put it on a plate.

"Hungry?" she asked and gestured at the table in the kitchen as she put the plate down. "I see you've got some of my hangover remedy. It works really well," she stopped short and grabbed the back of the chair and put her hand on her belly.

Alex nodded. "Ravenous," she commented as she moved over to one of the islands, eyeing the burrito as she and leant against it. "It certainly is working," she agreed. "My head is feeling much better and I've hardly had any of it yet," she smiled.

Alex placed the cup down and moved over to Rowan. "It's incredible isn't it?" she grinned as she sat at the table. "And you're having two! How exciting it that," she smiled happily.

"Exciting? I suppose a little bit, but I'm also scared to death. I'm not ready for twins," Rowan replied.

"One of them kicked!" she gasped.

She looked up as she heard more people coming down the stairs and gave Kim, Maddie and Gayna a wave and asked if they wanted a breakfast burrito.

Maddie smiled and nodded eagerly. Kim kept her hand pressed against her head and nodded heavily as she leant against the counter near Alex while Gayna shook her head and asked for a coffee.

She poured cups of hangover remedy for the girls and handed them out. She put plates with breakfast burritos on them on the table. She poured coffees and teas and then leaned against the counter and nibbled a piece of bacon. She kept her hand tight against her belly, eager to feel another kick. She couldn't wait for Ray to feel it, too.

She thought about her camera and realized she should go though the pictures she took, make sure she didn't have any that would be too bad.

Alex nodded. "It must be daunting, having one baby is bad enough, having two at once seems particularly scary," she agreed. "But surely you're happy about it, two children," she grinned. "What did Ray say when you told him?" she asked. "I'll bet he was shocked," she chuckled.

"I expected more of a reaction. He just said, 'that's great, Ro,' and fell asleep, I'm not even sure he heard me or if he thinks I was joking. I need to talk to him again."

Alex reached out and took a burrito as Rowan laid them out, she bit in and felt better for eating.

"I'd best call Molls and make sure she and Sammy are okay," she said after she swallowed and ate down the rest of the burrito before returning back upstairs and rummaging for her phone.

Alex nodded. "Yeah, tell him again and make sure he listens this time," she smiled as she headed upstairs.

Rowan watched Alex go and watched the other girls eat and picked up another piece of bacon to nibble. She picked up a glass and poured herself a glass of orange juice. She was trying to cut back on the caffeine. She went back upstairs and looked around. The flat didn't look too bad. She went back down to the restaurant, drained her juice and started to clean up.

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Ray grunted and hit out blindly as Chris woke him up, he grunted again, but this time in satisfaction rather than annoyance as he loose fist connected with some part of Chris, he cracked open an eye and nodded at Chris as he sat up. "What are you waiting for then?" he grumbled. "Fill it up while I get me some pills," he said as he heaved himself up and stumbled around to the kitchen. He spotted the medicine box on top of one of the higher cupboards and groaned as he stretched up to reach it.

"Ow, bloody hell, Ray," Chris yelped as he backed up and rubbed his leg where Ray had punched him.

Chris filled up the bucket with cold water and walked back to the top of the stairs.

Ray dug amongst the assortment of pills and bandages and plasters he found in the box until he came across a packet of paracetamol, he popped a couple of pills and swallowed them down before replacing the box. He sighed as he went around looking for where Chris had got to. He had to admit, from what he could remember of last night it had been very enjoyable. He remembered the bars and clubs, and a stripper at one point, Rhys had seemed very taken with her! He grinned; Jack had been so out of it that they had managed to cuff him to a bench in the park in nothing except his underpants, though he couldn't remember Rhys being there at that point.

Ray frowned; Jack was home Chris had said! How? He had been too far gone to manage to escape the confines of police regulation cuffs himself, even if they had left the key next to him on the bench. He shrugged; a nice bucket full of cold water would wake him up no problem.

"I've got it," he called down quietly to Ray. He grinned as Ray came up.

"So, the Guv first?" he asked.

Ray nodded his agreement and pushed open the door to the spare room where he was pretty sure Gene had ended up. His eyebrows rose at the sight of his DCI spread out on the bed with the stripper asleep on one side of the bed. Ray nudged Chris as he came into the room and waggled his eyebrows suggestively then cocked his head at Gene.

"What went on there then?" he murmured.

Chris stopped short at the sight of Gene sprawled on the bed, his shirt open and his trousers undone, the stripper lying naked next to him. He looked at Ray and lowered the bucket.

"I don't want to know. We should get out of here, now. We'll go wake Jack," Chris said nervously and turned and headed for Jack's room.

Ray nodded and shut the door behind him as he left, that was both hilarious and worrying at the same time. He would fully take advantage of that later, once Gene was awake. He followed Chris to the master bedroom and pushed open the door, he grinned at Chris. "Ready?" he asked as he looked briefly at Jack laid out on the bed in just his boxers, as they had left him when they cuffed him to the bench.

Chris grinned and nodded. He hurriedly lifted the bucket and tossed the water over Jack.

Jack sat up with a yell and leapt from the bed.

"What the bloody hell are you playing at?" he bellowed.

Chris bent over howling with laughter at Jack's reaction.

Molly sighed as she was woken by her brother's wailing. Both Alex and Gene had gone out last night, to Alyssa's hen and Jack's stag. She had agreed to take care of her baby brother; Alex had refused to let her go to the Hen do. She flung herself out of bed as Sam's crying became too much to sit through and went to get her little brother up. She would make him breakfast and play with him until Alex and Gene were in a fit state to take over once they got home.

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In the spare room, Gene sat up and looked around, startled. He caught sight of the naked stripper next to him and hurriedly stood up. He fastened his trousers and buttoned up his shirt. The stripper roller over and looked at Gene.

"What's going on?"

"Get out," Gene snarled at her. The woman jumped up, pulled on her costume and coat and hurried out.

Gene stalked out of the spare room and looked in at what Chris and Ray had done to Jack and began to laugh. He slapped them both on the back and headed downstairs to make some coffee.

Jack glared at Chris and Ray.

"Very funny. There was no need for that," Jack snapped and went into the bedroom to get a towel and dry himself off.

"Not only that, Alyssa is going to kill you when she finds out you soaked the bed," he added and grinned.

Chris' eyes widened and he looked at Ray.

"Oh, shit," Chris breathed.

Ray chuckled at Jack, the guy was soaked, drenched with freezing cold water.

He looked around as Gene smacked his back and grinned at him before turning back to Jack

"Oh please, I don't think she's as bad as you make out!" he replied as he grabbed up the bucket that Chris had dropped when he started laughing and followed Gene downstairs, he knew that the Hen Party had stayed at Rowan's, he frowned as his tummy rumbled. He needed food. He wondered whether any of them could be bothered to cook or if they should go somewhere else to get food...like the restaurant.

"Fine, we'll see how you feel after you've been on the receiving end of her temper," Jack told him and began to get dressed as they left.

He followed Gene into the kitchen and flicked the switch on the kettle. "What're we doin for breakfast?" he asked Gene as he grabbed down a few mugs.

Gene looked at Ray.

"I'm not cooking. I don't know if any of us cooks," he remarked.

"I can cook," Declan remarked as he sat down at the table with his cup of coffee from the cafe. "But I don't really feel like it. The cafe is open, we could always go there," he suggested.

Gene shrugged and glanced at Ray.

"Unless someone has a better idea," he said.

Ray grinned at Gene. "I'll text Ro," he said. "I'm dying for one of her fry ups," he commented as he handed Gene a mug of tea and took a large gulp of his own before pulling out his phone and firing off a text.

"All right with you if the stag come for brekkie? xx"

He left his phone on the side as he gulped down the rest of the hot tea in his mug and made himself another glass. He looked down at himself and shrugged, he was going home anyway, he could change then!

"Okay, sounds fine to me," he said agreeably.

Gene nodded his thanks at Ray for the tea.

"Not everyone is going to fit in the Quattro," he complained.

"I can take someone in my car," Declan offered.

Jack came in. "I'm not too hung over to drive."

Ray read the text back from Rowan and smiled. "Brill, see you soon xx" he fired off to her and looked at his friends.

Ray nodded at the three of them and grinned. He dumped his empty mug in the sink and went around the house waking everyone up and then herded them into them into the three cars. He moved quickly, partially because he was starving and partially because he was impatient to see Rowan.

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Molly looked up as the phone rang and left Sam in the front room as she scrambled over the sofa to retrieve it. "Hello," she answered as she made her way back over the furniture towards her little brother.

"Heya, Molls, how're you and Sam doing?" Alex smiled down the phone as she nudged Shaz' feet, Alyssa seemed to have dozed off again while leaning against the sofa. Both hers and Shaz' mugs were empty yet both women were asleep again.

"We're good," Molly answered. "No problems at all," she smiled and looked at Sam as he peered at her curiously and gurgled. "Sammy says hello," she giggled.

Alex sighed happily. "I should be home fairly soon, but I can't say anything for Gene, I haven't seen him since I left the house last night," she smiled.

"I didn't expect you to, Mum, did you have a good time?"

"Yes, it was brilliant, well, the bits that I can remember were brilliant," she corrected. "I'll see you later, Molls."

"Bye, Mum."

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Rowan picked up her phone and read Ray's text, her jaw dropping slightly. He wanted to bring the hungover men for her to cook for. She sighed and went back into the kitchen.

"Um, do you need any help?" Davina asked her shyly.

Rowan looked at her in surprise.

"Uh, sure, Ray wants to bring the hungover men from the stag over here for breakfast and the dining room is still a bit of a shambles. I'm not planning to open today, but if you could help with a bit of a tidy, that would be nice," she replied. Davina nodded, grabbed a bin bag and headed into the dining room.

Rowan flipped open her phone as she began grabbing out ingredients from the cooler.

"Bring it," she texted back. "I'll feed you. xx," she sent back.

Alex looked at Alyssa and Shaz and sighed. "Oi!" she called and hit them both with a cushion.

"You two lazy bones are going to have to get up," she said in a tone that encouraged no argument. Alyssa frowned at her and pouted. "But Mummy, I don't wanna," she whined and curled into a ball around a cushion. Alex rolled her eyes. "You're hilarious, Lyss," she replied dryly.

Shaz sighed and sat up and looked at Alex, she furrowed her brow and sniffed. "Can I smell food?" she asked. Alex nodded. "Yup, Rowan made those yummy breakfast burritos," she said and licked her lips. Shaz looked down at Alyssa and nudged her. "Come on, Rowan made food," she said as she nudged her again.

Alyssa batted Shaz' foot away. Shaz sighed and looked at Alex, then they both reached down and pulled Alyssa into a sitting position. Alyssa frowned at them. "Fine, I'm up," she huffed and rose to her feet. She stretched and pulled her hair into a pony tail before picking up the empty mugs from the coffee table and moving them to the kitchen sink. She looked back at Shaz and Alex. "Everyone else up."

Alex nodded. "As far as I know, yes," she replied. Alyssa nodded and followed them back down to the restaurant kitchen where everyone else was gathered.

Rowan handed out more breakfast burritos and made sure to brew more hangover remedy, she didn't relish a bunch of grouchy, hung over men to deal with. Once all the girls had food she set a few more aside and then started making a couple of fry ups. She knew how much Ray loved a fry up after he'd been drinking.

Davina finished picking up in the dining room and took the bags of rubbish outside. She went into the kitchen and got herself a breakfast burrito from Rowan and sat down to eat.

Rowan thanked Davina for her help and started more tea and coffee going.

Gene, Jack, and Declan pulled up in front of the restaurant.

"Everybody out," Gene ordered as he climbed from the car and went to the door to wait for Ray to unlock it for them.

Chris climbed out of Declan's car with a whistle of appreciation.

Declan grinned and shook his head and followed them to the door. He caught sight of Davina coming out of the kitchen and knew he could take the opportunity to say something about Davina and Jack.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Alex looked up as she heard the all too familiar roar of the Quattro, she gazed out of the window until she saw the streak of red park outside the Restaurant. She sighed inwardly, the stag party had decided to breakfast here then? She braced herself for the group of moody, hungover men.

Ray pulled his keys from his pocket and fumbled with them as he tried to open the door, he grinned as he managed it and pushed it open. He scanned the girls that were scattered around the place until his gaze found Rowan, he made his way across the room towards her, he pulled her away from the frying pan and held her shoulders as he looked down at her. "There are two things that I want," he told her and pressed his lips to hers.

He smiled happily as he pulled away. "That was one of them," he smiled and looked in the frying pan. "The other is a fry up if you're making one," he told her. "You do know that you didn't have to agree to let them all come here for breakfast if you didn't want to, don't you, Ro," he said as he eyed her stomach. "I don't want you over-doing it."

Rowan's face lit up as she felt Ray turn her towards him and melted against him as he kissed her.

"I know, but a few fry ups is no big deal. There are a few breakfast burritos for those who don't want a fry up. I know what you like after you've been drinking," she said as she patted his chest and gave him a small smile. She turned around and tipped the contents of the skillet onto a plate and handed it to Ray.  
>"You can have the first one," she said as she did so.<p>

"I want you to sit there, because I want to talk to you," she told him and walked around to find out what the men who came along with Ray wanted to eat, giving breakfast burritos to those who wanted them and then returned to the kitchen to make fry ups for the others.

Ray nodded and watched her curiously as he tucked into his food, she wanted to talk to him? About what? he shrugged, she would tell him when she got back, for now he would eat and let food cure his aching head.

Rowan sat down with Ray after making breakfast and refilled his tea.

"So, I know it was late yesterday and you were tired, so I just wanted to tell you again about the scan," she told him. "I found out what I'm having."

She reached into the pocket of her dress and put the two scan photos she got on the table. She pushed them over so he could see them and put a hand on his arm. She pointed at one of the scans.

"We're having a boy," she said and then pointed at the other. "And we're having a girl."

She raised her eyes to his face. "We're having twins."

Ray looked from one picture to the other, twins? That couldn't be right. She was messing with him. He looked at her stomach and decided that she wasn't big enough to be having twins. She was messing with him.

He picked up the pictures and compared them, they were identical. Well, that fit didn't it, she had got in printed twice but in different positions. Twins were supposed to be identical, she had thought this through. He replaced the pictures on the table and looked up at her. "That's...um...good?" he asked. He would play along.

Rowan huffed out a breath in exasperation. What was wrong with Ray!

"Well, it means we only have to do this once. I go from thinking I can't have any babies to having two at once. It's a bit of a shock," she replied. "I didn't believe the ultrasound tech at first. I wish you'd been there, Ray. It was so bizarre seeing two babies. At least I was able to find out that we're having one of each, a boy and a girl. It will make the rest of the shopping easier."

Ray smiled at her and nodded. "I wish I'd been there, too," he agreed. "Alex took Sam to the doctor and got him some medicine," he told her. "He should be fine now so I should be able to make the next one," he smiled at her.

She moved her chair closer to him and laced her fingers with his and held his hand tight and draped her other hand over their conjoined hands.

"I thought we could each name one," she told him. "If you want." She looked at him, her eyes wide and waited.

"You want me to name a kid?" he stammered. "You want me to pick a name?" his eyes widened and he swallowed carefully then set himself back at his food. He had to pick a name! Sheesh, how was he supposed to pick a name, such a massive choice to pick from!

"Oh, and one of them kicked earlier," she told him.

"Kicked?" he asked. "It kicked?" he asked and spread a hand over her stomach. He frowned, "It's not doing it now," he sighed, disappointed as he took his hand away.

"Ray, they won't do another scan, not unless something is wrong," she told him.

Rowan sat back at Ray's reaction. "Well, you don't have to name one. I just thought you might like to," she said. "I didn't want you to feel left out."

Ray looked at her. "It's just there's so many to chose from, I've got to get it right, can't call a kid Daniel when he's clearly a Bertie," he shrugged. "And I couldn't feel left out Ro, my kid remember," he smiled at her.

She smiled at him.

"They don't kick all the time, acuisle," she remarked. "But there are two of them, so there's more chances of catching it when they do."

"I hope I don't lose too much sleep," she murmured and patted her belly and gasped as one of the babies kicked again. She grabbed Ray's hand and pressed it against where her hand had been.

"Wait, just wait," she said softly. She put her hand by his and patted again and looked at Ray with a huge smile as she was rewarded with two kicks.

Ray pressed his hand against her tummy as he felt the kick. "That's incredible," he smiled and put his ear to her tummy. He frowned. "Can't hear much," he commented as he moved his hand back. He sighed as he realised the kicking had stopped. "You won't lose sleep, and if you do then I'll sing to you until you do go back to sleep," he offered as he finished up his breakfast. He knew she liking him singing to her, he'd have to think of some new songs though, he couldn't go singing his mother's lullaby to her all the time.

Ray stood and put his plate next to the stack that needed to be washed.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa looked up at the group of men as they filed in and smiled at the sight of Jack, then frowned as another Jack followed the group inside. It took longer than usual for her brain to process that one of them was Jack and the other was Declan. She looked them both over then decided that the one not holding the keys to the flash motor outside was hers. She made her way towards him and kissed him, then looked at Gene "So, what did you lot get up to then?" she asked as she looked at Jack, he seemed okay, a bit grouchy.

Alex followed Alyssa over. "I'd like to know that," she smiled as she passed Gene a mug of tea that she had got for him. "What pranks did you pull?" she asked. "Oh, and I've called Molly, she says that she and Sam are fine," she added with a smile.

Declan and Jack sat down with Alyssa.

"Well, I'm glad that's over with. You know, Ray and Chris woke me up by tossing a bucket of freezing cold water over me," Jack told Alyssa.

Chris snorted a laugh around a bite of his breakfast burrito as he looked at Shaz.

"Yeah, we did. It were brilliant," he admitted.

"It was pretty funny," Gene told Alex.

"We almost got the Guv and all, but that stripper was in the bed with you, so we decided to just get Jack," Chris added with a chuckle.

Gene's eyes widened and his head snapped in Chris' direction. "What?"

Alyssa laughed at Jack and reached up to run her hand through his hair, it was still fairly damp, they couldn't have got up very long ago. She smiled at him as she imagined his reaction then snapped her head back to Chris.

"Hang on," she said and looked back at Jack. "You weren't sleeping in our room were you?" she asked and then looked back at Chris. "You better not have got my bed soaking wet," she warned him.

"Yes, I was and yes, he did. I pulled the sheets, but I didn't remake the bed. I don't think the mattress is too bad," Jack said, as he patted Alyssa's hand, trying to calm her down.

Chris gulped and blinked at Alyssa. And where was Ray when he needed back up? He was canoodling with Rowan, of course! Not that Ray would get in trouble, Ray hadn't been the one who threw the water, he'd only stood by as Chris did it.

"I'm sorry, I'll buy you a new mattress if you need me to," he told her meekly and looked back down at his food.

Alyssa sighed and flipped her hand over to link her fingers with Jack's. She shook her head at Chris. "I'm sure it's not that bad, it'll just need to be dried," she told him. "The sheets are easily sorted," she shrugged and pulled her coffee towards her with her free hand.

"So, apart from soaking my fiancé and my bed, what else did you lot get up to?" she asked.

Alex smiled at Gene then her eyes widened at Chris, her gaze whirled back to Gene and she studied him. "What were you doing in bed with a stripper Gene?" she asked trying to keep her voice calm and not betray any of the anger and hurt she was feeling.

Gene turned to Alex.

"I wasn't doing anything! I didn't even know she was there! I went looking for somewhere to pass out and I saw the bed. I didn't see anybody so I just dropped and passed out. I shouldn't have to explain myself to you, woman. I think you know me better than that," Gene snorted. He took a drink of his tea.

"Besides, I think she'd already copped off with Rhys, and if she came looking for more, I was passed out and no good to her," he added firmly and shoved a sausage in his mouth and took a bite.

Alex studied him through narrowed eyes and nodded, she squeezed his thigh by way of an apology and pulled a burrito towards her. Gene had never strayed since they had got together and certainly not since they had married, she could trust him to be faithful. And she knew full well that he was no use to anyone when he was pissed, she had experienced _that _first hand.

Alex bit into the burrito and looked at Gene. "So what _do _you remember from last night?" she asked.

"We got drunk, we had a stripper that Rhys copped off with and we handcuffed Jack in his boxers over on Arthur's Bench in the Square," Declan told her. "Good thing Davina happened along and got him loose and took him home," he added and took a drink of his coffee.

Davina heard what Declan said and looked over at them, her mouth agape.

"I don't remember much of anything after cuffing Jack to the bench," Gene told her and took another drink of tea.

He huffed out a breath. "I can't believe the stripper was in bed with me," he growled. "Stupid cow."

Alex smiled, if he was insulting her then nothing had happened. She knew that much. Her head rested against his arm and she looked up at his face. "I can't say I blame her," she murmured and her eyes flicked over him. "I mean, I get you in bed next to me every night, what woman wouldn't take advantage if they got the chance," she smiled at kissed his cheek before turning back to her burrito. He hadn't done anything with the stripper, of that she was positive.

Gene snorted at her and finished his breakfast.

"Let's go. Molly is probably feeling like a prisoner," he remarked and stood up. He walked over to the kitchen and poked his head in.

"Thanks for the food, Rowan. We're off out now."

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa let go of Jack's hand and looked at him, then over at Davina. Jack had gone home with Davina? A week before their wedding! So she _had _been right to be suspicious of Davina's friendship, she should never have actually started to like her: all she had been after was Jack! And she had begun to start liking Davina, they had a lot in common after all. Alyssa stood up and looked at Jack. "How could you," she said shakily. "After everything you said!" She left the table as her words caught in her throat, there was no way that she was going to cry in public! She realised that she would have to walk by Davina to get to the kitchen and she took a deep breath to steady herself as she moved past Davina without a look or a word.

She popped her head in the kitchen door. "Ro, I'm off home, thanks for an amazing Hen Night," she said and gave the best smile she could manage and nodded at Ray before grabbing her coat from the hooks and leaving the Restaurant, she had only just held it together, right now she wasn't sure whether she wanted to cry or blow up. She was sure of her feelings though, hurt, betrayal and the anger was welling up too, she had trusted him and Davina, the woman had befriended her! She felt stupid and gullible for believing her and enjoying their blossoming friendship, Davina had only been using her to get closer to Jack. To _her_ fiancé! The next person to speak to her would be in for a tough time that was for sure.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Rowan glanced up at Alyssa.

"Sure, Lyss," she said and watched Alyssa go in surprise. She looked back at Ray and shrugged.

"I just...if you do think of a name, say so. I want to make sure you're involved," she said and stroked his cheek.

Rowan slipped her fingers through his hair as he laid his head on her stomach and smiled.

"What did you expect to hear exactly?" she wanted to know.

Ray shrugged. "I could feel it kicking, wanted to know if you could hear it, too," he said.

Rowan felt her heart melt at his words and stood up and followed him to the sink. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned against him.

"I love you, Ray," she sighed.

Ray wrapped his arms around her and smiled. "That's good," he said as he loosened his grip and kissed her forehead.

Ray let her go and smiled. "I'm going for a shower," he informed her with a smile and headed for the flat.

Rowan sighed and watched him go. A shower. She wished she could join him, but there were too many people in the restaurant who would notice her absence. She wandered back into the dining room and looked around at the few people still left. She smiled and nodded around at them before going back into the kitchen to rinse the plates and run them through the machine.

She went back into the dining room and walked around, picking up the the dishes people were finished with and carrying them back into the kitchen to wash them, trying to keep her mind off the idea of Ray in the shower. She leaned against the sink as the dishwasher ran and sighed. She would need to have a shower soon. She might not have been drinking, but she had been dancing quite a bit last night.

She was relieved when everyone finally left a few minutes later and quickly finished tidying up and trudged upstairs.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

"What? I didn't do anything!" Jack yelped and gaped after Alyssa. Jack stood up and punched Declan and bolted out of the restaurant after Alyssa.

"Lyss, wait, I didn't do anything. She unlocked the cuffs and walked me back to the house and left me there," he yelled after her as he ran.

Davina looked at Declan.

"How could you say that?"

"Say what?" Declan looked at her as he picked himself up off the floor. "All I did was tell her you took Jack home. So what?"

"It's the way you said it. You made her think I slept with Jack and I didn't."

Declan looked at her and shook his head. He drained his tea and put the cup down.

"Not my fault."

He left the restaurant and climbed into the car, intent on finding Alyssa first. She would need a shoulder to cry on.

Davina stood and looked around helplessly. She'd only just become friends with Alyssa. Now, that was going to be trashed completely. She picked up her dishes and the others and carried them into the kitchen, not looking at Rowan and Ray, then hurried out.

Declan drove around hurriedly, keeping an eye out for Alyssa's distinctive hair.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Chris gaped at the goings on and looked at Shaz.

Alyssa wiped at her eyes furiously as she walked. She didn't _want_to cry! She wanted to walk and keep walking until...well, she just wanted to walk. She groaned inwardly, she was turning into her Mum! Instead of letting her emotions out as she had resolutely promised herself she would, she had run and hid them away. Again!

She stopped walking, she wasn't sure where she was. She hadn't taken any notice of where she was going, she wasn't even sure which direction the Restaurant was in! She leant against the nearest building and slid down to sit on the floor, the pavement was hard and she was still only wearing her dress from last night. She didn't care, she looked up at the sky and sighed.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Alex swallowed down her burrito and nodded at him. She smiled around the kitchen at Rowan. "Thanks, Ro," she smiled as she waved and took Gene's hand as he went out. She sighed as she got into her car and tailed the Quattro all the way home.

Alex unlocked the front door and found a crying baby being thrust at her. She took Sam from Molly and cuddled him, rocking him gently. "Did you give him the medicine from Doctor Bond?" she asked. Molly groaned and ran to get the bottle, she measured out a spoonful and Alex held Sam as Molly tipped the liquid into his mouth. Alex carried Sam into the front room and settled on the sofa as she rocked her son and tried to calm him down.

Molly went to Gene and hugged him. "He's been driving me crazy for at least half an hour now," she mumbled as she let go of him.

"Well, we're back now so you can run away if you like," he told her as he patted her back. "Just make sure you come back."

He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out some money and handed it to her.

"Go get yourself something from the cafe," he told her. "Your mum and I have eaten."

He went into the bedroom and took a shower.

Molly smiled and watched his stalk to his bedroom then looked over her shoulder at her mum and Sam.

"Mum!" she called. "I'm going out," she added.

Molly grabbed her coat and made sure her phone was in her pocket then made her way to the café, enjoying the silence as she walked.

Alex opened her mouth to speak, but was drowned out by Sam. She sighed as she heard the door slam and set about trying to get Sam to be quiet.

Gene got out of the shower feeling much improved and went into the front room. He stood looking at Alex a moment and then walked over.

"Give him here," he said to her. "Go and have a bath or a shower, whatever," he insisted as he took Sammy from her. He hoisted the child to his shoulder and then waved at Alex to go before he began to pace around the room, trying to calm his son down. He grabbed up the remote and turned on the television, looking for football. He finally found a game and turned Sammy so he could see the screen.

"Look, football," he said and sat down, leaning Sammy back against his arm so he could see the game, too.

Alex gave Gene a grateful smile and made her way to the bathroom in their room. She had to admit, the door drowning out Sam's cries did help immensely. Alex stepped under the flow of hot water and sighed happily.

She emerged and dried her hair before dressing again in fresh clothes and putting her old ones in the wash basket. She listened carefully but could only hear the low hum of the TV. Alex came out of the bedroom curiously and smiled as she saw Gene on the sofa with Sam watching the football. She went and got two cups of tea then placed one on the table next to him and curled into his other side happily.

Gene thanked Alex and picked up the cup to take a sip. He put the cup back down and looked at his son curled in one arm and Alex pillowed against his side and shook his head. What had happened to the Gene Genie?

Declan drove randomly and finally spotted Alyssa sitting on the pavement, leaning against a building. He quickly stopped the car and jumped out and ran over to her.

"Alyssa, are you okay? I'm so sorry," he said as he took her hands. "There's...you know...no guarantee that he did anything. I mean, Chris would have said if he wasn't alone, right?"

He looked at her and sighed.

"Of course, she could have left just after," he muttered to himself.

"My big mouth runs away with me sometimes," he told her hurriedly.

Alyssa looked at Declan mutely as he talked. She felt her breathing start to regulate as he reassured her, but then at his quiet mutterings she felt the sob that had threatened her in the Restaurant break loose.

Declan had been there, he knew! Jack, she bit her bottom lip, she wanted Jack, his arms were the best when she was upset. But she was upset with him! She couldn't have one of his hugs without forgiving him. She needed a hug. She looked up at Declan, he looked so like Jack! Surely his hugs would be similar?

She eased her hands out of his and slid her arms around his neck, she hide her face in his shoulder as she felt the tears finally fall.

Declan pulled Alyssa close and held her as she cried. She felt so good in his arms. He felt a twinge of guilt. He really should put her straight. He knew he should. But he was holding her. He held her tight and gently rubbed her back, though the pavement was uncomfortable.

"I should take you home," he offered. "Or, I could take you to the B&B. Either way, we need to get you off the ground here and some place a bit more comfortable," he told her. He pulled back and stroked her hair gently from her face.

"You should have at least stayed with Rowan," he said, his voice low and gentle as his hand traced her cheek.

Alyssa wiped at her eyes and sighed as she stopped crying. What was she supposed to do? She supposed that she should go home, she hadn't given Jack a chance to explain, not that there was anything to explain. She knew that he had been drunk but that was a rubbish excuse, he had been drunk the last few times he had kissed Davina, and she hadn't accepted it then, why should she accept it now!

She nodded at him and got to her feet shakily, she rubbed her hands over her face as she looked at him. "You got all mucky," she said quietly as she looked at his knees. "Sorry."

"It's a shirt, it will wash," he told her softly and pulled out a handkerchief and gently dried her tears. He took her face in his hands and stroked her cheek.

She looked down at herself and realised that she wasn't wearing any make up, she supposed that given the fact that she had been crying that no make up was a good thing, though she probably looked awful.

She would go home, she knew that she needed to give Jack a chance to tell her his excuse, though she wasn't sure that she wanted to hear it.

Alyssa looked at Declan "Will you take me home please?" she asked.

Declan nodded his head at her.

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go, Alyssa," he told her and kissed her cheek before slipping a protective arm around her shoulders and leading her to the car. He opened the door and helped her in before climbing in himself and driving to the house.

"You call me if you need me," he told her as he opened the door for her when they got to the house. He held out a hand to help her from the car. "I'll be at the B&B. You need anything, you let me know," he told her, his tone serious and he stroked her cheek again.

Jack lost sight of Alyssa and stopped running, putting his hand out to lean against the closest building as he gasped for breath.

Davina walked up behind him.

"How could you, Jack?"

Jack turned and looked at her.

"How could I what? I didn't do anything," he argued.

"Then how does Declan know I helped you out of the cuffs?"

"He must have seen you. I certainly didn't say anything. I barely remember to be honest," he huffed. He kicked the building and snarled. "I don't know where she's gone."

He rounded on Davina. "You should have just left me there," he snapped.

Davina backed up. "I was just trying to help."

"Well, you shouldn't have," he added and stalked away. Davina sighed and threw her hands up.

Ray came out of the shower feeling fully refreshed. A fry up and a hot shower. Perfect remedy for a hangover in his opinion. He rubbed the towel over his head and paced to the bedroom, he managed to get his jeans on before he fell backwards onto the bed. As much as he felt refreshed he still felt tired. He looked up at the ceiling. He had enjoyed himself last night, but Stag nights were always good fun, he still remembered Chris'. Nothing like that had happened to Jack, prank wise, the stag had been quite tame.

He sighed, that sofa had been uncomfortable to sleep on, had hurt his back a bit. He noticed now when he was lying down and twisted himself experimentally, a twinge, he could feel it. He sighed as he twisted the other way, nope. That was fine. If he ever stayed at Jack's again then he was having the spare bed. No argument.

Rowan yawned hugely as she stripped down and took a quick shower, no telling how much hot water Ray had used. She hurriedly dried off and picked up her dirty clothes and padded into the bedroom. She smiled at the sight of Ray lying on the bed in just his jeans.

"I'm going to take a nap before I finish any other cleaning up that needs doing," she told Ray as she rummaged in the drawer for clean knickers. She pulled them on and walked over to the bed to grab the oversized shirt she liked to sleep in. She climbed onto the bed next to him and leaned down as she reached for the shirt and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"I barely got any sleep. I can't believe how hard those girls could party and I was so worried something would go wrong I had to wait until they all passed out before I could. I'm not doing that again any time soon," she vowed. She sat up and trailed her fingers over his bare chest.

"So, you going to have a nap, too, or do you have plans?" she asked as she began to pull the shirt on over her head. "I'll need some help with the cleaning though, when I wake up," she said around a huge yawn.

Ray watched her and waited until she had laid down before throwing an arm over her waist and pulling her to him. "I still have traces of a hangover that I'd quite like to get rid of before I attempt to do anything else today," he sighed into her hair and he burrowed his way through it to press a kiss to her neck. "And there's a match on tonight," he added as he hugged her close.

"And I'm never sleeping on Jack's sofa again! Did my back in," he mumbled. "I'll try to help you clean up everything later, when I wake up," he said.

"I slept with Alyssa, when I did finally get the chance to sleep. She kicks," Rowan told him and sighed as he kissed her neck. She relished feeling him close against her back. She stroked a hand down his arm that was around her and laced her fingers with his and rested their joined hands on her swell of her belly.

"That will be nice, the carpet needs vacuuming," she murmured as she drifted off.

Ray snorted softly and his other arm came and pulled a pillow down further to cushion their heads as he held her close to him and gently squeezed her before rested his head against hers and closing his eyes.

Davina wandered a bit, trying to find Alyssa to no avail. She sighed and headed home. There was nothing she could say or do that would be believed thanks to Declan. But maybe, just maybe, if Alyssa did toss Jack aside, she could swoop down and pick him up. There was a bright side after all. She smiled a half-smile and headed back to get her car and drive home.

Jack leaned against the building, ignoring Davina as she left. He would go home. Alyssa would surely end up there and then he could talk to her. And if Declan was there, he would make him clarify what he meant. That Davina had only walked him home and left, nothing else.

He turned and went back to the restaurant, climbed in his car and drove home to wait for Alyssa so he could get this sorted. And if Declan didn't make things clear, he'd pummel his dear cousin. He couldn't help but wonder if Declan had done it on purpose. But why? Jack was sure Declan had fancied Tanya, and Tanya was available.

He chain smoked as he drove home and let himself into the house. He quickly searched it, but Alyssa wasn't there, not yet anyway. He sat down on the couch and stared at the door as he waited for her to come home.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa nodded at him and gave him a small smile. "Thank you," she said and then turned and walked up the steps to the front door. She pulled out her key and unlocked the door quietly then made her way upstairs.

Alyssa had seen Jack's car outside, she knew that he was here somewhere. Where she didn't know and at the moment she wasn't really bothered where he was. She focused her mind on inspecting the damage that Chris had done to the bed.

She went directly to the bedroom and saw the sheets that Jack had taken off the bed, she picked them up and sighed, they were still wet. She gathered them up and took them to the big wash-bin in the bathroom then came back out and placed her hand on the mattress. It wasn't too damp, but she wouldn't remake it until it was dry.

Jack's eyes tracked Alyssa as she walked past the front room and went upstairs. He listened to her moving around and guessed she was sorting out the bed. He wondered if she would even talk to him. He hadn't done anything with Davina except lean on her. He didn't even remember that she'd tried to kiss him, and he was pretty sure he would have remembered if she'd tried that again.

He found himself almost wishing he had done something with Davina, at least then he would deserve this punishment. But she had instantly drawn her own conclusions from Declan's statement, though Declan could have phrased it differently. He still thought his cousin had deliberately stated it that way so that Alyssa would misunderstand. But whether he was just trying to wind Alyssa up or had a deeper motive, Jack couldn't be sure. His phone began to ring and he silenced it. It was Davina, calling him yet again. He knew she was checking to see that he was okay, but he wished she would stop. It wouldn't look good if Alyssa saw them.

He hurriedly cleared his call history and watched the foot of the stairs for Alyssa to reappear.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Tanya pulled her pillow closer as she began to wake up, she couldn't hear Oscar, which meant that he was asleep, good. She looked at the clock and smiled, it wasn't lunch time yet, she still had lazy time left. She rolled onto her back and looked at the ceiling as her hand drifted over and pressed the button her radio. She settled back down as the music came on and she reached over for the book she had left on the side and resolved not to get up until lunch time. Oscar liked sleeping anyway, if he woke before lunch then she would get up.

Tanya sighed and put down her book as she realised that Oscar was starting to wail. She slipped off her bed and went to her son's room to sort him out.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Jane crept quietly from Max's house. She couldn't believe she'd spent the night with him. She had sworn to herself she wouldn't. If Tanya found out…

And now this was the second time they'd had one of their dinners and she'd spent the night. Granted, the one last time, she'd slept on the couch, she'd been too drunk to walk home, but this time, Max had given her a friendly peck on the cheek and missed her cheek and the next thing she knew, they were tearing each other's clothes off. At least Bianca had opened the café so she didn't have to worry about that. She wiped the mascara out from under her eyes and hurried in the direction of home, hoping she didn't run into Tanya on the way.

She got home; relieved she hadn't run into anyone. She hurriedly showered and got dressed and headed over to the café to help Bianca. She knew people would be coming in for late breakfast today and it would get busy, especially since she knew Rowan wouldn't be opening the diner.

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Davina huffed out an annoyed breath and nearly slammed her phone down hard enough to break it. Why wasn't Jack answering? She was worried for him, she knew what that Alyssa could be like, she'd been on the receiving end of the woman's temper before and had the scars to prove it. She nodded decisively to herself, stood up, took a shower and got dressed. She would go to Jack's house and make sure he was okay.

It wasn't fair of Alyssa to jump to the conclusion that she and Jack had spent the night together because stupid Declan fancied Alyssa and had deliberately misstated. She thought Jack and Alyssa both ought to know how Declan felt about Alyssa. The man would clearly do anything to sabotage Jack and Alyssa's relationship.

Before, she wouldn't have bothered, but now, she'd got to know Alyssa and was actually starting to like her! They really did have a lot in common Davina had to admit. She paused as she pulled up in front of Jack and Alyssa's house and stared at the place as she gnawed her lip. She got out of the car having decided she would choose Alyssa's friendship. But if Alyssa tossed Jack aside, she would pick him up and Alyssa could go hang. But for now, she would try to salvage what little friendship they had. She took a deep breath and knocked loudly on the door.

Alyssa sighed as she finished upstairs and slid off her shoes, she looked around and decided it was time to see what Jack had to say for himself. She went downstairs, keeping alert for any sound that would tell her where he was. She bit her lip when she couldn't hear anything, maybe he wasn't here? She wanted him to be here though, they needed to talk. She reached the bottom of the stairs and went to the front room. She stared at him as she watched him sitting alone.

"Jack..." she started and broke off when someone knocked on the door. She looked at the door and then back at him before going to open it.

Alyssa looked at Davina, she wondered whether their stories would match, whether one would tell her one thing and the other would claim something else entirely. Or if they both had identical stories. She let out a breath and took a step back. "Come in then," she said waspishly. "This should be interesting."

Alyssa shut the door behind Davina and gestured to the front room.

Jack gazed steadily at Alyssa as she came towards him, unwilling to speak at first. His head whipped to the side at the sound of the doorbell and he frowned at Davina as she came in.

"You shouldn't be here," he snarled at her and she turned towards him and gave him a look before turning to Alyssa.

"Nothing happened, you have to know that. Declan deliberately said what he said to make you think Jack and I had slept together, but we didn't. I went for a walk to sober up last night when we got back to the restaurant. Jack was handcuffed to the bench in the Square and he was getting sick. I wasn't going to leave him there so I went over to him. The key was just lying there on the bench, but he was clearly too drunk to know. So I took the key and unlocked the cuffs and walked him home. I helped him upstairs, dropped him on the bed and threw the covers over him and left. So yes, I did take Jack home, but not the way Declan meant."

She looked from Jack to Alyssa again and took another breath before either of them could speak.

"You should know that Declan fancies you, and I think he's going to do whatever he can do sabotage your wedding," she said to Alyssa.

"He wouldn't do that," Jack said as he stood up and walked over. "Declan's not like that."

Davina looked at him. "Maybe not in the past, but why do you think he invited me to that party, the one where I kissed you and she ran off," Davina questioned. "Do you think it was just chance he followed her up the stairs and kissed her. He planned it. He wanted me to help him, that's why he invited me."

"But Declan fancies Tanya," Jack tried again.

Davina waved her hand at him. "No, she's just a diversion to him, nothing more. He wants you," she stated and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa gaped at Davina. "_Declan _wants to sabotage our wedding?" she asked incredulously and looked at Jack then back at Davina. "You're sure?"

Was that why he followed her? She hadn't stopped to think about it at the time. She had been too wrapped up in her thoughts to even wonder why he had come after her. She bit her lip and looked at the pair of them. "But..." she trailed off and looked at Jack, she wouldn't let Declan sabotage their wedding. She loved Jack, she resolved not to just presume where Jack and Davina were concerned, not to just take someone's word for it, she promised herself that she would ask them first, especially Jack.

"I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions," she told them with a sad smile. "I shouldn't have, it wasn't fair," she said and looked at Jack. She took his hand and squeezed it gently. "I shouldn't have doubted you Jack," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

She turned to Davina. "And thank you, I'm sorry that I've been so horrible."

Jack looked at Davina with disbelief.

"I still don't believe you about Declan. I'm pretty sure I know you didn't try anything when you helped me home, but still, I just can't believe it of Declan."

Davina shrugged. "You can ask him but I doubt he'd admit it."

Jack held Alyssa's hand tight. "At least you didn't hit me," he teased. "I did punch Declan though. If he is doing this on purpose, then maybe that will make him sorry. And just in case, I'm going to tell him he's not welcome at the wedding."

Davina waved off Alyssa's apology. "Don't worry about it. I'd react the same in your place," she said and looked at Jack. Jack knew that she had.

"I should go. I have paperwork to do before tomorrow and I'm sure you both want to get cleaned up and get some proper sleep. I just…I realized I valued what little friendship we have to come and tell you what's going on," Davina told Alyssa.

She gave them both a small smile and hurried out the door. Jack pulled Alyssa close and pressed his face to the top of her head.

"I guess we owe Davina a vote of thanks now," he murmured. "And I need to find out what Declan is up to."

"She's not as bad as I first thought," Alyssa admitted.

"I have to agree. I'm glad her obsession with getting me back seems to be over with. I think I can handle being friends with her if I know she's not got an agenda."

Alyssa hugged him tight, his arms felt better than Declan's, she was at home in Jack's arms.

"Declan brought me home," she told him as she held him tight. "He found me and hugged me until I stopped crying," she continued. "Then..." she paused and pulled away a little and took one of his hands "I didn't think anything of it at the time but," she took his hand and placed it on her cheek. "He held my cheek like this," she said as she pressed his hand against her cheek. She let go of the hand that she was holding to her face and studied his face.

"He told me to call him if I needed anything," she added and then hugged him again. "If Davina _is _right, then there is no way that I'm letting anyone ruin our wedding, I want to marry you Jack."

Jack furrowed his brow as she demonstrated how Declan had touched her face. He pulled her to him again and wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"We're going to go round to see Declan and have a talk with him. He needs to understand he has no chance with you and then we can un-invite him to the wedding. Gene is my best man anyway so I'm not bothered if Dec isn't there. Let's go get cleaned up and then go to the B&B," he said and slung her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and carried her up the stairs.

Alyssa smiled as he swung her over his shoulder and waited patiently for him to put her down before she stripped off and went to get in the shower. She washed away every trace of last night and came out feeling fresh with her towel wrapped around her. She smiled at him as she went to her draw and pulled out her underwear then dressed herself and sat down in her spot in front of the mirror with her hair-dryer. She made herself presentable and applied her make-up before testing the mattress again. It was fairly dry now, Chris hadn't got that much water on it, it seemed her had got most on the sheets and the duvet.

Alyssa went to the airing cupboard and dug out the new sheets, she would have to dry the duvet but they could live without that for one night. She remade the bed and waited patiently for Jack to finish getting ready.

Jack wasted no time getting ready, he was eager to sort Declan out. He needed to understand he had no chance with Alyssa whatsoever. He nodded at her when he was ready and headed downstairs to grab the keys. He led her out to the car and then drove them to the B&B.

He looked at Alyssa. "I don't suppose he said what room he was in?" he asked her before they went inside.

Alyssa bit her lips and shook her head. "Not that I remember," she told him, she had been too busy worrying about Jack and what had happened between him and Davina. She shut her car door behind her as she got out.

"Hang on," she said as she pulled her phone out and sent off a text to Declan asking for his room number, he had told her to call him when she needed him, surely a text counted too. She handed her phone to Jack so that he could read the text that Declan sent back.

Molly sighed when she realised that there was no one in the Cafe, it was no fun without her friends. She didn't feel like going home and seeing as the Hen and Stag were last night she knew that Whit was over at Brett's. That left Peter. She smiled as she detoured to his and rang the doorbell insistently.

Peter heard the doorbell ringing again and again and ran to answer it. Why couldn't people call before they came over? He opened the door and smiled when he saw Molly standing there. He stepped aside and let her in.

"What's up?" he asked her curiously. "How was last night? I would have come over to help but I didn't think it would be good if we fell asleep again. I wouldn't want Mr. Hunt to get the wrong idea. Not that I don't like sleeping with you, ummmm that came out wrong…." he stammered and shook his head. "You know what I mean," he finally sighed.

Molly grinned at Peter and hugged him. "I know what you mean," she agreed. "But neither Mum or Gene came home last night anyway, to be fair, having a screaming baby around isn't fun anyway," she told him with a smile. "I'm just bored and there is no way that I'm hanging out at home today, not with two hungover adults and a wailing baby," she told him with a smile.

"Well, I don't have to be at the chippy until later. Fatboy asked me to work tonight; he's going to some church thing with Mercy and her grandmother. I still can't believe those two are a couple. I kept wondering if they liked each other that way. Glad he's finally settled down though. He was starting to get on my nerves the way he kept trying to chat up every girl who came into the chippy. It was a chore just to get him to do any work at all."

Molly grinned. "I knew he liked her, for all his bravado he just doesn't have the guts to ask out the one girl that he actually likes," she smiled.

He picked up his shoes and sat down to put them on.

"So, you want to go next door for breakfast? I don't have much in here," he suggested.

Molly nodded. "I almost went to the café, but decided I didn't want to sit around on my own like a loner, Whitney went to Brett's while the Hen and Stag were on," she shrugged. "You got lucky," she teased as she took his hand.

"Well, you're a girl so I guess you notice that kind of stuff," he observed. He chuckled at her comment about Whitney.

"Yeah, I bet she didn't want to be at home with a bunch of drunken men, can't say I'd blame her, she'd have got no sleep and probably would have ended up with someone in her bed that she didn't invite," he remarked and then took her hand and led her to the café.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Rowan woke up and luxuriated in the feel of being warm in Ray's arms. It was so rare she got these moments with him. She was actually looking forward to taking it easy in the restaurant. Trevor was ready and so was Nora. In a few weeks, she would start taking a lesser role in the kitchen and just run the cash register and walk around and greet people. Mostly, she was looking forward to sleeping in with Ray every morning. Her insomnia had lessened considerably a few weeks after Brian had gone to prison and after she and Ray had moved in together and she knew he was going to stay, it had vanished completely. She still woke up early; she couldn't break that habit, but not as early as she had before. Now waking up that early took an alarm and she only did that when she had serious baking to do.

She squeezed his hand, their fingers still laced together and gazed at the wall as she focused on the feel of the length of his body against her back and legs and his warm breath on her shoulder. She really should get up and start cleaning. She didn't want JT and Syed stuck doing that as well as the baking in the morning and there wasn't that much still to do. And she wanted to make them something nice for dinner to eat while watching the match.

She unlaced her fingers from his, stroked the bracelet she'd given him and raised his hand to her lips and kissed the palm before slipping from the bed. She pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and finger combed her hair back as she walked to the bathroom. She splashed water on her face and went downstairs to finish cleaning up the kitchen and making sure the tables in the dining room were clean and set. Ray could vacuum when he got up. She went into the kitchen and got two nice steaks she'd bought for herself and Ray from the walk-in and put them in some of Gem's marinade, then set about making a salad. They would no doubt have chips while watching the match, so she would make sure he ate something good for dinner.

Ray woke as he felt his front suddenly feel cooler, he reached out for Rowan and frowned when he didn't touch her, his eyes stayed resolutely shut as he groped around him. He opened an eye and frowned. She had got up then. He sighed. She was always up before him. He grunted as he sat up and looked around, the sun was streaming through the window and he threw up an arm to prevent himself from going blind. He pulled himself off the bed and was pleased to note that his hangover had vanished.

Ray grabbed a shirt from the wardrobe and threw it on before leaving his bedroom, Rowan had mentioned something about cleaning he remembered. He grimaced, cleaning! Ray looked around, it was tidy, surely that counted? He sighed, probably not. Women always seemed to find some obscure bit of dirt or mess that men disregarded. He could hear someone downstairs and headed down to the restaurant. The sooner he helped her and got this place sorted, the sooner they could settle down for the match tonight. He had to admit, watching football with her was more enjoyable than he had anticipated when she had first started watching it with him. He had taken the remote and changed the channel to the game, but she hadn't argued with him, just looked a bit put out until she started to get into it. He was glad that she liked football; he couldn't be doing with some woman that refused to let him watch his matches.

Ray leant against the door to the big kitchen and watched her. "Best tell me what needs doing then," he said.

Rowan finished the carrot she was rapidly chopping and looked up at Ray with a smile. She wiped her hands on a towel and walked over to him. She took his hand and led him to the storage cupboard and pulled out the vacuum.

"Give the floor a good once over. Everything else is done. I'm just making dinner now. I'm going to grill a couple of steaks and we'll have salad, then we can have chips while we watch the match," she told him. She patted his behind.

"I should have dinner finished by the time you're done," she told him and winked at him before going back into the kitchen. She pulled the steaks from the marinade and threw them on the grill before turning to toss the salad.

Ray looked at the vacuum cleaner and shrugged, did she mean the whole of the restaurant and upstairs? He presumed so. He plugged it in and pressed the button. He smiled at the machine as it roared to life and went around with it, following behind as he walked up and down, dodging between chairs and tables, then having to go and untangle himself, surely there was a quicker way to clean a floor than use a vacuum cleaner?

He shrugged and began to hum to himself as he wandered around with the hoover. Once he was certain that he had paced the entirety of the restaurant floor he unplugged the vacuum cleaner and took it upstairs before starting on the flat. He could smell whatever it was she cooking down there and he checked his watch, they still had time.

Rowan peered out of the kitchen and watched him vacuum for a moment. It was a little amusing, especially when he got tangled up. She widened her eyes as she saw him take the machine upstairs. She hadn't asked him to do up there, she had a smaller one to use in the flat anyway, but she kept quiet. He would do it how he was going to do it and she wasn't going to complain.

She checked the steaks to make sure they were ready and then put them on plates. She put the plates on a tray and added the bowl of salad, making sure to put a lid on the bowl, just in case. They had drinks upstairs so she didn't need to worry about that and went to the foot of the stairs as she heard the vacuum turn off. She waited as he came down with the vacuum and then handed him the tray to take up as she put the vacuum away. She glanced over the dining room a final time. The kitchen she could finish tidying in the morning, for now, she wanted to enjoy some quality time with Ray.


	14. Chapter 14

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 14**

Ray switched on the TV on the channel that the match was being shown on and looked up as Rowan came back. He smiled at her and gestured at the tray that he had laid on the coffee table and the can for him and lemonade for her. He left the remote next to the tray and got them both a knife and fork. He settled on the sofa and tugged on her hand until she sat then started on his food as he listened to the pre-match garble.

Rowan looked at Ray and looked at the clock.

"I thought the match was on later. I didn't make any chips," she protested as he pulled her to sit down. She shrugged and cut a small bite of steak. She looked at Ray, nearly inhaling his food as usual and her hand shot out to grab his wrist.

"Ray, slow down. In my condition, I can't do the Heimlich if you start choking because you're eating like that," she told him. "Besides, you should enjoy it, I took great care making sure it was just how you like it. Inhaling it like you are I doubt you can even taste it," she teased him.

"Now, I'm going to go make some chips real quick while all this is going on," she told him. "I already have the potatoes cut, I just have to cook them and I'll do that right over here. But I'm sure things will be fine even if I miss the first few minutes. Just in case," she leaned down and brushed her lips against his. A pre-emptive goal kiss," she explained and went to quickly cook the chips.

Ray snorted. "It is on later, we've got about an hour of this pre-match talk on first," he said as she dashed away. He sighed as he watched her go and did as she said and slowed his eating down. He didn't want indigestion.

Ray half listened to the TV and half to Rowan clattering about making chips. He had to admit, it wasn't the same watching a football match without her, she made it that little bit more fun. He never thought he'd watch football with a woman, or take them to matches. He liked that Rowan had proved him wrong.

Rowan filled a large bowl with fresh-cooked chips and then carried them back into the front room. She put the bowl of chips and a small bowl of brown sauce on the coffee table and settled back down to finish her dinner, glad to see that Ray had slowed down his eating. She worried that he might choke and she did not want to lose him. She finished her dinner and drank down her lemonade.

She picked up his can to check it and went to take their dishes into the kitchen and get him another can. She got herself a glass of water and then curled up to settle next to him on the couch and watch the match. She was glad he didn't think her tendency to wear pretty dresses and occasionally curl her hair didn't mean she would stop watching football with him.

She looked at him as the men kept wittering on.

"Should we tell your mother I'm having twins?" she asked him curiously as she fidgeted with her scarf.

Ray looked down at her, she was still going on about this twins thing? He sneaked a look at her stomach and decided once again that she was no where near big enough to be having two kids in there! He supposed it was just a long running joke. She was winding him up. He shrugged, she would get his Mum in on it too, but he knew that she was only joking so that would be fine.

"Up to you, I don't mind, she'll just scream down the phone at you most likely," he chuckled. "You call her if you want to call her."

Ray grabbed up his new can and opened it. He took a long sip as he looked down at Rowan and then blindly reached over and replaced his can on the table, keeping his gaze fixed on her. He was sure it was a joke. Ray started and looked over at the TV as the cheering signalled the start of the match. He slipped an arm around Rowan as the game started up.

"I'll wait until after the match to call her," she said and settled against him as he put his arm around her. She reached over and grabbed the bowl of chips and held it so they could both reach. "Unless our team wins of course, then I'll call after that," she told him flirtatiously with a small smile on her face. She didn't care if their team won or not, she was going to have him after the match.

Ray smirked down at her. "Our team _will _win Ro," he told her firmly, "because," he pointed at the screen. "We're playing Villa and they're crap anyway, we'll smash them to smithereens," he grinned and reached a hand in the bowl for some chips, he pulled them out with a small hiss. They were still hot. He frowned at her and blew his hand and the chips in it to cool them. He ate his way through the chips and snorted at the screen.

"Careful," she warned him, too late to stop him grabbing a handful of the still-hot chips. She stopped herself from shaking her head and simply looked at him.

"I mean come on!" he frowned. "Who chooses claret and blue for a football kit?" he said. "At least red and white are better colours," he said.

Rowan chuckled at Ray's comments. She unwound part of her scarf and draped it across his shoulders. "Shame you forgot to wear the colors then isn't it," she teased and snorted a giggle.

She plucked at the t-shirt he'd thrown on. "Anyone would think you're a Villa fan in that shade of blue," she added.

Ray snorted. "Wouldn't catch me dead supporting a Birmingham team!" he remarked as he tugged the scarf. "Manchester every time," he grinned at her.

He looked at himself and then at her. "Well excuse me for helping clean the restaurant _and _the flat!" he huffed. "At least I'm not wearing claret, too," he grumbled and tugged the scarf again, it smelt of her, he smiled.

Ray looked down at Rowan and took some more chips from the bowl, carefully this time and blew them to cool them before dipping them in the sauce and eating them.

"I suppose I can let is slide this time, but you will notice I wore a red shirt to clean in," she pointed out and giggled at him again.

She watched as he ate through his handful of chips and then unwound the scarf and shifted so she could wind it around his neck, but wound it up over his face too as she giggled madly.

She noted that United scored a goal and shouted. "Goal!" before grabbing his scarf-wrapped face and pressing a kiss where his mouth should be.

Ray grunted as he the world went black. He reached out as she pressed her lips to the scarf and pulled her tight against him as he pinned her on her back to the sofa. He held her down as he pulled on the scarf until he could see. He looked over at the TV and grinned. 1-1.

He pulled the scarf right off his head and dropped it over her face then pulled off the red top that she was wearing.

"There, now you're not wearing red," he said as he threw the top across the room and got off her and grabbed his can.

Rowan shrieked with laughter as he pinned her down.

"Ray, let me go," she gasped out between her laughter and struggled as he pulled off her shirt. She ran her hands through her hair as he let her up and looked at where he threw her top. She looked back at Ray and raised an eyebrow then cleared her throat as she pointed at her bra.

"Funny, this looks an awful lot like red to me," she said and jumped off the couch to go and get her top. She picked it up, turned around and stuck her tongue out at him.

"You so failed on that one, acuisle," she teased and pulled her shirt back on before sitting back down on the couch and smirking at him.

Ray raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't think I got a good enough look to see whether or not it was red," he mused as he reached for her again and lifted up her top. He didn't take it off, but made sure that the hem was over her head and her arms were still in the sleeves. He studied her bra and traced a finger across the top. "I'm not sure that it is red, I think it's got an orangey look about it," he said and pulled the top right off her and sat on it.

Rowan made a face at him and squealed and tried to jump back when she saw him reaching for her. She fought back as he pulled the shirt up and huffed out a sigh of annoyance.

"It's red, or are you color blind?" she snorted and shoved her hair back again as he pulled the shirt off her. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Is that a challenge?" he enquired as he grinned at her and made sure that she couldn't pull the top out from under him.

"So, I can see that I'm not getting my shirt back," she stated. "That's fine," she chirped and grabbed up her scarf and draped it around her neck. "I'll just sit here like this then," she said smugly and leaned back, putting her feet up on the coffee table as she did so. She folded her arms across the swell of her belly and glanced over at him.

She sat up, grabbed a couple of chips out of the bowl and dipped them in sauce and brought them slowly to her mouth to eat them, making sure the sauce dripped on the bare skin of her chest.

"Oh, no," she exclaimed in mock dismay, "what a mess I'm making."

She reached up with a finger and swiped up one of the drips of sauce and then watched Ray out of the corner of her eye as she licked the sauce off her finger.

Ray could see what she was doing out of the corner of his eye as he tried in vain to focus on the football match. He growled and turn his head back to look at her, his gaze falling on her sauce covered chest and then the finger that she was licking. How was he supposed to concentrate on the game when she was sitting there being all provocative? He itched to reach for her and kiss her to within an inch of her life then clean that sauce off her. But the football was on! Why did she have to do this now? She knew that he couldn't resist her! He supposed this was punishment for taking her top.

Ray was suddenly on top of her, pinning her to the sofa once more. He took her hand and licked the remaining sauce off her finger before his hungry gaze landed on her chest once more. He could catch the match highlights and the score would be on the internet as soon as the game finished. He didn't look at her face as his mouth descended on her breasts and he licked off the sauce that had landed there. He cleaned her with his mouth and his tongue then undid her bra to get at her breasts properly. His hands ran down her sides after discarding her bra on the floor and they swiftly undid the clasp of her trousers and pulled them down, his hands flew back to her hips and her knickers soon followed her trousers. Only then did he raise his head to look at her, his gaze still hungry, but not for food.

Ray's mouth covered hers as he kissed her greedily, his hands running up her body, caressing her, teasing her. They eventually tangled in her hair as he held her hard against him. He pulled back from the kiss and paused for breath. His eyes searching hers. His lust for her took precedence over football. He didn't speak, but let his actions speak for him as he leant down and kissed her again.

Rowan shrieked as he pinned her to the couch, feigning surprise that he had attacked her. His intensity threw her, she hadn't expected that. She had only intended to play. She bit her lip to keep from moaning, what he was doing felt so good! His name slipped from her mouth in a breath as he undressed her and his hands roamed her flesh. She wanted him desperately at that moment, but she wouldn't give in so easily. She had to resist and she fought against what his kisses and hands were doing to her, though she longed to surrender.

He had started it by taking her shirt. He needed to suffer a bit first.

She knew she was at a disadvantage at this point, he was still fully clothed and she was naked but for her football scarf looped loosely around her neck. But she could try.

She broke off the kiss, put a hand to his chest and gazed at him, attempting to look shocked.

"Why, DI Carling, what exactly are your intentions?" she asked him, her tone innocent and slightly surprised as she tried to keep her breathing even and under control, but the way he was pressed against her she could feel that he wanted her. She tried to ignore the feel of him.

She gestured at the TV. "You do know the game is still on and we've missed," she paused and looked at the screen to check the score, "two more goals on our side," she informed him.

Ray didn't look at the TV screen. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on hers and listened as she spoke. "Good," he commented as he tore the scarf away from her. "Means I'm allowed to celebrate," he continued and stopped talking as he kissed her neck, ghosting his lips over her shoulder and down her chest. He peppered kisses over her stomach, starting with small fleeting ones then allowing himself longer more languorous kisses over her body. His hand stroked down one leg and lifted it, he stopped kissing her stomach and turned his attention to the leg that he held. He massaged up her calf with his hands and his lips followed, skimming over the flesh that his hands caressed. His hands stopped at her knee and simply held her leg as his lips continued up her thigh and higher. He paused as he came closer to his goal and moved to the other leg and repeated the same process much slower.

Rowan drew in a deep breath, clearly he was unwilling to play. She felt her breathing become more ragged as he kissed and touched her. No matter how she tried to pretend, she couldn't stop her body from responding to him. She simply couldn't resist him. She gasped another sharp breath as he kissed up her leg and her body shivered in response. He knew her weakness, though, the one thing he did to her no one else had ever done.

This time he didn't stop, his lips kept moving up and his hands moved to her hips as he put his lips to use between her legs. She had deliberately tried not to react to what he was doing to her, there was only so much she could take, only so long before her control snapped and she gave into him. He could last longer than her. He was sure of it. Ray intensified his efforts, determined to break her control.

She tried desperately to maintain control and felt her body shake with the effort as he moved closer. She couldn't hold back and cried out at the touch of his lips. She moaned as pleasure coursed through her and cried out his name between her moans. Her every nerve was on fire and she was lost in what he was doing to her. She shifted slightly to relieve the awkwardness of her swollen belly and pressed her head onto the seat cushion of the couch as she dug her fingers into the armrest of the couch behind her head.

She felt herself coming and began to scream from the sheer ecstasy and intensity of it. Every part of her seemed so much more...sensitive...now that she was pregnant. She writhed and arched to him, it was almost more than she could bear.

Her only regret was the size of her belly now would keep her from being able to hold him close and kiss him when they were at it. No more backing her against the wall, she would miss that. Although, she thought the alternative of him coming up behind her and bending her over the counter had definite appeal and she screamed his name again as another wave of overwhelming pleasure washed over her.

Ray smiled and crawled back up her body. She had given in, he knew that she would. He hadn't exactly played fair, but that didn't matter. Ray got off her and slipped his arms underneath her so that he lifted her off the sofa and held her against him as he carried her to the bedroom. Ray kicked the bedroom door shut behind him and laid her down on the bed. He trailed his fingers over her stomach and then looked back up at her face. He smiled and pressed his lips to hers, his hands cradling her face gently.

Rowan settled limply against him as he carried her to the bedroom.

Ray divested himself of his clothes and discarded them carelessly on the floor before turning back to her. He looked over her and joined her on the bed before thrusting into her with a deep groan. He watched her face as he moved inside her and he buried his face in her neck. "Incredible Ro, beautiful, amazing," he murmured against her skin before pressing kisses to the side of her neck and her shoulder.

She watched him as he got undressed, admiring him as she did so. Before she knew it he was on the bed and then he was inside her, where she needed him to be. She slipped her hands over his shoulders as she moaned low in her throat. She was drowning in him, completely speechless. She heard him speak, but nothing registered, she couldn't focus at all. She could only cry out with pleasure, her inarticulate cries punctuated with gasps of his name.

He loved the noises she made, they spurred him on and he knew that they were all for him. Her name left him in a long moan as he thrust deeply and felt himself go inside her. Ray held her tightly to him and slid his hand into her hair. It always felt good when she was pressed up against him. Even with the bump that was her stomach. He knew that would get bigger too, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to do what he had just done soon. She wouldn't be able to, he wasn't wasting a moment while they still could. It would be torture when the baby was born. He would get through it though. Gene obviously had, he could, too. As long as he could hold her at night then it would be fine.

Ray pulled her against his chest and kissed her forehead before nuzzling her temple. His arms held her tightly to him and he pulled on the covers. "You're not getting up now, Ro," he told her simply as he refused to let her move from his embrace.

Rowan dug her fingers hard into his shoulders as his coming set her off. She shook uncontrollably beneath him and welcomed his tight embrace, even though it was slightly uncomfortable against her belly.

She caught her breath as he rolled to his back and she was able to curl against his side. She ran her hand over his chest and then to his side to wrap her arm around him. She placed several light kisses on his chest and tilted her head to look at him.

"I don't want to be anywhere else," she told him softly. "Besides, I'm not sure if I could move even if I wanted to," she added and gave him a small smile. She buried her face against his chest again.

"Oh, Ray, the things you do to me," she sighed in contentment. "I must have done something really, really good to get such an amazing and wonderful man," she added.

Ray snorted and squeezed her gently. "Ditto," he smiled. "And I'm not all that wonderful," he said with a small frown.

Rowan rolled her eyes at him. "You're pretty wonderful to me, in more ways than I can even count."

She gazed at the landscape of his chest before her and brought her hand up to trail her fingers over the skin of his chest and belly, drawing small circles on him or putting her hand flat and simply caressing him. She never tired of touching him.

"I'll need something to drink soon, though, my throat is really dry for some reason, and I'll need my phone, too, so I can call your mother," she finally said.

Ray sighed as he looked down at her. "Stay there," he ordered as he got up grudgingly and padded through to the kitchen, he grabbed the biggest glass they had and filled it with water for her then grabbed the bowl of chips from the table. He placed both down as he fished in the pocket of her jeans for her phone and managed to balance it with the glass and bowl as he went back to the bedroom.

She rolled her lips under her teeth to hide a smile as he got up. She eyed his naked form greedily as he left the room and then again when he came back bearing water, chips and her phone.

He put the water on her beside table and the chips on his then got back into bed next to her and pulled her back against him and let her shift around until she was comfortable again. He dropped the phone in front of her and slid his arms around her and rested his head against hers. "Now, call my Mam and if you then decide that you need something else then tough luck," he told her and pressed a kiss to her neck before burying his face in her hair and sighing softly.

"Now see, not many men would have done that," she told him as she drank down half the water and then cuddled close.

She smiled as he buried his face in her hair. "What more could I possibly want?" she asked him with a hint of irony and looked at the chips that were on his table.

"You're going to share those with me, right?" she half-asked, half-stated. Her stomach was already starting to growl from their activity, making the steak and salad seem forever ago. She climbed awkwardly onto him and reached for the chips, snagging herself a handful. She grinned triumphantly and settled back next to him as she ate two at once and made a noise of enjoyment.

"I wasn't going to share, no!" he said as he let her climb over him. "I was going to eat them all myself, seeing as I did bring you water and you didn't ask for food," he said as she went back onto the bed next to him.

She propped herself up on her arm, took a chip, put it between her teeth and then lowered it to his lips and raised her eyebrow at him.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her. He moved his lips to the chip and engulfed it in his mouth until his lips touched hers, then he bit down on the chip and pulled away. He chewed it and swallowed then looked at her. "Now, are you going to call my Mam or am I?" he asked. "Because I think you should do it," he shrugged as he turned himself and brought the bowl onto the bed and took another chip out. He made sure it had sauce on then smeared the sauce over her before eating the chip with a grin.

Ray reached over her and grabbed the phone he had brought in with him and handed it to her.

"I'm calling, I'm calling," she huffed and swatted at his hand.

"Don't start that," she scolded him and grabbed a tissue to wipe the sauce off. "I need food and at least an hour to recover before we can do that again, besides, I'm calling your mother and that would be extremely embarrassing. Bad enough I'm lying here and you're all naked and everything," she teased. She took the phone from him and flipped it open and lifted the covers.

"Smile," she said and took a quick picture. She looked at the picture then at him and grinned. "Now that's something a girl can fantasize about," she told him with a wink before hitting the button to call his mom. She held up her hand at him to forestall him doing anything.

"Ah, ah, on the phone here," she warned him and hurriedly ate another chip as she listened to the phone ring out.

Ray grunted and reluctantly kept his hands to himself as he covered himself back up with the blankets and watched her talk to his Mum. He wasn't sure that he liked Rowan and his Mum talking, who knew what they were talking about and what embarrassing things his Mum was spreading about him. Mind you, Rowan's Kin had been keen to tell him all about her past. The photos that they had insisted he see had shocked and amused him.

/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Maggie dusted her hands of the dirt and looked around as she heard her landline ring. She shot a glare over her fence. "I've got my eye on you, Evelyn Shaw," she warned as she removed her gardening gloves and made her way inside. She dropped the gloves on the washing machine as she went to the kitchen and picked up the phone.

"Maggie Carling," she answered as she made sure to watch her meddlesome neighbour over the fence. She supposed that she shouldn't have left her new pansies lying around out there, not when Evelyn had a rowdy cat at her disposal. She would watch and make sure that nothing happened to her flowers.

"Um, hi, it's Rowan. I have some good news, I had my scan on Friday and I know what I'm having," she began uncertainly, "you know, um, boy or girl." Ray's mother still made her nervous. Rowan reached over and traced a finger over Ray's arm to keep herself calm.

Ray slipped his arm around Rowan and pulled her close, he smiled at the sound of his Mum's voice through the phone. He could see how nervous Rowan was and he pressed a kiss to her temple as he rested his head against hers.

Maggie's face bloomed into a smile. "Oh, Rowan, dear!" she smiled. "It's so lovely to hear from you," she said and made herself busy as she switched on the kettle. "So, no problems with the baby and you and Ray are both alright?" she asked, the poor woman sounded nervous, she had no reason to be. Maggie didn't think she was that scary, only to Evelyn.

Rowan settled against Ray, feeling herself calm as he held her.

"No, no problems at all. Everything is fine, I'm fine and Ray's fine, too," she held the phone out to his mouth.

"Say hello to your mother," she hissed and winked at him.

Ray grinned at her and held her hand steady. "Hey, Mam."

"Ray!" Maggie beamed. "I hope you're taking care of her."

"Of course!" Ray huffed. "What do you take me for!" he frowned.

Rowan smirked at Ray; she knew his mother was no doubt giving him an earful. She made sure not to chuckle; she didn't want his mother to hear her. "He's treating me very well," she said so his mother could hear and kissed his hand.

"I know what you're like, Ray, I'm your Mum, remember?"

Ray rolled his eyes at Rowan. "She's fine, she's got her feet up right now," he explained as he lifted the covers and winked at Rowan. "Yup, they're definitely up," he smiled.

"Good!" Maggie said as she poured hot water into a mug. "So, when are you planning on inviting me down to see you both?" she asked.

Ray looked at Rowan. "I was thinking after the baby is born," he said.

"Fine by me," she agreed. "I want to meet my grandchild, now put me back onto Rowan," she demanded.

Ray snorted. "Love you, too, Mam," he said sarcastically and pulled the phone from his mouth. "She wants to talk to you."

Rowan put the phone back to her ear when he'd finished.

"Go on, then," Maggie laughed, "Boy or Girl?"

"I'm actually having one of each," Rowan told her. "It seems I'm having twins. You can imagine my surprise," she added and gave a small chuckle.

Ray held in a sigh as Rowan started talking about twins, she was keeping up the pretence then, she had best explain to his mum that she was only joking so that Maggie didn't get her hopes up. Mind you, there was no chance that she'd do that while he was there. She would have to have another conversation with his mother while he was at work then. He wasn't moving now he was comfortable.

"TWINS!" Maggie screamed in delight. "Rowan that's fantastic news! And a girl _and _a boy!" she clapped her hands together. "You must be so excited!" she laughed happily.

She held the phone away as Maggie screamed.

"I'm a little scared to be honest. One was going to be hard enough, but two," she confessed. "It's really nerve-wracking. But at least now I know I'm not bigger than usual because I'm farther along than I originally thought."

She leaned back against her pillow and ran a hand over the bump.

"So I'm still due at the end of October."

Maggie laughed excitedly. "I'll come down mid-November then?" she asked as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"You can come down whenever you want," Rowan told her.

"You make sure that he helps you with both of them, don't let him go slacking off down the pub or anything," she advised.

"He actually helps out a lot now," Rowan said as she smiled at Ray. "He still uses too much soap when he washes the dishes though."

She chatted idly for a few more minutes, watching Ray as he listened.

"Well, I'd best get off the phone now. I'll call you sooner to the time and of course, when the babies are born," Rowan promised.

"Wonderful" Maggie agreed. "I need to go anyway dear, I can see Evelyn eyeing my garden and I'll bet my left shoe that she's got that beastly cat of hers with her," she muttered. "Give my love to Ray, I'd better go and rescue my flowers," she said. "I'll speak to you both soon," she promised. "Bye."

Rowan chuckled at Maggie's comment. She wondered if the woman would come to visit, since if she did, she wouldn't be able to guard her garden.

Maggie replaced the phone on the holder and marched back into her garden leaving her mug of tea on the kitchen table.

"Evelyn Shaw, you put that monstrosity that you call a cat anywhere near my garden and I'll do worse than dump slugs in your garden!" she threatened as she went back to planting.

Rowan flipped the phone shut and looked at Ray before quickly eating several chips. She turned on her side and traced a finger down his cheek.

"You were very well behaved," she remarked and leaned over to give him a small kiss. "I think such behavior deserves a reward, don't you?" she suggested, her tone full of curiosity.

Ray sighed as Rowan finally ended the call, he had no idea that a phone call to his Mother could make him so anxious. His eyebrows went up and he looked at her curiously.. Reward?

She flashed him a quick smile and then bubbled out a small giggle as she ducked under the covers to give him his reward.

Ray let out a guttural groan at her actions, he loved when she did this to him, though he would never ask her to. He preferred that she do it because she wanted to. His fists clenched and he held handfuls of the duvet. So close.

Ray shouted her name as he came and let go of the covers, he fell back, panting. "Incredible," he murmured.

She climbed back up when she was finished and drained her glass of water and moved the bowl of chips to the bedside table before it could tip over before cuddling next to him again. She loved doing that to him.

She wrapped her arm around him and sighed happily and pressed several kisses to his chest. She suddenly yawned hugely and looked up at him as he was recovering.

"Mmmm, think I'm going to be falling asleep soon," she told him just before her jaws cracked with another yawn.

Ray slid his arms around her and held her close. He pressed a kiss to her head and hummed in agreement. "I say we sleep then, there's nothing that we have planned or need to do," he mumbled as he tightened his grip on her comfortably and dozed.

"I love you, Ray," Rowan murmured and then drifted off, safe in his arms where she belonged.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Jack read the text and nodded as he took her hand and led her inside the B&B. He grinned as he saw Declan come out the door and the slightly startled look he gave the pair of them.

"Look, Declan, I think we need to clear the air here. First, you need to clarify to Alyssa that when you said Davina took me home, you meant, she helped me walk home and left a few minutes later. She did not, in fact, stay the night with me. Second, you need to understand that Alyssa and I love each other and that means she is never going to love you. I'm under the impression you fancy her and you need to get that right out of your head."

Declan looked at Jack and sighed.

"Fine," he nodded. "Yes, I do have feelings for Alyssa. She's amazing, how can I not? I suppose this means you don't want me at the wedding?"

"I'd prefer it if you didn't come, unless you can keep yourself under control."

"I'm sorry. It was a dirty trick, but I thought it would work. She's clearly far more forgiving than I gave her credit for. You only kissed Davina last time and I got a kiss from Alyssa. I suppose I thought she might dump you for me if she believed you'd slept with Davina. Clearly, I was wrong."

Alyssa nodded at Declan. "I'm sorry, Declan, I'm not leaving Jack. It was a horrible trick," she said sadly. "I'm sad that you would try to deceive me like that!" she told him. "I love Jack and we are getting married in 6 days. Like Jack says, you are welcome at the wedding if you feel that you can behave, but if you can't then I'd prefer it if you stay away and not ruin our day," she said and squeezed Jack's hand.

Alyssa looked up at Jack and then back at Declan. She hoped there were no hard feeling or awkwardness between the three of them now, she did like Declan, but she didn't love him. How could she? He wasn't Jack!

Were they going now? She wanted to get the house back into something that resembled being tidy.

"I've got a quilt to air now that it's sunny, I'd like to get it dry as soon as" she said to Jack.

Declan looked at her and then hung his head. "I'm sorry, I guess after what happened at that party when I got to kiss you was not normal. I thought it would be easy to..." he trailed off and sighed. "Never mind."

He stuck out his hand. "Please accept my apology. And I promise to behave myself if you'll still let me come to the wedding." He looked over at Jack. "We're family after all."

Jack folded his arms and watched Alyssa. This was all up to her.

Alyssa looked at Declan, he was Jack's cousin and she had already given him an invitation. He seemed sincere as well. Alyssa stepped forward and slipped her hand into his. "That's fine by me," she smiled at him and let go of him. She moved back to Jack and slid an arm around his waist with a smile.

"Home? I want to get that duvet dry while the sun's out," she told him.

Jack nodded and gave Declan's hand a quick shake.

"We'll see you next week then, I suppose," he said and gave Declan a look before he left.

Declan watched them leave and frowned. He would behave, of course he would. But, he knew someone he could get who wouldn't behave. Someone who might just do anything for money. He couldn't wait to get home and have a meeting so he could make a plan for Jack and Alyssa's wedding day. He would be Alyssa's hero. He smiled, slung his overnight bag over his shoulder and left the B&B.

Jack quickly drove Alyssa home and went upstairs to grab the duvet and drape it over the backs of the chairs to dry before she could even ask. He knew he'd end up having to do it anyway. Then, he went inside to help her clean the house. Fortunately, they had all come back to the house and pretty much passed out right after, so the house wasn't in too much of a state.

Jack collapsed on the couch when they'd finished cleaning.

"My head is splitting, we have to take a break," he complained and turned on the TV.

Alyssa watched him go into the front room and chuckled at his moaning. She went and made him a mug of tea and got herself a hot chocolate then went to the front room. She placed his tea on the coffee table next to her hot chocolate and dropped down next to him and curled into his side, burrowing against him happily. "Well, now that the house is clean we don't have to go around and do the weekly clean tomorrow," she commented. "Which means that I can afford to lie in," she added.

"You have to work tomorrow anyway, don't you?" he asked her as he flipped through channels.

Alyssa nodded. "There is always that," she agreed.

"Oh, look, Villa is playing United," he remarked as he came across the match.

She rolled her eyes as he stopped on the football match. "And Villa are one goal up whereas United aren't," she teased. "Because Birmingham is clearly better than Manchester."

"If you're trying to get at me, it's the wrong time, love," he told her. "I support City. Rowan and Ray, however, they're Reds," he told her. "They're no doubt watching this match," he noted idly and sipped at his tea.

"Why don't you call and get Chinese delivered?" he asked her. "I'm not bothered to cook and I'm in no mood to actually get my arse off this couch," he told her.

Alyssa frowned. "Oh," she said. "City are blue right? Ah well," she grinned. "If Villa win then I can use it to wind Ray and Rowan up," she shrugged and got up. "I'll get that pizza out of the freezer," she said and went to the kitchen.

She came back 20 minutes later with the plate and set it on the table, she pulled a piece out of the circle of pizza slices and left the rest to him. She wasn't all that hungry. She ate down her slice and leant against him drowsily.

"Considering United's just scored another goal already, you better hope Villa is really on their game if they're going to win," he told her.

"You really want some fun," he told her after he finished chewing a mouthful of pizza, "you should come when City and United are playing each other. It's something else. Although I think it annoys Gene that Rowan comes along, because she's a woman. It could also be the fact that Ray and Rowan celebrate United goals by kissing," he chuckled.

He slung an arm around her shoulders and stroked her arm as he ate another slice of pizza and watched the game, silently rooting for Villa since they were Alyssa's home team. Nothing else was on and it looked as though Alyssa was going to take a nap so he didn't worry about changing the channel.

Alyssa snuggled into his arm silently and chuckled lightly as she listened to him. Her gaze was fixed on the TV but she wasn't watching it. She was running the days events through her mind. It was so screwed up! She sighed, only one thing mattered right now. She loved Jack, he loved her. Bish Bash Bosh! The rest was irrelevant.

Jack ate another slice of pizza and sighed.

"United seem to be kicking our butts," he said and looked down at her. She was still awake, he was surprised. "I guess a smug phone call to Rowan would be a bad idea at this point, but we'll see what happens," he added.

"I have to say, having a copper for a best man might come in useful if Declan does try to cause some problem at the wedding on Friday. Gene will soon sort him out or lock him up for some bizarre reason," he huffed out a laugh.

Alyssa looked up at him and nodded. "I didn't see this game," she said decisively. "I only watch the games where we win," she added.

She looked up at him and nodded. "I don't want anything to spoil it, Jack," she told him. "I want marrying you to be the best and most perfect day of my life," she said as she hugged him closer. "I'm glad I don't have to worry about Davina anymore, being paranoid all the time was driving me up the wall," she sighed as she walked her fingers up his chest. "I want to go to the Church on Friday, marry you and then spend the rest of my life with you," she said with a smile and sat up so she could see him properly. "You know why?" she asked as she ran a finger down his cheek, her eyes softened as she looked at him. "Because I'm hopelessly in love with you," she smiled and brushed her lips against his.

Jack grabbed her and pulled her close.

"Oh, you horribly soppy woman!" he cried. "You're going to make me tear up here in a minute."

He pulled back and looked into her big green eyes, he never got tired of looking into those eyes. Even when she was mad as hell, there was always that teeny, tiny flicker down deep in the depths and he knew he could never love anyone else.

"Well, Davina is nothing if not intelligent, shame the same does not seem to be true of Declan," he snorted and pulled her to his chest again. "I'm hopelessly devoted to you, Lyss."

He moved his head and nuzzled at her ear. "Now, let's stop all these phrases before one of us bursts into song," he advised.

He grinned at her. "My headache seems to be all kinds of better and I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, we could go upstairs and...oh...I don't know...maybe..." he trailed off and began to whisper in her ear.

Alyssa chuckled as she was hugged to him and wrapped her arms around his middle so that she could hug him back.

Her head came up off his chest and she smiled at him then pressed a kiss to his lips. "Okay," she smiled. Alyssa took the TV remote from where he had left it and turned off the TV then disentangled herself from his grasp and stood up. She looked down at him still on the sofa and took his hand to pull him up. She grinned at him and lead him upstairs to their room.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Jane sent off a text to Tanya.

"Seeing you for lunch? Am at cafe today."

She grimaced when Max came in and smiled at her. She knew that smile and she was sure if Tanya were here, she would know that smile too.

"Don't smile at me like that," she hissed and quickly asked him if he wanted tea to keep Bianca from staring at her.

"Sorry, last night was pretty great so I'm smiling," he said.

"What if Tanya comes in here. I don't want to hurt her."

"How can you possibly hurt her?" he wanted to know. "She and I are divorced, she has no say in who I see."

"Max, it's different, I'm her best friend. It's just...not good," she finished lamely.

"All right, I'll try to behave myself," he said agreeably. "Give me a tea and I'll have some toast."

Jane kept an eye on Max as he idly sipped his tea and read his newspaper and watched for Tanya. She just hoped Max kept his promise. She was going to have to stop going over there she realized, or, at least leave right after dinner. She couldn't bear Tanya to be mad at her.

Tanya looked up from her cup of coffee as her phone went off. She grabbed it and read Jane's text with a smile.

"Sure, café?"

She looked at Oscar. "We're meeting Jane for lunch," she told him as she left him in his playpen and went to her room to get ready.

Tanya pushed Oscar along in his pushchair to the Cafe, he was chattering to himself and the toy in his hand. She backed into the Cafe and stopped the pushchair out of the way, she grinned at Jane. "Heya," she beamed.

Jane waved at Tanya and was relieved when she saw Max get up, clearly preparing to leave.

"Hello, Tan," he said and hunkered down to talk to Oscar. Jane kept her eyes from Max, making sure instead to look at Tanya and smile.

"So, what do you want to eat?" she asked. "I'll bring it over and I should be able to sit down for a bit."

Tanya gazed at the menu. "Umm, tuna melt and can you do me a ham sandwich for Oscar, please, Jane?" she asked as she pulled her son from the confines of the pushchair and set him on the bench of one of the booths, she had went to get the high chair but Oscar had begun complaining that he was a big boy now!

"You have to sit nicely," she told him and handed him his colouring book to keep him quiet. She smiled briefly at Max, as she turned back to look at Jane. "And can I have a cup of coffee, too?" she asked as she folded the pushchair and got Oscar's cup of juice from the bag.

Jane nodded and began to sort Tanya's order and Max stood by the table with Oscar to watch him while Tanya spoke with Jane.

Tanya looked over her shoulder to check on Oscar and smiled at Max handing him colours to use. She had to admit, she had been a lot more reasonable about Max seeing Oscar lately, and having his Dad on hand when Tanya wanted to go out was always useful.

Jane finished making Tanya's sandwiches and threw some chips on the plates and handed them to Tanya.

"I just have one more thing to do, then I'll be over," she said, hoping Max would leave before she went to sit with Tanya.

Max noted Tanya coming back over with her food and gave her a small smile.

"You should know that I stopped seeing Davina last week. So, you shouldn't be getting anymore complaints from the girls," he told her.

He gave her a quick smile and then winked at Jane as he passed the counter on his way out.

Tanya nodded as she took the tray and took it to the table where Max was sitting with Oscar.

She sat down and nodded at him as he walked off. He wasn't seeing Davina? That had fizzled out then, just like all his other flings. She half-wished that he would find someone and settle down, but someone that the girls would like, not one of his passing fancies.

Jane pretended to do something as she watched Max leave from the corner of her eye and then grabbed up her own lunch and went over to sit with Tanya.

"So, have you seen Rhys again?" Jane wanted to know.

Tanya sighed as she pushed Oscar's plate towards him and took a bite out of her tuna melt. She swallowed before answering.

"Not really," she replied after she had swallowed. "I mean, obviously I've seen him around, but not properly," she confessed. "I like him Jane," she sighed. "I really do."

"I thought for sure you would have gone out with him again already," Jane exclaimed in disbelief. "If you like him, go out with him again. How many times has he asked?"

Tanya shrugged. "A couple of times, but both I couldn't because of work. Alyssa is taking some time off here and there because her wedding is coming up, and every time Rhys has asked me it's been when I'm needed at the Salon. The times when I'm not working he is!" she sighed. "It sucks."

"But you don't work at night. Surely the pair of you can get to together for dinner or to go see a movie or something? You do know you can leave Oscar with me right? Look, I have a gig tonight. Why don't you see if he wants to come? I'll make sure you can get in at the club," Jane offered. She stood and fished in her pocket and pulled out a folded up flyer.

"Here," she said. "There's the address and all. It starts at 7 and it should only last two hours at the most," she said.

Tanya smiled and took the poster. That could work. She hoped it would. She found herself wanting to see him again. She had found Rhys playing on her mind a lot recently. A thought crossed her mind as she looked at the flyer. "Didn't you base some of your new material on Rhys' flirting techniques?" she asked with a mischievous grin at her best friend.

Jane looked up at Tanya and gasped as her hand flew to her mouth, then she relaxed.

"I haven't got that material ready yet, oh good grief, I almost was going to tell you to take him somewhere else," Jane chuckled. "Look, you know Max or I will watch Oscar so there's nothing keeping you from going out with Rhys in the evenings," Jane scolded. She looked around and then lowered her voice.

"Did you sleep with him yet?"

Tanya bit her lip and nodded at Jane. "So I'm wondering if I'm just a notch on the bedpost," she sighed.

"But he keeps asking you out. I have to think you are a bit more than that to him, he's clearly still very keen," Jane said and took a bite of her sandwich. "And he's clearly not letting the incompatibility of your schedules keep him from still trying. C'mon, Tan, he's obviously into you. So, get a sitter for Oscar and go out with the man."

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Declan got home that evening and sat in the Woolpack, thinking over his options. Would the person he had in mind be willing to do it? He was sure if the price was right, the man would do anything. But still, kidnapping Alyssa so that Declan could play hero and rescue her, it could be chancy.

He glanced across the pub again and watched Cain and Charity in animated conversation. They were likely fighting; they always seemed to be arguing. He caught Cain's eye when Charity got up to go to the bathroom and gestured him over to the table where he was sitting.

"What do you want?" Cain asked, his tone sarky and annoyed.

"How would you like to make some money?" Declan asked him. Cain looked at him steadily for a few minutes and then finally sat down.

"Buy me a pint and I'll listen," Cain said and Declan gestured at Diane and asked for a pint. She nodded and brought one over.

Cain took a sip of his drink, watching Declan over the rim of the glass. He didn't much like the posh git, but Declan was loaded, so money could be well worth his while to overlook his dislike, he decided.

"I need your help. I'm going to a wedding next weekend," Declan began.

"I'm not going to be your date, no matter how much you pay me," Cain stated.

"I want you to kidnap the bride so that I can rescue her," Declan told him. Cain looked at him a moment and then burst out laughing.

"You are joking!" Cain chuckled.

Declan shook his head. "No, I want her to see what a useless waste my cousin is, so that she'll pick me over him. If a big tough guy like you comes along and abducts her and I save the day, well, there's no telling what could happen."

"That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard. It'll never work," Cain snorted.

"It will if you scare her well enough so that she's extremely grateful to see me."

"And what happens if I get caught?"

"You won't. We'll arrange ahead of time where you take her so I'll be the one to find her and bring her back."

"You are….you know what, I don't even know what you are," Cain said as he shook his head. "And how much am I to be paid for this little venture?"

Declan looked at Cain a moment and then wrote a figure down on the back of the paper coaster and pushed it across to Cain. Cain read the amount and looked at Declan.

"Now I know you're crazy," he remarked.

"Then I guess I'll find someone…." Declan began and Cain raised his hand.

"For this amount of money, you can be as crazy or as stupid as you like. I'll do it. Where and when?" he wanted to know.

"Friday, and it's down south, in Walford, East London," Declan told him and Cain groaned and wished he hadn't already agreed.

"What time?" he sighed.

"I'll think about it and let you know closer to Friday. We may have to drive down Thursday night to get there early enough to pull this off."

"That's great, just great," Cain half-snarled. "I want my money up front."

Declan looked at him and smiled. "You can have half up front, half when it's finished."

"All now."

Declan shook his head. "No way. If you don't like it, I'll find someone else," he stated decisively.

"Fine," Cain huffed. He drained his pint and went back over to sit with Charity again when he saw her coming back from the bathroom.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Rhys headed for the cafe, grateful his hangover was finally fading, but still annoyed that he was one of the ones that had to work. He really wanted to be curled up in bed. He walked in, ordered tea and a burger. He turned and caught sight of Tanya in the booth at the back. That's what he really wanted, he had to add to the list. Curled up in bed, with her. He wished she'd stop making excuses and go out with him again. He was beginning to think maybe she didn't like him at all. Maybe he was just a notch on her bedpost and she was trying to be kind by letting him down easy.

He found that vaguely unsettling. Normally, he was the one letting the girl down easy. He turned back to the counter and took his tea with a smile and went to sit down and wait for his food, glancing over occasionally at Tanya as he pretended to read the newspaper.

Tanya looked at Jane and then bit her lip as Rhys came in and sat down. She looked back at Jane. "No time like the present," she shrugged then gave Jane a pleading smile. "Are you doing anything tonight?" she asked. "Can you look after Oscar for me if Max can't?" she pleaded.

Jane looked at Tanya and tapped the flyer. "The show, hello," she teased. "You know Max will take him, especially if he's finished with that Davina creature," Jane told her. "Now go."

Tanya moved over to the table Rhys was sitting at and took the seat opposite him. She smiled at him as she waited for him to put the newspaper down. She searched his face, he didn't seem unhappy to see her...

"So, I was wondering what you're doing tonight?" she asked him with a smile.

Rhys noticed Tanya approaching and quickly put the paper down as she sat. What luck! His eyes widened as she asked him what he was doing.

"I'm not sure, but I think I'm going somewhere with a gorgeous blond," he told her and reached over to take her hand.

Tanya grinned at him. "That's good then, because I have plans with a charming DS," she smiled.

He grinned boyishly at her. "Is that me then?" he asked. "Normally you say I'm cheesy," he teased.

Tanya rolled her eyes at him and smiled. "Since when is calling someone charming regarded as being cheesy!" she complained, but she nodded. "Of course, it's you," she smiled. "How many other DS' do I know?" she snorted.

"So, Jane has this gig tonight, and I was wondering whether you want to go to it with me?" she asked. "She does stand-up," she added. "So, will you come?"

"Yes, I know she does stand up and I'd love to go with you," he replied. "What time shall I pick you up?"

Tanya looked at the flyer that Jane had given her and then back at Rhys. "Say 6:30?" she said as she checked the time that the gig started. "What time are you finishing work today?" she asked. She needed to text Max and ask him to have Oscar tonight, she hoped he would, otherwise she would have to fork out for a babysitter or get one of the girls around to look after Oscar. That could get awkward if she and Rhys ended up back at hers.

"I'll probably be finished around oh, dunno, 5 or 5:30," Rhys told her. "I know where this place is," he told her as he pointed at the flyer, "so it won't take long to get there."

Tanya nodded and smiled. "Great," she beamed. "I'll see you around 6:30 then," she smiled and pulled out her phone and sent a text to Max asking if he could have Oscar for the night.

Rhys couldn't hold back his smile.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said and took a bite of his burger.

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Max picked up his phone and read Tanya's text.

He was beginning to like the fact she was dating that overly-pretty copper, he was finally getting to spend some time with Oscar, granted it wasn't much, but it was more than he had had before. He quickly sent back.

"Of course, can take Oscar anytime. Girls will be happy."

/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\

Tanya smiled at him and looked down at her phone, she smiled at Max's face. "I'll drop him down later," she sent back.

"Well, Max can look after Oscar so I don't have to worry about that," she glanced over her shoulder at Jane and her son. "Speaking of which, I'd better get back to the little devil," she smiled and then looked back at him. "I'll see you later," she said and returned to Jane.

"There we go," she said as she sat back down.

"Ooo, well done you," Jane said. "You get a piece of chocolate cake on me."

Tanya watched Rhys leave with a smile on her face. She was looking forward to tonight.

Rhys finished his lunch, trying desperately not to stare at Tanya. Finally, they were getting together again. He could hardly wait! He took his empty plate up to the counter and looked over at Tanya before he left to go back to work.

He strolled back into the station and looked smugly at Ginger.

"I've got a date with Tanya tonight," he crowed and dropped into his chair.

Shaz looked up at Rhys and did a double take and plastered a shocked expression on her face.

"You're going out with her again!" she gasped in mock horror. "But, Rhys! You never go out with anyone more than once!" she smiled and winked at Ginger.

Ginger snorted out a laugh at Shaz' comment and looked at Rhys.

"I go out with women more than once loads of times, for your information," Rhys told her. "It's relationships I don't do. If they start getting too attached, then I stop going out with them," he explained.

"Oooo," Ginger said and looked over at Shaz and made a face. "I think someone's tetchy about seeing Tanya again," he teased.

Rhys huffed out a breath and shook his head and focused on his computer.

"Some friends," he muttered darkly and Ginger burst into laughter.

Shaz laughed and looked at Ginger. "I think he's nervous," she commented, loud enough so that Rhys could hear and grinned.

Ginger grinned back at Shaz and Rhys glared.

"I am not nervous," he insisted. "Why would I be nervous? She's crazy about me," he added, his tone going smug again.

Ginger barked out a laugh and looked over at Shaz.

"If she's so crazy about you then why do you sound so surprised that she's agreed to go out with you tonight?"

Rhys frowned and looked over at Ginger.

"I'm just excited to be seeing her. I'm not surprised she wanted to go out with me," he snapped in a sarcastic tone.

Ginger laughed again and rolled his eyes at Shaz.

Shaz looked at Ginger after letting loose a giggle.

"You are so full of yourself," she commented with a shake of her head. "You make it sound like you're irresistible!"

Rhys looked at her.

"Uh, I am irresistible," he argued.

She looked him up and down. "You're not, you know, there are loads of people that don't fancy you," she remarked with a shrug.

"And…there are in fact loads of women that do fancy me. I'm fighting them off with a stick sometimes," he said in a tone of long-suffering patience. Then he grinned.

"I think you fancy me, otherwise you wouldn't be so insistent about telling me how I'm so resistible," he teased.

Ginger picked up his wastepaper bin and pretended to be noisily sick in it. Rhys rolled his eyes.

Shaz rolled her eyes at him. "Puurrrleeease!" she said in a bored voice. "I wouldn't touch you with a barge pole, Rhys," she said.

"Ahhh, you're just saying that to make me feel better," Rhys shot back.

Shaz shook her head. "Whatever, Rhys."

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

When Rhys got off work, he went to the bathroom, checked his appearance in the mirror and then climbed into his car to go and pick up Tanya. He wondered if he would be on a promise or not and grinned at the thought.

/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Jack woke up and stared at the ceiling a moment as his arm touched the bed next to him. He turned and looked, Alyssa wasn't there, he sighed and then grinned. She had slept at Rowan's last night because their wedding was today. He was very careful not to laugh when she got overly insistent that the groom not see the bride before the wedding. Even when he had gone to help decorate the restaurant for the reception after, Rowan had taken Alyssa out for dinner so he wouldn't run into her. He rubbed his face, sliding his hands back through his hair and sat up with a yawn.

He wondered if Gerald was awake yet. He stood up and pulled on his dressing gown before heading downstairs to make tea and some breakfast. He was slightly envious of Alyssa. Staying at Rowan's meant she got to eat Rowan's cooking for breakfast. He brewed his tea and then set eggs and bacon on the counter before going outside to the garden to smoke.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Declan woke up and got ready for the day before going to Cain's room next door.

"All right, let's go have some breakfast and then I'll show you where she stayed last night. Just keep close to her and I'm sure you'll have some chance to grab her," Declan told him.

Cain turned his surly expression on Declan but nodded curtly and followed him down to the dining room. Once they ate breakfast, Declan climbed into the car he'd rented for Cain and drove him over to the restaurant that Rowan owned.

"Right, from here you can see the side door and the main front door to the restaurant. She'll no doubt come out of one of them. Just text me 'okay' when you've got her and I'll meet you as soon as I can at that place we discussed."

"Fine, sure, whatever," Cain grunted and fixed his eyes on the restaurant as Declan got out of the car and walked back to the B&B to get his own car.

/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Alyssa stretched and sighed in her bed. She was getting married, today! She bit her lip in excitement. She looked over at her dress that was hanging on her the wardrobe door and sighed happily. Today was the day that she would become Mrs. Alyssa Rimmer! She fired off at text to her Dad to tell him that she was awake and what time to pick her up. Alyssa threw herself out of bed and ran across the hall to the shower, as far as she knew Rowan and Ray were still in bed. If she got herself sorted now then she wouldn't hold them up.

Alyssa towelled herself down in the bathroom and held the towel tightly around her as she dashed back across the hall to the spare room. She grinned as she caught sight of her dress and then pulled the box out from under her bed. The white lingerie that was inside made her grin even more, especially the garter that was lying on the top. She slipped it all on and then set about sorting out her hair. She wanted to do it herself, she had already decided that. She dried it and then put her hot rollers in carefully. Then her gaze landed on her dress again. She could hardly wait.

Today was the day that she married the One Man that she loved more than any other. She felt strange not waking up with him next to her, but instead over the other side of Walford. She would see him soon though. She glanced at the time. She only had 4 hours to get ready! That wasn't nearly enough time. She hoped Rowan got up first, she needed to get her hair and everything done, and get into her bridesmaid dress. Alyssa let out a delighted giggle and clapped her hands together.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Ray woke as he heard the shower turn on in the bathroom across the hall. He looked down at the sleeping woman that he held in his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He sighed at the thought of having to wear a suit, he didn't like it. He hadn't enjoyed it at Gene and Alex's wedding and he wouldn't enjoy it today. He squeezed Rowan gently. "Ro, Alyssa's up and showered, do you want the bathroom first," he asked softly as he let go of her and stretched.

Rowan slowly opened her eyes and blinked at Ray. He wasn't often awake first. She watched him stretch and then leaned up to kiss him.

"I should go first; it's going to take me longer to get ready. There's the hair and everything to do," she sighed and propped her chin on his chest.

"Will you start a pot of coffee for me?" she asked. "I know, I know, but I really need coffee, just today," she put in to keep him from scolding her for having caffeine.

She kissed him quickly again and then turned and stood up.

"Ow," she griped and fell back, her head landing on Ray's thigh as her hand flew to her swollen belly. "Kicking….and kicking hard!" she complained.

Ray shuffled down the bed and eased her into a more comfortable position against the pillows. He stroked his hand across her belly tenderly and kissed her temple. "You alright Ro?" he asked as he took her and squeezed gently.

He gave her a gentle hug. "I'll go and get that coffee started, take it easy okay," he told her and got off the bed after making sure she was comfortably back against the pillows.

He cast his eyes over her searchingly again, the baby kicked all the time, she was fine after a few minutes, she just needed to move more slowly and take it easy.

Rowan watched Ray leave, giving him a small smile to reassure him. She didn't want to worry him too much. She carefully slid from the bed again when the babies seemed to have stopped and hurried to the bathroom to grab a shower.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Gerald woke to his phone beeping. He had left it on at Caroline's request, she had insisted that he left his phone on so that she could reach him at any time. That had been her one condition of his trip down to London once he had made it perfectly clear that he was going to walk Alyssa down the aisle. He looked at his phone, he wasn't sure he wanted to wake up from a text from Caroline, he knew how she felt about Alyssa, and he knew what she thought of Jack. Those words he would not repeat. He looked at the text from Alyssa and smiled.

He got up out of bed and grabbed his dressing gown. He wondered whether Jack was up yet, if he wasn't then Gerald was going to have to get him up. The bloke couldn't miss his own wedding, neither could he be late for it. Alyssa wouldn't be happy. He noticed the breakfast set out on the counter and the trail of smoke rising outside. He brewed himself a mug of tea and took it outside with him. At least he didn't have to wake Jack up. He smiled at his soon-to-be son-in-law and took the other seat of the patio set.

"Your Bride is awake," he chuckled as he handed Jack his phone to read the text.

Jack looked up as Gerald came out onto the small patio. He grinned and took the phone and read Alyssa's text with a chuckle.

He handed Gerald back the phone and pursed his lips in thought for a moment.

"Tell her you can't find me anywhere and you think I ran away," he told Gerald and gave an evil chuckle.

Gerald snorted a laugh. "Is that wise? She might break her own rule and march right round here to make sure?" he laughed but sent the text regardless.

He drained his tea. "You best start thinking about getting ready, you've only got a couple of hours," he advised and went back into the kitchen. He snagged a piece of bacon from the plate and quickly grabbed a piece of bread and made himself a bacon sarnie. Gerald ate on his way upstairs and then discarded his clothes in the bathroom as he climbed into the shower. His little girl was getting married, he grinned.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Ray knocked briefly on Alyssa's door. "Lyss, I'm doing coffee, you want one?" he asked through the door.

Alyssa looked up from the mirror. "Please," she replied and turned back to the mirror. "Is Ro up yet?" she asked.

"Getting there," Ray chuckled as he looked back over his shoulder at the bedroom. He left Alyssa's door and made his way into the kitchen. He brewed a pot of coffee as Rowan had taught him and waited patiently against the counter.

Alyssa looked down at her phone as it flashed and frowned at her Dad's text. She bit her lip, he hadn't surely? She decided that she best make sure. Alyssa scrolled down to Jack's number and rang him.

Rowan pulled on her dressing gown and went into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around Ray as she leaned against him. "Thank you," she said and then straightened up to fix herself and Alyssa cups of coffee.

She reached up to stroke his face. "Go ahead and get your shower. I'll put the make up on with Alyssa and then she can help me with my hair and then I'll make breakfast. Shouldn't take too long," she assured him, then picked up the cups of coffee and thumped the door with her forehead to knock.

"Lyss, I come bearing coffee," she said in a sing-song voice and waited for Alyssa to open the door.

Ray nodded at Rowan, she was fine. He always got worried when she had to lie down because of the kicking going on inside her. He hoped the baby wasn't hurting her. He didn't want her hurt. He chuckled at her inventive way of knocking on Alyssa's door and watched her disappear into the spare room with Alyssa. He glanced around the kitchen before turning to the bathroom and doing as she said and got a shower, then he would have to wear that awful suit, he hated getting dressed up.

Alyssa looked up from her phone as she heard the knock, she wandered over and opened it then smiled at Rowan and dropped back into the seat.

Rowan grinned at Alyssa when the door was open and handed Alyssa her coffee.

"So, I can do the make up myself fine, not going to wear much, but I think I'll need help with the hair, if you're game." She grimaced and put a hand to her belly.

"You know, the problem with twins is that when one of them stops kicking, the other starts," she sighed. She gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed and sipped her coffee. "And I'm thinking about taking up permanent residence in the bathroom," she joked.

Alyssa laughed with Rowan as she waited for Jack to pick up. "Not long now though, Ro, you've only got about 4 and a bit months left," she smiled and nodded. "I'll do your hair, no probs," she promised.

Alyssa turned her attention to her phone as Jack finally picked up and moved out of the way of the mirror so that Rowan could see what she was doing.

She noticed Alyssa was on the phone and put her coffee on the chest of drawers, pulled out her hand mirror and began to put on some make up.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Jack simply grinned at Gerald and gave him a wink. He walked into the house and started cooking the bacon.

His eyebrows went up as he heard his phone ring. He flipped it open as he transferred the finished bacon from the pan to the plate and then started frying himself a couple of eggs.

"Hello?" he said, his tone one of exaggerated innocence. "I don't have long, they're about to call my flight."

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Whitney came out of her room fully dressed, lacking only shoes and nodded at Gerald as she passed him in the hall. She hurried downstairs, drawn by the smell of bacon and grinned at Jack. She gave him a look as she overheard what he was saying, but grabbed some bacon off the plate to make herself a sandwich. She fixed some tea and then sat down to eat. She was pleased and felt very included that Jack and Alyssa had invited her to the wedding. She also adored Alyssa's father. Granted, she'd really only got to talk to him the previous night, but she found him fantastically funny.

Alyssa felt her smile brighten as she heard Jack's voice.

"Really? So you _are _running off then," she sighed melodramatically. "And after I found some lovely things to wear on our wedding night as well," she said with a sigh and looked over at Rowan with a small smirk. "I guess I'll just have to find someone else to appreciate them instead," she said in a lighter tone.

Rowan half-listened to the conversation as she put on a bit of powder, blush, eyeliner and mascara. She bit her lip a moment and then pulled out a dark purple eyeliner and put some of that on. She looked at it in the mirror and shrugged. It would do. She smiled as she thought of the dress she was going to wear. She hadn't let Ray see it yet. She was sure he would approve of the halter-style top and she liked the floaty skirt which softened the appearance of her belly.

She looked at Alyssa and mimed a hair dryer at her to see if she should dry her hair before Alyssa helped her fix it.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Ray got out of the shower and padded through to the bedroom. He pulled the suit out of the wardrobe with a scowl. He knew he had to be smart but would feel much better if he was allowed to wear his shirts and jeans as normal.

Ray got dressed in the suit and wriggled uncomfortably once it was on. He placed his hands over his stomach, he was hungry, he wondered when Rowan would be done. He wanted breakfast. He grouched as he went into the kitchen and dug in a cupboard. While he was living alone he had made himself toast for breakfast if he didn't feel like getting anything on the way to work. He grabbed a slice of bread and pushed it roughly into the toaster. He was well aware that he hadn't had to make his own breakfast since he had met Rowan. It unnerved him somewhat.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

"Oh really?" Jack asked curiously as he cooked his eggs. "Any chance you might describe said lovely things?" he wanted to know. "I'm sure if you were willing to give me a hint, I could be persuaded to stay."

Alyssa sighed "I don't know Jack, if you're not staying then there's no point in describing something to you that you won't see," she shrugged as she checked on the rollers in her hair. "Where would be the point in that," she said with a smirk. "The only person that will get to see what I've got is the person that I marry," she sighed. "I'm rooting for a tall, dark, handsome stranger," she said dreamily.

Rowan bit back a chuckle at Alyssa's remarks and went to dry her hair. She poked her head in the kitchen and saw Ray making himself some toast. She drank in the sight of him in a suit. She so rarely got to see him dressed up.

She grinned and let out a low wolf whistle as she came towards him. She adjusted her dressing gown and looked up at him.

"You look fantastic," she breathed and ran her hands down his back. "I almost wish I had more time before I have to get ready," she teased as he turned around.

"Don't fill up on toast, I'll be starting breakfast in just a bit. Why don't you get the eggs and some bacon or sausages out of the fridge for me, gorgeous? I have to go dry my hair so Lyss can help me fix it."

She ran the lapels of his suit jacket through her fingers and then gave him a small smile before she went into the bathroom and started drying her hair.

Ray watched her go with a sigh, maybe wearing a suit wasn't so bad after all. Either that or she was just saying that to make him feel better. He sighed and looked reproachfully at the toaster, so Rowan was going to make breakfast, he sighed, he would make a sandwich out of it then. Ray looked at the fridge and retrieved the sausages and the eggs, then the bacon as an afterthought. If you were going to have a breakfast, then have a proper one!

Ray laid everything out on the counter for her then grabbed the butter from the fridge as his toast popped out of the toaster.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

"So, not only do I not get the teensiest of hints, but you're hoping for someone who looks nothing like me to whisk you away? I'm hurt. I hoped you might try at least a little bit to convince me not to go," Jack heaved an over-dramatic sigh.

"I guess I have no choice then," he said and tried to sound like he was tearing up. "I'll...I'll just...go..." he choked out.

He paused and listened but could hear nothing. "Oh, good grief, I can't do this. I'm just winding you up, Lyss," he finally admitted.

"Now, I've wasted all this time and I have to sit and eat my breakfast and finish getting ready before your father comes in here and has a go at me, so I don't get to hear anything about this lovely stuff you've bought. That's really not fair," he complained.

Alyssa chuckled "I'm glad you think talking to me is a waste of your time, Jack," she told him with a smile. "I will tell you that it's white, but that's all you're getting, you have to wait and see," she told him. "Well, I need to finish my hair and make up and get into my dress," she said back to him as she cast another look at the dress on the wardrobe door. "So, I'm wasting time, too," she added.

"I'll see you soon, Jack," she smiled. "Love you," she said and ended the call then set about finishing off her hair.

Rowan went in just as Alyssa got off the phone. She grinned.

"Is he pranking already?" she asked and rolled her eyes. "I would have thought it's a bit early for that," she added as Alyssa helped her with her hair.

Alyssa replaced her phone on the dresser. "It's never too early for Jack to start winding people up," she smiled. "Today he was at the airport running from the wedding," she chuckled. "I was this close to believing him," she said pinching her fingers together.

"I would think after all this time you should know better than to believe most of what he says," Rowan said with a laugh. "It's funny you don't look nervous anymore. Maybe he knew what he was doing."

Alyssa bit her lip as she thought about what Rowan had said, she chuckled as she nodded "He's a crafty one," she smiled.

Rowan thanked Alyssa with a hug when she was finished with her hair.

"I think that will just about do," Rowan remarked. "I'll let you get dressed now, unless you want to wait until after breakfast. I'm going to cook it right now."

"I'll wait until I've eaten, I don't want to get anything on my dress," she said decisively and made sure she was wrapped in a dressing gown before touching up her makeup so that she was satisfied with it and leaving her hair in the rollers as she grabbed her mug of coffee and followed Rowan into the kitchen. She smiled at Ray as she sat down opposite him.

Ray looked up at Rowan and smiled as she passed him then glanced at Alyssa, she had some weird thing going on with her hair. "Hope you're gonna take them out before you go outside, you look nuts," he commented.

Alyssa smiled. "They're rollers, Ray, they make my hair all curly."

Ray raised his eyebrows. "Rowan has that wand thing," he told her. "That makes hair curly, why not use that?" he asked.

Alyssa smiled. "Because, curling tongs give a different kind of curl to what rollers give you," she explained.

Ray snorted. "A curl is a curl, how many different kinds can there be!"

Alyssa rolled her eyes and gulped down a mouthful of coffee.

Rowan suited actions to words and hurriedly cooked up some eggs and bacon, since she knew Alyssa preferred bacon sandwiches. She didn't want to waste time with a lot of dish washing and so decided against the sausage. She was sure Ray disapproved, but she still needed to get dressed. She laid out bacon and bread for Alyssa and then made a plate of bacon and eggs for Ray and put it down in front of him.

She touched his shoulder and leaned down to kiss his cheek and then pointed at his food.

"Do not get any of that on your suit. Be careful."

She wormed around to sit on his lap a moment and looped her arms around his neck to kiss him again.

"You look amazing and I don't want anything to spoil that, okay?" she asked him seriously and then grinned before standing back up. She made herself a bacon sandwich and then ate it as she walked into the bedroom to get dressed.

Alyssa reached for a bacon sandwich, she couldn't decide if she was ravenous or not hungry at all. She decided to risk it and took a bite of the sandwich. She didn't want her stomach rumbling during the service.

Ray smiled at her. "I promise," he said and grabbed a tea towel and tucked it into his collar. "See, wearing a bib and everything," he snorted and grabbed for his food as soon as she got off him and sauntered away.

Alyssa smiled at Ray. "You look like an overgrown baby," she told him, indicating the tea towel. "But a baby with a moustache," she said.

Ray shrugged. "You look stupid with all that stuff in your hair but you don't hear me insulting you do you?" he shot back.

Alyssa smiled as she finished her sandwich. "I'd rather look stupid than look like a moustache baby," she laughed as she returned to the spare room to finish getting ready.

Ray sighed as she walked away, he ran a finger over his moustache and then looked down at his tea towel. At least he didn't have to put that stuff in his hair to get it curl. He smiled in satisfaction, his was all natural.

Rowan hurriedly put on the dress, careful of her hair and then checked to make sure Alyssa was okay before going into the kitchen.

"I'm all ready," she announced and gave a little twirl.

Ray finished up his breakfast and wiped his mouth with the tea towel then carried all the empty plates back to the kitchen and put them next to the sink. He turned as he heard Rowan and let out a low whistle. He went over and took her hand and pulled her against him, careful not to touch her hair, he didn't want Alyssa yelling at him.

"You look beautiful, Rowan," he told her softly and pressed his lips to hers. "Absolutely beautiful," he said again as he held her hand and made her twirl for him again.

Rowan blushed and twirled again for Ray as requested before leaning against him.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Ronnie knocked excitedly on the door of the pub and waited for someone to answer. It hadn't taken too much begging to convince Jack to let her come to the wedding on her own. She didn't want to miss being Alyssa's bridesmaid and she was sure she could cadge some chocolate cake out of Rowan as well. Though, true to her word, Rowan had sent her a box.

She looked at her watch, sighed and then pulled out her phone to text Roxy that she was at the door.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Roxy shifted in JT's arms as her phone went off. She grabbed it and read Ronnie's text then realised why her sister was back from France. She sent a text back saying that she would be down in a sec and replaced her phone. She turned and framed JT's face with her hands. "JT," she whispered.

"JT, you've got to get up. The wedding is today," she continued and kissed his forehead lightly before climbing out of his arms and hurrying downstairs in her dressing gown.

JT opened his eyes, cleared his throat and yawned.

"I'm up," he said and watched her go. He sat up and rubbed his face before getting up and heading into the bathroom to shower. He showered quickly and then went back into the bedroom to dress so Roxy would be able to get ready.

She unlocked the door to the pub and stood back to let Ronnie in and then bolted the door behind her. She wrapped her sister in her arms. "Heya, Ron," she grinned. "Long time, no see," she added.

She looked down at herself. "I've got to get ready, Ron," she sighed. "I'm gonna have a shower and get ready and then we can have a nice long catch up before going to this wedding," she smiled and hugged her sister again. "I've missed you," she whispered and then darted back upstairs.

Ronnie grinned at her Roxy as she walked into the pub and hugged her back tightly.

"It's not been _that_long, Rox," Ronnie said and shook her head.

She nodded at her sister's comment.

"Well, go on then, I'll follow you," she said and gestured her sister ahead of her. She followed Roxy up and went straight into the kitchen to put the kettle on. She switched it on and then turned at Peggy came into the kitchen. She greeted her and gave her a hug before making them each a cup of tea and sitting down to chat with her aunt while she waited for Roxy.

Roxy showered and dressed for the wedding and then got Amy into her dress too. She went back to the kitchen and sat down opposite Ronnie at the table as Amy ate her breakfast

"So, how's life in France?" she asked with a smile.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Gerald looked himself over in the mirror. He decided he would do. He sighed and ran a hand over his hair. Alyssa had already sent him the time she wanted him at the Restaurant. He just had to wait until then. He sighed and looked at his phone then answered the texts from Caroline.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Alex pulled Gene's suit from the wardrobe and looked it over. She smiled and turned back to the bed to look at her sleeping husband. "Gene, are you planning on getting up anytime soon? Your best mate's _wedding _is today," she grinned as she sat down next to him and stroked his hair out of his face. It was getting long. He could really do with a haircut, she stopped playing with his hair and ducked her head to kiss his cheek. "Get up you great lump," she murmured to him before going out to the kitchen and banging on Molly's bedroom door.

"Get up Molls, and get dressed," she called and then went to get Sam ready in his smartest little outfit.

Gene huffed out a breath and got out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom to get a shower. He walked into the bedroom as he toweled himself dry and looked down at the suit before starting to get dressed. He pulled on his boots and then went into the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat.

He rummaged around to find the bread and tossed some in the toaster while he waited for the kettle to boil.

Alex came out of Sam's room with her son all dressed up and smiled at Gene in the kitchen. She handed Sam to him and put the toast he had made on a plate then made breakfast and left it on the table. She looked up when Molly finally came out of her room. "Mum, can you do the back of my dress, please?" she asked as she struggled to reach.

Alex went to Molly and pulled the zip up all the way, she fingered one of Molly's curls and Molly turned around to face Alex. "Thanks, Mum," she said brightly and eyed the food on the kitchen table. She twirled. "How do I look?" she grinned.

Alex laughed. "Gorgeous, Molls," she said and gestured to the food. "Just don't get any down yourself," she warned. Molly nodded.

Alex went back to Sam and sat him in his high chair, then placed a bib on him and gave him his cereal.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\

Alyssa finally finished her make-up and her hair and had done Rowan's hair. She looked over at her dress and grinned as she put it on. She adjusted her appearance in the mirror and let out a shuddering breath. Jack's jokey tone on the phone had made her relax, but now she was feeling nervous. The butterflies were rising in her stomach and she stroked a hand over her abdomen to smooth her dress. She took another deep breath and looked at the time. Not long now.

Alyssa emerged from her bedroom and made her way to the kitchen. She gave Rowan and Ray a nervous smile as she looked at them. "What d'you think?" she asked.

Ray smiled at her. "You look amazing, Lyss," he said simply. "He won't know what hit him," he added and smiled at Rowan. The sight of her in her bridesmaid dress was making him want to stop time, just for a bit so he could have time to have his wicked way before they were due to go.

Rowan sniffed and grabbed a tissue and dabbed under her eye.

"You look so beautiful, Lyss," Rowan breathed and walked over to her. "I just hope you don't cause Jack to drop dead at the sight of you before you have the chance to marry him," she said in a jokey, but teary tone and gave her sister a gentle hug.

"And wait until your dad sees you, he won't recognize you," she grinned hugely and then glanced at the clock.

"He'll be here any minute for that matter. You should go on down," she suggested as she pulled on an apron. "I just want to do these few plates and put the pans to soak so it's not a total mess when I get back. Use the side door, that way no one can accidentally come in the restaurant. Ray can help you get down the stairs and then he can help me dry these dishes," she said and looked at him.


	15. Chapter 15

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 15**

Gerald looked at the time and clapped Jack on the shoulder. "I'm off to pick her up," he said and grabbed his car keys. "Good luck," he grinned as he left the house.

Jack blew out a breath and nodded at Gerald.

Jack hurriedly ate his breakfast and after a quick nod at Whitney, went upstairs to get his suit on.

Whitney jokingly clapped and wolf-whistled when Jack came back down in his suit.

"That's enough of that Miss Dean," he mock-scolded and shook his head as she laughed.

"I guess I'll be heading on over to my final destination then."

He looked at Whitney. "Do you want to ride over with me or is Brett picking you up?"

"I could use a ride over, it's easier for him to meet me there," she replied as she fired off a quick text to Brett and followed Jack out.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

"It's all right, I suppose. I'm homesick, but I'm getting through it. Nothing's changed since I talked to you on the phone three days ago," she teased and took a careful bite of her breakfast. Roxy was really lucky to have JT, he was almost as good a cook as Rowan.

"Anything new here?" she asked with a chuckle.

Roxy shook her head. "Not apart from the wedding, no," she shrugged. "You were here when Tanya came back right?" she asked. "You must have been, she bought the Salon so I could buy the club," she reminded herself. "Everything else I've told you over the phone," she shrugged.

"Well, then, I don't know why we bother to pretend we have gossip to catch up on," Ronnie laughed. "Maybe we shouldn't call each other so often."

"I think we should get going. C'mon Roxy, Ronnie, shift your backsides," she waved at them. JT had already wisely stood and picked up Amy.

"I already put Amy's seat in the car," JT said to Roxy. "So we won't have to mess with that. And I made sure the car is clean so your dresses won't get ruined," he added.

Roxy nodded and smiled up at him. "Thank you," she stood and pressed a kiss to his lips and blew a raspberry on Amy's cheek. She sometimes wondered how she had managed to get along without him. He anticipated what needed doing and did it without any prompting, that and his cooking was fantastic. He also got on well with Amy, he was so good with her. She felt extremely lucky to have him. She followed JT downstairs and pulled faces at Amy as they went to make her giggle. She took Amy from JT as they got to the car and strapped her in her car seat.

JT helped Peggy into the back next to Amy and then climbed into the passenger seat. He never minded Roxy driving. He loved riding his bike, but had never got used to being behind the wheel of a car, especially the SUVs. He'd spent too many years driving a farm tractor. He and Roxy had been together long enough that he began to think of taking her and Amy back home for a visit, like Rowan had done with Ray finally.

He wanted everyone to meet her and the little tyke and see just how wonderful she was. He knew Rowan had taken pictures with her and she would have said nice things now that she and Roxy got along better, but it wasn't the same as being there. He decided he would talk to her about it after the reception tonight.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Gene finished eating and went back into the bedroom and collected the rings, tucking them safely in his suit coat pocket. He stood a moment and looked at his family all dressed up and felt a surge of pride. He walked over to Alex, leaned down and kissed the back of her neck.

"You look stunning, Bolly," he whispered in her ear and then straightened up and went outside to smoke.

Alex shivered and smiled at his retreating figure as he went outside. She smoothed down her dress and looked at Molly.

"What are you doing about your hair?" she asked.

Molly looked up at her in confusion. "I was going to leave it like this," she shrugged. Alex gaped at her "You can't leave it like that, Molls," she said indignantly.

"Why not?" Molly replied back.

"Because it looks awful!"

"Thanks, Mum, nice to know you care!" Molly snapped.

Alex sighed. "Please do something with it Molls, curl it or something."

Molly shook her head. "I'm going like this, I like it all natural," she said. "There's nothing wrong with it Mum," she said.

Alex shook her head with a sigh and looked at Sam then grabbed a wet wipe and wiped around his mouth.

Gene finished his smoke and barely opened the door to hear Alex and Molly arguing.

"Let's go," he called in. He opened the door wider and looked at Molly.

"Nothing wrong with your hair a brush wouldn't cure," he teased and ducked back out to make sure Alex's car was clean enough. Sammy could be messy without even trying.

Alex smirked at Molly as the girl stood up with a scowl and dragged her feet to her bedroom and ran a brush through her hair. Alex smiled triumphantly and wiped Sam's face once more before picking him up and grabbing his bag. She called out for Molly as she took Sam to the car and strapped him into his seat. She smiled at Gene and planted a kiss on his lips before a gagging sound came from the front door, followed by a small slam. Alex looked round to see Molly smirking at her as she slipped past them and climbed into the back of the car next to Sam.

Alex rolled her eyes at Molly and pulled a face before kissing Gene again and slipping the keys into his hand. "You can drive," she told him with a smile as she went and got in the passenger side.

Gene shared a smug grin with Alex before she kissed him and sighed at Molly. He took the keys from her and gave her backside a small swat before he climbed into the car. He messed with the mirrors to fix them how he wanted them and then blew out a long breath.

"I suppose we're ready to go, then," he announced and pulled away from the curb.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Cain sighed and glanced at his watch. Why had he ever agreed to this idiotic plan? Because Declan was paying him quite a large sum of money, he reminded himself. He leaned back in the seat, his gaze fixed on the building where his intended victim was. He hoped she would come out, alone, and soon. He didn't really want to complicate things by hurting anyone around her, but he was being paid to do a job and he had no intention of messing it up.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Declan stood and chatted casually with a couple of people who had already arrived. He waved as he saw Jack drive up.

"Hey, nervous?" he asked.

Jack shook his head and nodded as Whitney went off to find Brett.

"Not really, no. I'm glad you seem to have sorted yourself out," he commented.

"I'm sorry, Jack, what can I say? You already know she's an incredible woman. How could I not become interested? You've never been with someone so...so..." Declan shrugged.

"Posh and classy?" Jack supplied and Declan gave him a sheepish grin and nodded.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jack snorted.

"I didn't mean it that way. I'm not saying she's out of your league, though," he paused and grinned, "she is out of your league," he stated and chuckled. Jack gave his shoulder a shove and Declan chuckled again. "What I'm saying is that she's not the type you normally go for."

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Gerald got almost halfway to the restaurant before he realised that something was wrong with the car. He stopped next to the curb and got out. He inspected his tyres and sighed when he found that one was flat. He checked it and found that he had managed to run over some glass. He checked the time, it would take to long to get a car company out here to fix it, he would have to change it himself.

Gerald decided not to tell Alyssa, there was no point worrying her and she would probably still be getting ready when he got there anyway. Gerald took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves as he set about changing his tyre.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa beamed and nodded. "Thanks, Ro," she smiled.

She handed Alyssa her phone.

"One quick picture of us, then I'll take one of you," Rowan said and stood next to Ray. She slipped an arm behind him and rested her other hand on the babies.

Once the picture was taken, she took the phone back and took one of Alyssa.

"You just look so lovely," Rowan said again.

Ray looked at Alyssa. "You need a hand getting downstairs?" he asked. Alyssa looked at the door and shook her head. "I'll be fine," she told him and Ray nodded. "I'm gonna go help Ro with this drying up stuff then," he said and Alyssa smiled.

She turned as Ray went back to the kitchen and made her way carefully down the stairs, it was a slow process in her dress and heels but she managed it. She unlocked the side door and went outside, she was grateful for the warm summer morning, she would be shivering if it was winter. She looked up at the clear sky and smiled happily, perfect day. Alyssa looked up and down the street, but saw no sign of her Dad's car. She sighed and resisted her urge to lean against the wall, she didn't want her dress getting dirty. She stood and hummed to herself happily as she waited for her Dad.

Rowan watched Alyssa go and then handed Ray a towel to dry the dishes. She washed the few dishes carefully and then left the skillets to soak in the soapy water. She'd worry about them later. She took her apron off, careful of her hair as she lifted it over her head and hung it up. She looked at Ray and felt her heart beat faster.

"I know you hate wearing it, but, oh Ray, you really do look amazing in a suit," she told him. She shot him a mischievous grin and slipped her arms around his waist.

"And you'll look even better later when I take it off you," she promised and pulled him down for a kiss.

Ray wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, he wished once again that time would stand still for them. He pulled away. "Ro, you kiss me like that any longer and I'll lose control," he told her and pressed a smaller, softer kiss to her lips. He let go of her reluctantly and grabbed his car keys and his wallet.

Rowan looked up at him. "It wasn't all my fault," she shot back. "You were holding on so tight I couldn't escape," she chuckled and walked over to grab the small clutch bag. She tucked it under her arm and then walked back over to pin a boutonnière on Ray's lapel and then picked up hers and Alyssa's bouquets.

"Right, I am ready," she said and gestured him to lead the way.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Cain's patience was nearly gone when he finally saw the side door open. His jaw dropped as he saw the beautiful woman in the stunning white dress. No wonder Declan was willing to pay so much to try and convince this woman of whatever he was trying to convince her. Personally, he didn't think it would work. Looking at his woman, she clearly didn't look the sort to easily change her mind. He quickly started the car and pulled up to the corner where she was standing and rolled down his window, doing his best to look like a pathetic lost tourist.

"Excuse me, could you help me," he asked as he slowly opened the car door and held out a half-open map. "I'm supposed to meet some friends at this Starbucks off the Walford High Street, but I think I keep going in circles," he explained and held the map out to her with one hand as his other slowly reached into his pocket for the small bottle of chloroform and his handkerchief. He slowly eased the stopper out of the small bottle and tipped it so it soaked the handkerchief as she looked at the map.

He nodded and made the appropriate noises as he pretended to watch where she was pointing and then he quickly whipped his hand up and covered her mouth with the cloth. He let the map fall as he grabbed her around the waist with his other arm to keep her from falling and hurriedly opened the back door to the car and pushed her in. He carefully tied a blindfold around her eyes and gagged her before making sure she was lying down in the back seat. He grabbed up the map, tossed it onto the passenger seat and jumped into the car and drove away.

He got to the disused warehouse he and Declan had found and quickly sent off the one word text.

Cain lifted Alyssa gently from the car and sat her on a chair and quickly tied her to it so she wouldn't fall over. She should be coming around soon, he reckoned, no doubt just in time for Declan to arrive for the big rescue.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Gerald finally pulled up outside the Restaurant. No Alyssa. He smiled, she was still getting ready. He parked the car and climbed out, he wondered whether he could wheedle a mug of tea off Rowan before they left. He pushed the side door and smiled as he found it open. Gerald climbed the steps to the flat and knocked the door.

She stopped short at the knock on the door and walked over as Ray called out.

Ray looked round at the door curiously. "It's open," he called out.

Gerald pushed it open and grinned at Rowan and Ray. "Where is she, then? My little girl?" he asked as he looked around for any sign of Alyssa. "I bet she's still getting ready."

Ray frowned at Gerald. "She went downstairs 10 minutes ago," he said slowly and looked at Rowan. "I'm sure she did."

Rowan's jaw dropped at Gerald's question and nodded along at Ray's comment.

He looked back at Gerald. "You sure she's not outside, she said she was going out there to wait for you."

Gerald frowned. "I can assure you that she wasn't outside," he said firmly. "Alyssa!" he called out and listened intently for any noise from his daughter.

"At least 10 minutes, it took at least that long to wash up," Rowan said and felt worry like a rock in the pit of her stomach. She knew Alyssa had tucked her phone into the bodice of her dress just in case she needed it and quickly grabbed her own phone out of her small bag and called it. No answer.

"She's not here, Gerald," Rowan insisted and put a hand on Gerald's arm. She turned to Ray as she hit redial and listened to the phone ring out.

"Go down and see if you can find anything, acuisle," she told him. He was a DI after all. She sighed and flipped her phone shut.

Ray nodded and squeezed Rowan's hand before rushing past Gerald and going downstairs. He scouted around the Restaurant. He could tell automatically that no one had been in there, it was in the exact same state that it had been in last night when they had locked up. He knew the Restaurant well enough by now to know if someone had been in there before him in the mornings. He went to the side door and pushed it open. He looked up and down the street, no sign of Alyssa.

"She's not answering her phone." Rowan looked at Gerald in dismay. "I better call Jack," and she quickly dialed Jack's number.

Ray saw an elderly lady going into her house on the other side of the street, he recognised her as Mrs Ferguson, she bought a cinnamon roll everyday without fail, on her way to Bingo.

"Mrs Ferguson," he called out as he dashed across the road.

"I don't suppose you've seen a bride this morning? Red Hair, pretty?" he asked.

She nodded. "I saw her earlier, she was standing outside your Restaurant, waiting it looked like. I waved," she smiled. "What's wrong?"

Ray shook his head. "When was it that you saw her?" he asked. "What time?"

Mrs. Ferguson cocked her head as she thought. "Well, I was watching the news before I popped to the shops, so it was only about 10 minutes ago dear," she replied.

Ray nodded and patted her arm. "Cheers, love," he said and ran back across the road, he went back upstairs and looked at Rowan and Gerald. "Mrs Ferguson over the road said she saw her about 10 minutes ago, but that's it," he told them. "She went to the shops and only just got back."

Ray ran his hand over his hair and caught sight of Rowan's phone. "Did you try her again?" he asked.

Gerald looked at Ray. "She called Jack, your boss is on his way over and a search party has been sent out," he said numbly, he hadn't moved since Rowan had got off the phone. His daughter had vanished off the face of the earth. "Is there...I mean, was she nervous? Do you think she's just run off?" he asked.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Declan chatted amiably with people as they arrived, keeping somewhat close to Jack. He wanted it very strong in everyone's minds that he'd been here and was happy for his cousin. Even Davina seemed convinced. Apparently she and Alyssa were still friendly. Alyssa, Rowan, Alex, Davina, the woman had a right little gang developing. If Ronnie was still living on the Square no doubt she would be included as well.

Declan heard his phone beep and pulled it from his pocket. He kept his expression neutral as he read the text and shoved it back in his pocket.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Jack's brow furrowed as he heard his phone ring and held up his hand in apology to Ronnie.

"You got Jack," he answered.

"Jack, it's Rowan, Alyssa hasn't shown up there as some sort of surprise has she?"

"Err…" he began and looked around. "No, she hasn't. In fact, I've had people asking me when she's getting here because we're about to go inside to start."

"Jack, Gerald just got here and he said Alyssa wasn't out front waiting for him. She's vanished, Jack."

"What?" he roared causing people to turn and stare. "What do you mean she's missing, she can't bloody well be missing," he shouted.

Rowan shrank from the anger in Jack's voice. She'd never heard him so angry. "Look, she went downstairs to wait for Gerald about 10 minutes ago. Gerald's just got here and he said she wasn't out there waiting. She's not answering her phone and I don't know what's going on."

"Well, I don't either."

"Jack, this isn't helping," she huffed. "I asked Ray to go down and look. It's sort of his job to check this kind of thing out."

Jack pushed his way through the people until he reached Gene and Alex, who were just getting out of their car.

"Rowan says Alyssa has gone missing. She went to the front of the restaurant to wait for her father and he's just got there and said she wasn't waiting. She's just vanished."

Gene frowned. "Right, tell Rowan I'm on my way over."

"You stay here with Molly and Sammy. Call Chris and them at the station and tell them to get over to Rowan's now," he told her and climbed back into the car. Jack made to get in and Gene locked the car door.

"I'm going with you," Jack insisted.

"No, you'll only get in the way. It's going to be bad enough with Gerald and Rowan there," Gene argued. "We'll call you."

Jack sighed and watched Gene speed away in a squeal of tires.

Declan put a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"I'm going to go look for her," Declan told Jack. "If Gerald was only just getting there, maybe he was running late and she walked off to look for him," he suggested. Jack looked at him hopefully.

"You reckon?"

"It's better than immediately assuming the worst." Declan stated. He looked over at Brett and Whitney.

"Brett, you too, I'm going to drive around and look for Alyssa. Can't be that hard to spot a redhead in a wedding dress."

Ronnie looked at Declan and then at her sister.

"I want to go look, too," Ronnie insisted. Ronnie hoped that Declan was right, but secretly was worried he was wrong. She remembered when Roxy was kidnapped all too vividly. Jack had gone to help the police find her; it was the only thing that had kept her sane. She would do the same for Alyssa and Jack. Ronnie looked at her sister and gave her a little push.

"It's fine," JT assured Roxy. "Peggy and I will look after Amy. Go," he said and gave her a little push.

Jack turned his attention back to the phone.

"Rowan, Gene is on his way over, he's got Alex calling them at the station and Declan's got a bunch of people to go looking for her to see if maybe she started walking to find her dad. You and Gerald stay there."

Rowan nodded. "Okay," she said to Jack and flipped the phone shut. She looked at Gerald. "Jack said Gene is on his way and some other officers. People are going out looking and he wants us to stay put."

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alex nodded and Molly took charge of Sam. Alex smiled gratefully at her and whipped out her phone, she called Rhys' desk and waited patiently for him to pick up.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

"Rhys! You need to get as many as you can spare down to the Restaurant, Alyssa's gone missing and no one has seen her, her Dad was supposed to meet her outside the Restaurant and she wasn't there, but Ray and Rowan said she had gone down 10 minutes previously. We need to find her," she said down the phone to him. "Get a move on."

"I'm on it, ma'am," Rhys said and slammed down the phone.

"Alyssa's gone missing. She was last seen standing on the pavement in front of the restaurant," he told Shaz, Ginger and Chris. "Hunt wants us over there now," he finished and grabbed the keys to one of the cars and headed for the door.

Shaz looked at Chris in alarm. "She's getting married today isn't she?" Shaz asked. "I'm sure we got invited to the reception later," she said as she grabbed his hand and tugged on it until he followed her. Shaz hurried him into a car and started it up quickly and followed Rhys and Ginger.

"Yes, she is," Chris replied and grabbed a set of keys and tossed them to Shaz before climbing into the car. "She'd never miss that."

Brett nodded at Declan and pulled his car keys form his pocket, he swung them around his finger and looked at Whitney. "Stay with Jack, he'll need company until we get any news," he told her quietly and kissed Whitney's cheek before dashing to his car and clambering inside. He pulled away from the curb and started patrolling the streets, heading in a different direction to Declan.

Whitney nodded and went to get Jack a glass of water. He thanked her distractedly as he watched the cars driving away. She stood and looked helplessly at Molly and Alex.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Roxy nodded and pulled Ronnie's hand to her car. She got in the front and started the motor before biting her lip and looking at Ronnie. "What if she's simply run off? What if she's decided she doesn't want to get married and has chickened out?" she asked as she pulled away from the church carpark and chose a road at random.

Ronnie looked at Roxy and shook her head.

"No way. She was way too crazy about Jack. Something's happened. I just know it," Ronnie replied and fixed her gaze out the window. She didn't want to miss a thing.

Roxy drove slowly down the streets, watching out the windscreen and her window for any sign of Alyssa. "We'll find her," she said.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa's eyes fluttered, her head felt heavy, and she felt a little bit sick. She tried to lift her hand to her head but couldn't, she tried her other hand. Alyssa made a confused noise and opened her eyes, she couldn't see anything, it was all black. She realised that she was gagged when she tried to talk and a muffled sound was all she could hear. She made a frustrated sound and then stopped moving and resolved to listen carefully. She couldn't hear anything! She tried to call out but her attempt was fruitless as all she could hear was her muffled voice.

Alyssa searched her mind for someone to help and her thoughts landed on Jack. Jack! The Wedding! She had no idea how long she had been like this for. No doubt she'd missed the wedding, she'd left Jack standing at the alter. On his own! A tear rolled down her cheek, as she struggled against the ropes that bound her hands. She had to get to Jack!

Another thought occurred to her. Where the hell was she? She searched her mind, the last thing she remembered was being excited and waiting for her Dad to pick her up outside the Restaurant...and a car. A man with a map. That was all she had: a blurry face and a map of London . She bit her lip as she felt the tears threaten her again.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Gerald went and sat down at the kitchen table. "Surely, she wouldn't do something that stupid," he muttered to himself as Rowan dashed off. He held his head in his hands, if his car hadn't got a punctured tyre then Alyssa would be at the Church right now getting married. If only he had left the house earlier! He wished he knew where she was. He toyed with his phone and dialled her number. It rang out. Nothing! He wished she'd pick up, let him know that she was safe.

Rowan gazed at Gerald in dismay.

"She was a little nervous, but then Jack called and they were joking around on the phone. Oh, goddess, what if she's pranking Jack? He said he was going to run off this morning. What if she's just hiding or something, trying to get him back," Rowan gasped. She flipped open her phone again and sent off a text.

"Lyss, if you are pranking, please say so. Jack is terrified-so is everyone!"

She closed her phone and then looked back and forth between Ray and Gerald.

"I'm going down," she decided finally. She kicked off her shoes, swept them up in her hand and carefully went down the stairs, leaning back on the rail and walking slightly sideways to keep herself from pitching forward. She went outside and pulled her shoes back on and looked around. She sniffed and could still smell Alyssa's perfume on the still air.

She smelled a faint whiff of something else and looked around at the ground and ran to the door.

"Ray! Ray! Come here and look at this!" she shouted and went to stand next to the drops of water on the pavement.

Ray followed Rowan downstairs and went to stand next to her outside. His brow furrowed as he smelt something. He inhaled deeply. "I know that smell," he murmured and looked at the drops near Rowan's feet. He knelt down and touched the damp pavement with his fingertips then sniffed them. He looked back at Rowan as he stood. "You know what that is don't you," he said tonelessly. He sniffed at his fingers again.

Rowan watched as Ray sniffed and then hunkered down to look at the drops on the pavement. She shook her head at his question, worry etched over her features.

"Chloroform," he sighed. "Someone knocked her out with chloroform," he muttered and clenched his fist. He looked up as a car came hurtling around the corner and lifted his chin as Gene slammed the door.

Her hands flew to her mouth at his pronouncement. "Chloroform? So someone took her? Who would want to take her?" Rowan cried, her voice going up an octave. "And why? Jack's hardly rich and she…she…" Rowan broke off, near to tears. She looked over as Gene pulled up and skidded to a stop.

"Guv!" he called out "We've found chloroform!" he said as Gene got closer.

Gene strode over to Ray and huffed out a breath at Ray's information.

"So, she's been taken then."

"Who would want to?" Rowan wanted to know.

"I don't know, love. Jack doesn't have any enemies as far as I know, neither does Alyssa for that matter. It makes no sense to me," Gene replied and shoved his hands in his pockets. He pulled out a smoke and lit it as he looked at the drops on the pavement again and then up and down the street.

"There's no real sign of a struggle, no blood, no torn clothing or anything, just a few drops of chloroform. She would have fought back, I think. She's one scrappy bird. Someone had to have been watching, maybe planning it. You don't just casually carry around chloroform, not unless…." He stopped and looked at Rowan whose arms were crossed protectively over her belly and she was staring at the ground miserably. He gave Ray a significant look, but kept silent and turned towards the other cars that were arriving.

Ray looked at Gene for a moment then wrapped his arms around Rowan and pulled her to his chest. He held her tightly to him and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He watched the others start getting out of their cars and Gene fill them in. He loosened his grip on Rowan and looked up at the restaurant, Gerald was still in there, they should probably tell him what they knew. He looked at Rowan and then swung her up into his arms and kissed her cheek.

Rowan stared off blankly as Ray pulled her to him. She leaned against him, fear and worry for Alyssa all that was in her head.

"We'll find her, Ro, don't worry. She's been gone less than an hour, the person can't have gone too far," he told her.

Ray set her gently on the sofa once he got back into the flat and put a finger under her chin to make her look at him. "It's going to be okay, Rowan," he said. "I promise." He kissed her forehead and turned to Gerald.

Rowan wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her back up to the flat and put her on the couch. She nodded and looked over at Gerald, her arms going around her swollen middle again.

The man was sitting at the kitchen table staring at a wall. Ray took the seat opposite and cleared his throat. Gerald moved his gaze slowly to Ray and looked at him blankly. Ray looked over at Rowan and then back at Gerald.

"We think Alyssa has been kidnapped," Ray said to him.

Gerald kicked the chair back and ran a hand over his head. "WHAT!" he shouted.

She jumped and her head whipped to look at Gerald as he shouted.

"We found drops of chloroform on the ground outside near where we think she was standing."

"Someone has stolen her!" Gerald growled and rounded on Ray. "And what are you doing about it hey?" he snapped. "You're a police officer! Do something! Get my little girl back," he demanded.

Ray frowned. "The entire department is down there looking for your daughter now, along with most of her friends," he retorted. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't shout at me, especially with Rowan around, I don't need her any more distressed than she already is, it's not good for her," he remarked firmly.

Gerald looked over at Rowan and then shot his glare back at Ray. He pulled out his packet of cigarettes and thumped downstairs and outside. He lit up as he leant against the side of the building and watched the army of police officers being spoken to by Jack's best man, that DCI or Superintendent or whatever he was now.

Rowan watched Gerald leave, unable to utter a sound, her eyes burning with unshed tears. Alyssa didn't cry, therefore Rowan wouldn't either. She would be strong, they would find Alyssa. They had to. She just felt so ineffective and helpless. She should be doing something.

Ray watched Gerald leave the flat and returned to Rowan's side. He calmed himself as he sat down next to her and pulled her to him. He stroked her hair and then started combing his fingers through it softly, he knew it relaxed her and he needed her to be relaxed. It wasn't good for her or the baby if she got all worked up.

She started to fidget and jumped again when Ray sat next to her. She let him pull her close again and sniffed.

"I can't lose another sister," she whispered brokenly and closed her eyes and let his hands running through her hair calm her. She felt her heartbeat slow and the desire to cry ease, but she was still worried. She burrowed against him, shifting to drape her legs across his lap.

Ray felt her relax in his arms and twisted himself so that he was more comfortable with her legs over him. He rested his head against hers and began to hum softly to her. He made up the tune as he went, but it was calming him.

"You won't lose her Ro, I won't let that happen," he told her. "Neither will the rest of CID, the whole team is down there working on finding her, she's only been gone 30 minutes, normally a missing person has to missing for at least 24 hours," he explained. "We'll get her back, you won't lose your sister," he told her. One of his hands travelled down to rest on her stomach, he sighed.

Rowan looked at him.

"I know they'll find her. I just hope she's okay."

"You can't get yourself worked up, Rowan, it's bad for the baby," he told her gently.

She put her face in his neck and breathed in deep. "I'm...calming down, I promise," she said seriously and stroked his face.

"Come on, you need a distraction," he said and looked around, his gaze fell on the kitchen, that could work. "Fancy teaching me how to cook something?" he asked as he patted her belly gently. "I'm going to need some sort of knowledge for when you're too tired because of the baby and the restaurant is busy," he smiled as he eased her legs off his lap and encouraged her to stand up. "Teach me how to make something" he urged.

She stood up and shook her head at his suggestion.

"We're all dressed up for the wedding, Ray. And I remember what happened last time I tried to teach you to cook," she replied. "It took forever to clean the kitchen. Not that I didn't enjoy our little..." she paused, "food fight. But I agree, I do need to teach you how to make some simple things, some of the things you like and I'll teach you how to use the grill downstairs. Men back home were obsessed with doing barbecue," she told him. "I think it's something primal to do with men and fire or something."

Ray shrugged. "Or maybe a barbecue is just easier than an oven," he suggested as he followed suit and stood up.

"Actually, it takes a great deal of skill to cook properly on a grill. You have to take into account if you're using a gas grill, or charcoal or even wood fire," Rowan told him.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Cain pulled off the fake beard he'd worn and stuffed it in his pocket, then sat and toyed with the sunglasses he'd also worn to help disguise his features until he saw Declan's car pull up. He hurried outside.

"Right, she's in there and she's crying," he told Declan, keeping his voice very low, even though he knew she wouldn't be able to hear.

Declan nodded. "She didn't see you, did she?" he wanted to know.

"Don't matter, I were wearing a beard and sunglasses."

"Okay, we go back in and have a fake fight. I'll punch you out and get her out of there."

"I've just taken me bloody beard off," he complained.

"Hurry up and put it back on," Declan insisted.

"What if she wants you to call the cops right away," Cain asked.

"I'll convince her I need to get her away a bit and then I'll let her call. Either way, you're not going to really be unconscious and you'll be able to get out of here before the cops even arrive."

"You better be right because if I get nicked I will make you pay," Cain threatened.

Declan nodded and then followed Cain back inside. Cain quickly put the beard back on; Declan looked to make sure it was on okay and nodded.

"Alyssa, oh my god, Alyssa is that you?" Declan suddenly shouted.

Alyssa's heart jumped into her mouth as she heard someone yell her name.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" Cain demanded. The pair of them made some noise so Alyssa would be convinced of a struggle and then punched Cain so he would have a black eye. Cain was not amused, but he laid himself out on the floor and pretended to be unconscious.

Declan made sure Cain was settled and then hurriedly turned to Alyssa.

"Are you okay? It's Declan," he told her as he worked to take off the blindfold and gag. "I was driving by on my way to meet up with Jack. It's lucky I decided to go that way, I saw him grab you. I followed him for ages and then had to wait until it looked like I could surprise him," he told Alyssa as he worked to untie her.

She raised her head and listened to the sounds of a scuffle, then the light attack her eyes as someone pulled the blindfold away. She blinked until her eyes adjusted, she looked up at Declan and stood shakily, her co-ordination was all off and she felt dizzy. She clutched at Declan for support as she struggled to walk properly and felt more tears fall. Her hand came up and she brushed at the streaks on her face. She looked at the man lying on the floor and clutched at Declan, the guy was knocked out, but she still moved closer to Declan as they passed him.

"Are you hurt at all? I need to get you out of here. I called the police already, they should be here soon, but I want you out of here and safe," he said gently as he helped her stand.

Alyssa took a shaky breath as they got outside and she looked up at Declan. "Where's Jack?" she asked quietly.

"At the church of course, waiting for you," Declan told her gently. He helped her into the car and pulled out his handkerchief and handed it to her.

"Where do you want me to take you?" he asked her softly as he held her hands. "Just tell me where you want to go."

He paused. "You're sure you're not hurt?" he asked worriedly as he knelt before her.

Alyssa shook her head. "I'm okay, I think," she said. "A bit dizzy," she added.

Alyssa bit her lip, she wondered how much time had passed and looked around for a clock in the car, she moved her head too quickly and fell back against the seat. She closed her eyes until she felt that the world had righted itself and everything had stopped spinning. When she opened them she saw the concern on Declan's face. "I'm fine," she repeated and squeezed his hand. "Can I um.." she paused as she studied him for a second and cleared her throat. "Can I have a hug?" she asked. She needed someone to hold her, just for a moment, to make her feel safe. She was shaken, she had been kidnapped on her wedding day, and Declan was the only one who knew. She needed him.

Declan saw Alyssa reel and grabbed her shoulders to hold her steady.

"Careful," he said, keeping his voice calm and steady. He squeezed her hands back as he looked at her. His eyes widened slightly when she asked for a hug and he gave her a small smile.

"You can have anything you want," he told her and folded her into his arms and held her tight. He didn't want to let her go. He carefully stroked her hair and then kissed her cheek softly. He opened the glove box and pulled out a bottle of water.

"I always keep some in here just in case. I'm sure it's warm, but it's wet," he said and leaned back as he opened the bottle and handed it to her. He reached into his pocket and drew out the remains of her phone and held it out.

"I found this on the ground next to the car. Looks like he no doubt stepped on it on purpose," he told her. "Sorry."

In truth, Declan had seen the phone on the ground but he had stepped on it himself as he walked past.

He pushed her legs so she was seated better in the car.

"I'm getting you out of here. I want you gone before that one comes to. The police will be here soon enough to deal with him and they can take your statement somewhere else too. Where can I take you?" he asked again as he watched her drink, keeping his other arm around her.

Alyssa held the bottle of water carefully and let him sit her more comfortably inside the car. She raised the bottle to her lips and took a small sip, then a bigger one. She sighed as she took the lid from him and rested the bottle in her lap after screwing the lid on securely.

She looked up at his question, where did she want to go? She stared unseeingly out of the windscreen of his car as she thought. Her mind drifted back to this morning, she had been so excited and happy: marrying the man she loved. Now she felt shaky, uncertain and she still felt a little out of sorts.

"I don't know," she said and looked at the crushed metal and plastic that had been her phone, she took the pieces from him and fished through them. She sighed, the SIM card was ruined too. She sighed and looked back up at him. "I want to see Jack," she told him, she needed Jack, she needed him to hold her. Declan's hugs, as nice as they were, just didn't match up to Jack's. She rubbed her arms as she shivered slightly and pulled on the seatbelt. "Please, Declan."

Declan realized he'd failed yet again and roundly cursed himself. He'd wasted a lot of time and money and Alyssa was still obsessed with Jack. He stood up and closed the car door and stood there for a moment. He seriously considered getting in the car and driving her away from her. Taking her somewhere Jack would never find her. He shook his head and sighed. That would never work. She would never accept him.

He walked around and got in the car, started it up and headed for the church. He pulled out his phone as he went and called Jack.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alex snapped her phone shut and looked over at Jack. She patted Molly's shoulder and gave Whitney a reassuring smile. She went over to Jack and placed a hand on his arm. "They'll find her Jack, don't worry. You've got the whole of Walford CID on the case," she said and squeezed his hand. "We'll find her."

"What the hell is going on?" Jack demanded impatiently.

"Jack, calm down, they'll call as soon as they know something. It's only been 10 minutes," Whitney said, trying to calm him down.

"Look what happened in 10 minutes earlier," he snapped. Whitney closed her mouth and stepped away and stood with Molly.

Jack huffed out a breath and ran his hands through his hair as he paced.

Alex watched Jack snap at Whitney and sighed. She took Sam from Molly and ushered her and Whitney away. She balanced her baby on her hip as she went back over to Jack.

"Jack," she said sharply. "Look at me Jack."

She let out a short breath. "I know you feel useless right now, so do I, but you have to be rational. Gene will call me if there is any news and you will be the first person that I tell," she told him. "So, please try to calm down."

Jack raised his head and glared at Alex.

"I'm trying to be rational, but I want Alyssa. She wouldn't just leave and if she was joking around she would have said something by now. She wouldn't leave it this long. Not today, she wouldn't," he railed. He looked at his phone again and then looked around miserably.

"I want to go to the restaurant. I want to see what's going on. I can't stand this."

Alex studied him for a moment. "You have your car right?" she asked and held out her hand. "Give me your keys, I'll take us all down there, you're in no state to drive," she told him.

Alex looked over her shoulder at Molly and Whitney and gestured them over. "We're going down to the restaurant, Molls, we're taking Jack's car and it doesn't have a car seat for Sam so you'll have to hold him carefully."

Molly frowned. "Why do I have to hold him instead of you?" she asked.

"Because I can't very well hold him and drive now can I?"

"You're driving?" Molly clarified and Alex nodded. "Jack's in no fit state to drive, especially not with a baby in the car, too," she said. "And I'm not letting him go on his own and I'm not leaving you three here, so we all go" she said and walked briskly to the car.

Molly shrugged at Whitney and dashed after her Mum.

Jack followed Alex and then held up his hand as his phone began to ring. He quickly answered it.

"Jack, it's Declan, I found Alyssa," he told him. "I'm bringing her straight to the church."

"You what?" he yelped and looked at Alex. "Declan says he found Alyssa. He's bringing her here."

"How soon till you get here? Is she hurt?"

"No, she's dizzy and shaken, but she's fine."

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Gene directed everyone for the search and watched as they scattered. He looked over at Gerald and walked over to him.

"So, she was waiting because you were late, why was that?" he wanted to know.

Gerald looked at Gene. "The car got a puncture in the tyre, looked like I'd ran over some glass or something. I stopped to change it. I wasn't that late, only about 10 minutes," he said shortly.

"Look, I just want to establish that your tire wasn't possibly slashed. That this might have been planned," Gene explained. "I'm not blaming you, but I have to think of all the angles. I know Alyssa and her mother don't get along, it's not likely that she would have done something to stop Alyssa's wedding, would she?"

Gerald shook his head. "No, Caroline's up in Birmingham still, she's not that vindictive, just pissed off," he explained. "They were fine driving along, then I must have driven through some glass, it wasn't deliberate," he explained.

Gene sighed and nodded. "So, delaying you wasn't part of the plan, then, just lucky for whoever took her," he muttered to himself and paced away.

Gerald nodded. "Looks that way," he sighed and then lit up another cigarette and began to pace.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa kept her eyes closed throughout the car journey. She listened to Declan call Jack and smiled at the sound of his voice coming out of the phone. She opened her eyes as the car stopped and she looked up at the ancient building in front of her. She reached over and pushed the car door open then looked at Declan. She smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you," she told him then held her dress off the floor as she stepped out of the car and righted herself. She had no idea what her hair and make up looked like after that, she hoped she still looked good for him.

She shivered as her mind drifted to the rag being put over her mouth and she was grateful that the water had washed away the nasty taste.

Alex whipped out her phone and immediately called Ray.

Ray looked down as his phone rang in his pocket and he sighed before answering "Alex, what's up?" he asked

"Ray, Declan's found Alyssa and they're on their way here," she told him happily.

Ray breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Rowan. "Declan's got her, he's taking her to the church," he told her, he went back to the phone in his hand. "Cheers, Alex, I'll let everyone know."

Ray hung up and smiled at Rowan. "Told you, nothing to worry about," he looked over his shoulder at the door. "I'd best go tell everyone," he said and left her to go downstairs.

Gerald looked up as Ray came outside, why was he smiling? His daughter had been kidnapped and the stupid man was smiling.

Ray walked over to Gene. "Guv, Declan found her, they're on their way to the church now," he explained.

Gerald released a huge sigh of relief and looked at them. "We'd best get down there then, we'll be late for the wedding if we don't hurry," he said and dug his keys from his pocket.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alex looked over at Whitney "You'd best call Brett and tell him that she's been found" she said

Alex fired a text off to Roxy saying Alyssa had turned up then took Sam off Molly

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Roxy read the text carefully as she drove then abruptly stopped the car and turned it around. She looked at Ronnie's questioning face and thrust her phone at her as she sped back to the church.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Declan pulled up in front of the church and got out and walked around to help Alyssa get out of the car. Jack spotted them and bolted over and grabbed Alyssa from Declan's arms.

He held her tight. "Oh, Lyss, I'm so glad you're okay," he breathed into her hair. Declan looked on enviously and sighed before walking back over to the car. He got in the car and while everyone was watching Jack and Alyssa, he drove away.

He stopped and picked up Cain and headed back to Yorkshire.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Rowan beamed excitedly. Alyssa had been found! She must be okay then. Surely Alex would have said. She pulled off her shoes, grabbed her bag and the bouquets and went down the stairs as fast as she could. At least Ray had distracted her a bit by making her think of something else. She got downstairs, put her shoes back on and went outside to see Ray calling everyone about Alyssa while Gerald was driving off.

She quickly locked up the door and went over to Ray and handed him the car keys.

Rowan waited for Ray to get off the phone and then hugged him excitedly.

"Let's go," she said and hurried to the car. She checked her make up in the visor mirror and pulled out her face powder and gave herself a quick dusting before getting out her lipstick and carefully applying some more. She looked at her powder and smiled inwardly. She'd bought translucent which Alyssa would be able to use if she needed it. She dropped it back into her bag and carefully buckled the seat belt while Ray got in the car.

Now that the stress was over, she was excited again. She couldn't wait to see her sister.

Gene walked over to Chris and had him call Alex.

"It seems a bit odd to me that Declan found her, and so quickly. Tell Alex to make sure he stays around, I'd like to talk to him."

"I'll see you over there," Gene called over to Ray as Chris headed back to the car Shaz had driven and called Alex to tell her what Gene had said.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Whitney nodded and sent off a text to Brett to let him know the good news. She walked over to Alyssa and waited quietly and patiently for Jack to let Alyssa go.

Ronnie grabbed the phone and let out a yelp of happiness and grinned at her sister.

"That Declan is some kind of miracle worker," she remarked as Roxy drove them back. Hopefully, Alyssa was okay. It had taken weeks for Roxy to recover, Ronnie and JT had worried about her constantly. Though, she had been held for two days, while Alyssa had only been missing for less than an hour. Still, she was probably quite shaken.

Alyssa clutched at Jack and buried her face into his neck. She breathed him in and felt herself relax. She sighed softly. "I'm fine Jack, I'm fine," she said gently as she refused to let him go. She knew she would have to let go of him at some point, but at this moment she didn't want to. She was happy just hugging him. She heard Declan's car behind her start up again and she lifted her head from his neck to look, she sighed as Declan drove away and then looked up at Jack.

"Can we please get married now?" she asked as she laid her head back on his shoulder.

Jack kissed the top of her head and chuckled. "I'd like nothing more."

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alex sighed happily as Alyssa got out of Declan's car and was immediately pulled into Jack's arms. She bounced Sam on her hip to make him gurgle and smiled at Alyssa as she saw her face over Jack's shoulder.

She reached into her pocket as her phone went off and she watched Declan drive off again. Where was he going?

She looked at the caller ID. "Hey, Chris," she answered. "Lyss just got here."

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Ray followed Gerald to the Church with Rowan next to him. He pulled up behind Gerald and parked the car then got out of the car and locked it. He sighed as he saw Alyssa held tightly in Jack's arms and smiled at Rowan as he took her hand and led her over.

Gerald followed Rowan and Ray towards Alyssa briskly.

He got there first and put his hand on her shoulder. Alyssa turned around and smiled at her Dad as best she could.

"I'm sorry, Alyssa," he said sincerely. Alyssa frowned. "It's not your fault, Dad," she said as she walked into his arms and hugged him. Gerald kissed her head. "You look beautiful," he told her as he pulled away and cupped her face in his hand. "Beautiful," he repeated as he kissed her cheek.

Jack smiled as Gerald came over and watched happily as Alyssa hugged her father. He glanced around and wondered where Declan had got to, then shrugged it off. Maybe after this morning he realized he couldn't handle being around for the wedding, or maybe something had come up. Either way, Jack was slightly relieved that he was gone.

Rowan stood, clutching Ray's hand, and watched Alyssa.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she blurted. "I was so worried. I didn't want to lose you."

Alyssa let go of her Dad and looked over at Rowan. She smiled at Gerald then went and folded Rowan into a hug. "You're not going to lose me, Ro, you're stuck with me," she whispered and let go of Rowan with a small smile. "I promise," she added and looked at Rowan's tummy. "Besides, who else except Aunty Alyssa and Uncle Jack will be able to keep your kids from being sane?" she said and gave Rowan another hug. "You're my sister Rowan, you're never getting rid of me."

Ray watched Alyssa and Rowan hug and moved over to Jack.

"How you doing mate?" he asked as he kept his gaze fixed on Rowan, she had been so terrified for Alyssa and he had been worried for her as well as her sister. She seemed okay now though but he would keep an eye on her. He didn't want her worried like that again, it had scared him more than he cared to admit.

Jack kept his eyes on Alyssa and nodded.

"Better now that she's back. I was ready to hit someone earlier though," he admitted.

Ray nodded sagely. "I can understand that, mate," he said as he looked back over at the group of women.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Roxy nodded and drove quickly to the Church. She pulled up outside and clambered out of the car. She smiled as she saw Alyssa and grinned at Ronnie.

Ronnie climbed out of the car and ran over to Alyssa.

"I thought for a minute I'd traveled all this way for nothing," she teased as she approached. "Are you okay?" she asked as she looked at her friend in concern.

Alyssa released Rowan as she spotted Ronnie and she nodded. "I'm fine," she said. "Honestly," she added with a smile.

Roxy ran up after Ronnie and smiled at Alyssa. "Good," she said as she heard Alyssa's reply to her sister. "You gave everyone a scare," she added as she spotted JT and Amy and Peggy and smiled at the group once more before making her way over and taking Amy from JT. "Alyssa's fine," she told him as she hugged her daughter and kissed her forehead.

Rowan chuckled and looked at Alyssa then got in her bag. She held up her face powder compact.

"I think Jack will be more prone to driving the kids bonkers than you," Rowan told her. "Here, you're only slightly smudged."

Ronnie gave Alyssa a quick hug and then stood back so Alyssa could tidy up her face.

Alyssa took the compact and looked at her face. Considering she had been crying her makeup wasn't too bad. She quickly touched it up with the powder Rowan had given her and smiled at Rowan as she handed the compact back. "Thanks," she smiled. "However, being married to Jack and spending years and years with him could play havoc with my mentality, you never know, I could loose my marbles," she grinned.

Rowan looked at Ronnie. "I've got a cake for you to take back."

Ronnie grinned. "Yay! Just when I was needing some more," she joked.

"I'll keep the number of the men with white coats on hand," she said and smiled as she handed Alyssa her bouquet and tucked the compact in her bag.

She smiled and turned to touch Ray's arm.

"You better go inside and sit down," she told him and stroked his cheek.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

"Right, ma'am," Chris said. "We're going back to the station. I've got uniform questioning everyone who lives in this area, but it was early enough that no one really saw anything. It's mostly offices round here and nobody seemed to be coming in that early for work today. Ray already spoke to the one neighbor who would have had the best view. She saw nowt."

Gene parked and strode over to Alex as he looked around.

"Where's Declan? I thought you were going to make sure he stayed around?" he asked her and then glanced over to check on Alyssa with Jack, her father and Rowan. He nodded and looked back at Alex.

"Alright Chris, I'm going to leave my phone on silent through the wedding, text me if anything turns up," she said and then ended the call. She looked up at Gene "Not my fault, I was over the other side of the carpark when he pulled up, he left as soon as Alyssa got out of the car," she told him with a sigh.

"Chris says that no one saw anything," she said as she watched the small group gathered around the Bride. "What happened? I wasn't kept informed," she asked as she moved her gaze to Gene.

Gene shrugged. "Gerald got a flat tire which delayed him and while he was delayed, someone grabbed Alyssa. We won't know more until we take her statement and all things considered, I don't think she's going to wait the wedding to give one. We'll have to do it after. That's all I know."

Alex nodded and checked the time "I think they better get a move on with the wedding then, I don't know how long we've got the Church for or if there's another wedding or something after this," she said as she looked inside the Church door, it seemed quiet, a few wedding guests had taken seats and were chatting to each other. She sighed as she looked back over at Jack and Alyssa.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Jack watched as Alyssa tidied up her makeup and checked her hair and then walked over to her.

"So, are we ready to do this now?" he asked her softly and kissed her cheek.

Alyssa smiled up at Jack and nodded. She stroked a finger down his chest and pressed her lips to his lightly. "Yes, go and get in the Church," she smiled and looked around for her Dad.

Jack pulled her to him again and kissed her thoroughly before grinning and winking at Rowan and Ray before heading inside with Gene.

Gene patted him on the shoulder. "So, you're still going to go through with it?" he asked as they walked down the aisle.

Jack nodded.

"Idiot," Gene muttered as shook his head and took his place.

Gerald stepped forward as Jack walked away and hugged Alyssa once more, he took her hand and squeezed it gently.

"You ready?" he asked and she nodded. "Definitely," she smiled back and moved her arm so it was tucked in his.


	16. Chapter 16

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 16**

Rowan beamed as Jack and Alyssa kissed and headed out of the church. She sniffed and swiped under her eyes as she followed them out.

Alyssa held tight to Jack's hand as he led her outside, she looked up at his face as they walked through the church and smiled. She could hardly believe it, she was Mrs Rimmer! She bit her lip as she smiled, and looked down at her hand that now held her wedding ring as well as her engagement ring. She couldn't help but feel ecstatic. Alyssa couldn't help feeling sorry that Declan had vanished, she wondered why he hadn't stayed for the wedding after he had rescued her, that was the reason he had come down here in the first place: to see his cousin's wedding. She looked up at Jack again and decided that she didn't care what had taken him away, after her horrible experience this morning she had finally married Jack.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alex held Gene's hand as she walked with him out of the Church with the rest of the congregation. She smiled and whipped out her mirror from her bag, she had shed a few tears in Church, she still looked fine though. She looked over at Molly who was talking to her brother as she carried him and then directed her attention back to Gene. She knew they needed Alyssa's statement sooner rather than later, while it was still fresh in her mind, but she was loath to ruin Jack and Alyssa's day even more than it had been. She squeezed Gene's hand gently to get his attention and looked at him. "When are you thinking of getting the statement from Alyssa?" she asked him quietly.

"Suppose sometime later, at least before they leave the reception, otherwise, we won't have the chance for a week," Gene told her. He watched as they walked away and tightened his arm around her shoulders. He kissed her cheek as watching Jack and Alyssa reminded him a bit of his and Alex's wedding. He would never say though.

Alex nodded at him and smiled. "So, we pull Alyssa out of the party before she and Jack leave and get her statement then," she agreed and tightened her arm around him. She rested her head on his shoulder with a small sigh as she watched her friends.

"Or just do it while at the party. It's at the restaurant after all and Rowan's flat is upstairs," Gene said.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Ray caught up with Rowan after navigating his way through the mingling crowd. He took her hand and looked at her face, then realized that it was damp. He chuckled lightly as he brought his hands to her face and brushed the tears away. "What are you crying for you dopey woman," he smiled at her and kissed her forehead and pulled her into a hug. Through the service he had had his attention more on Rowan that the bride and groom and had wondered silently to himself whether he should think about marrying Rowan. He had reason to, he loved her more than anything, he didn't want to lose her, he wanted her to be happy and he didn't want another man touching her! Ever! As far as he was concerned, Rowan Tremaine was his!

"Sorry, it was just that it was lovely," she told him. "I'm so glad they've finally done it."

There was also the fact that she was having his child. He knew that Gene had married Alex after he had found out she was pregnant, though when asked Gene had insisted that he had been planning on asking Alex ages before she told him about the baby.

He held Rowan tightly to him and pressed another kiss to the top of her head, he wondered what she would say if he brought up the subject of marriage, how would she react? Surely she didn't need a wedding ring on her finger to prove that she was his? She already had an eternity ring, surely that meant something. He didn't know, he knew that he was never letting her go though! That was a dead cert in his head. He released her from his embrace and smiled warmly down at her as he slid his hand back into hers. "Are we all going straight to the reception from here?" he asked her as he glanced briefly over at the newly weds.

She laced her fingers with his and smiled up at him.

"She just needs to throw the bouquet and then we're off," Rowan told him. She squeezed his hand as she walked with him. She wondered how Ray might feel about a handfasting. She would never go through the mess of marriage again, but she would like to handfast with him. She only knew she didn't want to ever be with anyone else. And they were having kids! She never dreamed she would ever be so lucky.

Ray nodded at her. He knew that throwing the bouquet was some strange tradition, but he still didn't really understand why they always did it. He knew that it was supposed to symbolize the next woman to get married but that didn't happen anyway! So what did it matter? It was just another odd woman type thing. He had noticed that about women, they got an idea in their heads and refused to let it go, in this case it had become some kind of a tradition.

He went along with it regardless and let go of Rowan as he gave her a gentle push to go join the other women gathering in a group behind Alyssa as the redhead turned her back.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Roxy ended up the last person out of the Church as she followed the others out. She watched JT's back as he walked in front of her. Being in a Church had flooded her mind with her memories of her wedding to Sean. She couldn't help but laugh at her dress, it had had Velcro on it! What had she been thinking? Well, she knew full well what she had been thinking, and the same thought had got into Sean's head when she had shown him the front part of the skirt came off easily. She had to admit that she missed Sean, he was a crazy, psychotic idiot that had stolen her daughter, but he was gorgeous and sexy too.

She pushed all thought of her husband out of her head, she had JT now. She loved JT, she smiled as she looked at his back again. He was so tall! She caught up with him and balanced Amy on her hip as she slid her hand into his and beamed up at him. She didn't need Sean.

JT looked down at Roxy and smiled. He began to wonder if maybe he shouldn't ask her to marry him. He'd never met anyone like her. He loved her and he loved Amy. He wanted them to be a proper family. First, he would have to take her home. He wanted his family to meet her and maybe propose under the Old Oak, where they held the handfastings.

He slung an arm around her shoulders and squeezed before leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

Ronnie saw the dreamy look on Roxy's face and smiled at her. Watching Jack and Alyssa getting married had made her think a bit of her own wedding.

Roxy looked up at JT with a smile and laughed as Amy frowned in frustration when she reached for JT, too. Roxy passed her daughter to JT and smiled as Amy proudly planted a huge kiss on his cheek. She looked over as Alyssa called out and let go of JT to make her way towards Alyssa like the other women that were dotted around had begun to.

Jack looked at Alyssa and smiled as he pulled her close.

"Guess you need to throw the bouquet so we can go party," he said to her. He couldn't believe they were finally married. Granted, the morning had started off rather horrifically, but now things were fine and the ceremony had gone well. He couldn't be happier.

Alyssa looked up at him with a smile and nodded before stepping away from him slightly and looking at all of her friends milling around. She grinned broadly. "I'm going to throw the bouquet!" she called out.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa watched with a small laugh as her friends gathered in a group a small way away and she turned her back to them. She looked at Jack with a smile and threw the bouquet over her head.

Ray frowned as the bunch of flowers hit him and he caught them. He looked up in shock at the group of women a little way in front and then at Alyssa and Jack. He frowned as Alyssa burst into laughter and looked down at the her bouquet! He didn't see what was so funny! He sniffed and sought Rowan out in the small group, his gaze found her easily and he held the bunch of flowers out to her, he didn't want it.

Alex burst into a fit of giggles as the bouquet hit Ray on the chest and he inadvertently caught it, the look of shock on his face was priceless. She immediately pulled out her camera and snapped a picture of his shock before putting the camera swiftly back into her clutch and letting another bubble of laughter out. He was _blushing _too! She couldn't wait to print the picture off and post it up all around the station!

Alex packed Molly and Sam back into her car and made sure Gene had the keys, she was in no mood to drive today.

Alex took Sam out of his car seat and carried him into the Restaurant with her as Molly followed suit.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

JT happily took Amy as Roxy stepped up to try and catch the bouquet. He started chuckling though when Ray caught it.

Rowan looked at Ray as he pushed her towards the other women. She really didn't want to try for the bouquet. She was in no shape to be jumping around trying to catch something. She was surprised however when she watched the bouquet sail over the group of women and hit Ray in the chest and he grabbed it. She clamped her lips shut, but it wasn't enough to stop the laughter that bubbled up inside her.

She took the flowers as he handed them to her and then couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing.

"Oh, Ray, your face," she chuckled. She took his arm.

"Let's get back and get the diner unlocked so we can have the reception," she said and led him to the car.

Ray grumbled silently to himself as he unlocked the car and let her inside before climbing into the driver's side and pulling away from the cars parked up and getting back to the Restaurant.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Jack and Gene looked at each other and burst out laughing as Ray accidentally caught the bouquet.

"We better get to the reception now," Jack said and slapped Gene on the back as he walked over to Alyssa. He grabbed her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "What do you say we get to the reception now?" he asked her.

"I still can't work out why Declan didn't stay," he remarked and sighed. "Ah well," he shrugged and led her to the car.

Alyssa carefully got into the car next to him. "It's puzzling me as well," she replied with a small sigh. "Why come all the way down here for the wedding and then not go to it after all?" she asked as he began to drive. "It must take hours to get down here from Yorkshire," she said. "Why take all that time driving down if you're not going to stay," she sighed.

"Well, and then he spent all that time looking for you," he said. "After we found out you'd gone missing. Everyone was out looking for you. Your dad even blamed himself because he got a stupid flat tire and it delayed him," he told her.

"I can only guess that he must have got a call or something and had to leave. I'm surprised he didn't say goodbye, but maybe I'll give him a call later and see what happened," he offered and reached over to squeeze her hand.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Ray reached the restaurant first and got himself out of the car. He shut the door and made sure to lock the vehicle as Rowan got out, then followed her into the Restaurant. He looked over his shoulder as he spotted Jack's car pulling up outside too and Alyssa came inside. He tossed her the keys to the flat so that she could go upstairs and grab all her stuff down that she had brought with her last night.

Jack pulled up in front of the restaurant. He nodded at Ray as Ray tossed Alyssa the flat keys.

Alyssa ran upstairs, made sure everything was packed into her bag, touched up her make up once more and then carried her bag downstairs and put it into the boot of Jack's car. She gave the flat keys back to Ray and smiled at Jack.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around at the restaurant.

"It looks great," he said and walked over to look at the cake where it sat on a table near the pass-through. He saw Rowan in the kitchen with Syed and Trevor getting the food ready to set out and waved.

Rowan waved back and came out of the kitchen and gave Jack a hug.

"So, you did it. All legal now and she can't escape," she teased.

"Oh, very funny," he shot back. "I feel the love now that I'm part of the family."

"Great, thank you for reminding me. Now you're family, I don't have to be nice to you anymore," she retorted and pointed at him and laughed at the look on his face. She turned to go back into the kitchen, giving Alyssa a little wave as she passed.

Jack looked at Alyssa and pulled an over-dramatic pout.

"Your sister is being mean to me," he complained.

"Oh, suck it up, Rimmer, that was hardly mean," Gene snorted and handed Jack a beer before turning to take Alex a glass of wine. Jack watched him go and then turned back to Alyssa.

Alyssa laughed and patted his shoulder. "Of course she was, Jack," she smiled at him then reached over to grab a glass of wine for herself. She took a sip. She nodded and smiled at Rowan. "Thanks Ro, it all looks amazing," she said happily and looked at Jack.

"She really was being mean," he whispered and took a drink of his beer.

Alyssa laughed at the look on his face and stroked a finger down his nose "That look so does not work for you," she told him and ran her finger over his lips, she pressed on the corners of his mouth until it resembled a smile and the nodded. "There, much better," she said.

Rowan watched Syed and Trevor, and then JT once he'd arrived, put out the food and then looked the buffet over to make sure everything was fine before heading over to Ray.

Jack rolled his eyes and pulled his face away from Alyssa's hands.

"I'd muss your hair except you'd hurt me," he told her. He glanced over at the food now out and ready and then over at Rowan who was talking to Ray.

Alyssa snorted. "You're right," she nodded. "Do you know how long it took me to get it like to look like this, this morning?" she asked. "Took ages," she replied for him.

"I'm sure it did," he told her and tapped her on the nose. "Think we could start eating now?" he asked her, a pathetic and hopeful tone to his voice. "I mean, we _are_ the bride and groom and this is our day so I think we should get to decide when we eat."

Alyssa rolled her lips under her teeth in an attempt to stop the smile and she shook her head at him "That pathetic look gets me every time Jack, you look so lost," she laughed and slipped her arms around him in a hug. "I think we can lead every one and make a start on the food. My morning bacon sandwich seems like ages ago," she murmured and kissed his cheek as she pulled away and took his hand before leading him to the buffet table.

"The food's ready so you decide when to start," Rowan told him and made a face at Jack's pout.

Rowan walked over to Ray and wound her arms around his waist.

"So, I guess you're the next lucky bride," she teased and chuckled. "Sorry, but it was funny, you have to admit that."

Ray looked down at Rowan and sniffed as he slid his arms around her and looked at her face. "I'm not wearing some nancy dress," he said grumpily. "I think she did it deliberately just to annoy me," he grumbled and gave Alyssa a withering look while she wasn't watching him. She seemed to focused on Jack at any rate. "And it wasn't funny, I saw Alex get a sneaky picture with that camera, it'll be all round the station before you know it!" he grouched.

"Oh, Ray, you tease enough people that you shouldn't be surprised when they get you back," she told him. "And can you blame her with this constant feud you've got going with her. Of course she's been looking for a way to get back at you."

She frowned up at him. "You're starting to act a little too much like Jack now. Complaining when people get you back," she snorted and pulled him down for a kiss. "Just leave it alone," she advised him.

Ray nodded. "S'pose," he agreed and frowned as he looked over at Alex who was bouncing Sam on her lap. "D'you reckon she talked Lyss into it deliberately to get me back?" he mused out-loud.

"No, I don't think she did. She is simply keeping her eye on you. You're going to have to be very careful about embarrassing yourself because she will pounce and make sure it gets known," Rowan warned him. "She said as much over lunch when we were out shopping the other day. She is really anxious to get you back."

Ray watched Rowan wander off and looked over at Jack as he and Alyssa walked over to the buffet, no way was he like Jack! He snorted, followed her to the buffet table and grabbed a plate of his own. Ray filled his own plate and found himself a table, then grabbed Rowan and pulled her next to him carefully so that she didn't spill her food from her plate. He grinned at her and set about eating.

Rowan looked at Ray, startled, as he pulled her over to a table. She kept hold of her plate and sat down with him. She glanced around to watch the people heading for the food, hoping that she'd had enough made. At least no one was attempting to mess with the cake. She'd worked very hard on that and she would have Ray smack anyone down who tried to ruin it.

Ray frowned at her. "She shouldn't be such an easy target if she doesn't want to get teased," he told her flippantly. "Besides, if she wasn't so easy to wind up and if she didn't give such a good reaction then I wouldn't do it," he said simply. "You know that, you do the same thing with Jack," he said and nudged her playfully.

Ray watched Rowan keep a careful eye on the buffet table as they ate. He wondered what she was looking at. She knew what was on the table and it wasn't as though they were going to run out of food. He shrugged, he knew what she could get like about her food. He went with it and left her to her own thoughts.

"I know that. The thing is, Jack's not watching my every move to get back at me. He takes it in stride. Alex has a vendetta on you, acuisle," she said to Ray. She smiled at him and patted his hand and started eating a tamale.

She paused a moment. "Also, Jack really overreacts to the point of funny. He knows what we're doing and goes along."

She looked at Jack as he sat down. "Don't you, Jack?"

"Huh?" Jack said and looked up her in surprise. Rowan titled her head, but said nothing.

"Oh, nothing," she said dismissively. Something was clearly bothering Jack. She looked at Ray and then back down at her food.

She kept half an eye on the cake, making sure no one messed with it. She just hoped Jack and Alyssa liked the cake. She made one layer white cake, one layer chocolate and another marble. That way, hopefully there would be something everyone would like.

Ronnie stood next to Roxy and watched as the food was brought out and set up.

Roxy shrugged. "I don't know, the look on his face was hilarious though!" she grinned. "I think Alyssa looked way too gleeful when Ray caught it, she might have been thinking about it I suppose," she said with a small grin.

"So, do you think Alyssa did that deliberately to embarrass Ray or something? Or maybe, make a hint?" she wondered. "She just seemed to throw that bouquet a bit harder than might have been necessary. It was funny, though," she remarked.

"Hope we get to eat soon. I'm starving, it's been forever since breakfast, well, feels like forever anyway," she sighed.

She nodded. "It's been a looooooong morning," she agreed and checked the time. "I think we deserve feeding after everything that has been going on."

Ronnie gestured over at Rowan who seemed to be telling Jack and Alyssa the food could be started on.

"I think we're going to get to start eating," she said and began to walk slowly in the direction of the food.

Roxy smiled happily and followed her sister's slow progress to the buffet table, making sure that Jack and Alyssa got there first.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Gene walked over to Jack as he was filling his plate with food and picked up a plate himself.

"So, any idea why your cousin left in such a hurry?"

Jack shook his head. "I can only guess he got called away to a meeting."

"And you don't think there's anything odd that he was the one to find her and I've heard back from the officers who went to check the place where she was held," Gene added.

"You found where she was taken to?" Jack interrupted. Gene nodded.

"Yes, some anonymous tip off. A really flash motor in a place where you don't normally see such a thing and there was a sort of fistfight before a man and a woman who was wearing a wedding dress drove away. Now, I sent some uniform and Ginger over there and nothing. No kidnapper, no ropes, nowt. I would assume the kidnapper cleaned up after himself, but I just have this feeling about your cousin. Why would he have thought to look in that particular warehouse?" He gave Jack a look. "It bears thinking about."

Jack finished filling his plate and walked away from the buffet so he could talk to Gene without Alyssa overhearing.

"You think Declan had something to do with this?"

"I don't know. I only know that there is something not quite right about what happened," Gene replied and then walked back over to sit with Sammy so Alex could eat.

Jack frowned and glanced over at Davina. He put his plate down and walked over to her.

"Remember what you told me about Declan?" he asked her. She looked at him in surprise, but nodded.

"Do you think he might have had something to do with what happened this morning?"

She looked at him, her expression surprised at first but then changed to contemplative.

"I don't know him as well as you, but I do think it's weird that he found her so fast when no one else could."

Jack thanked her and went back to his food. Now he had a lot to think about. And he didn't like it.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa took a seat at the same table as Rowan and Ray and watched absently as Gene took Jack aside, she wondered at the look on his face then dismissed it. If it was important then he would tell her. She smiled at Rowan and took a massive forkful from her plate and ate hungrily. That bacon sarnie seemed a long time ago.

Jack walked over and sat down next to Alyssa and started on his food with gusto. He wondered if he should say something about what Gene had told him or if he should wait.

He focused on his food as he tried to make up his mind and decided that if she asked, he would tell her. Otherwise, he would tell her later.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alex looked up at Gene as he sat back down next to her and passed Sam to him so that she could get up and grab a plate of food. She got one for herself then took her son back and seated him in front of the smaller plate that she had set for him and sat him on her lap so that he could reach his plate while she ate hers. Sam had recently started learning that he could pull things towards him and had learnt that putting food towards his face came close to being spoon fed. It was messy, but he seemed to enjoy it so Alex let him and cleaned him up afterwards.

She looked up as Gene came back and glanced over at Jack, Molly had got up to go and sit with Whitney and Brett. She leaned over to him. "You told Jack?" she asked quietly and carefully caught the breadstick that Sam had almost dropped.

Gene nodded. "I spoke to him. I really want to talk to Alyssa as soon as possible. I think she can help clear up a lot of questions," he muttered and turned back to his food. He kept an eye on Jack and Alyssa, trying to gauge when the best time to pull Alyssa aside and talk to her would be.

Alex nodded her agreement and kept a close eye on Alyssa. She had to turn her attention quickly back to Sam as he gurgled something and she recognized as a problem noise and hurried to the now soggy breadstick's rescue for a second time. "Can we not just go over there and grab her?" she said to him. "The sooner this is out of the way the sooner everyone's minds are put to rest."

"Let her eat at least, she's probably starving. So am I as it happens," he disagreed and went about cleaning his plate. When he was finished, he took a long drink from his beer and then watched Alyssa to gauge when she might be ready for him to talk to.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Gerald filled his plate and slid into the booth next to Alyssa. He watched his daughter eat her tamales eagerly. He sighed, he wondered if being a Rimmer would effect her mental state. Her husband was insane, he wondered if it would rub off on her. He sighed and shook his head. Alyssa's head whipped round to her father. "What?"

Gerald shook his head. "Nothing," he said.

Alyssa sat up straight and stared at him. "No, what?"

Gerald sighed and smiled at her. "I was just wondering how long it's going to take for you to get as insane as your husband," he said with a sly smile then returned to his food.

Alyssa snorted and returned to her food.

Rowan looked up and chuckled at what Gerald said.

"Actually, I think she's pretty much halfway there," she remarked and grinned at Alyssa.

Ray grunted. "Of course she is," he mumbled and looked at her. "She's a woman, you all overreact all the time," he told her with a shrug and returned to his plate hurriedly to fill his mouth. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and winked cheekily.

Alyssa frowned. "I've only lived with him for just under a year," she said and looked at Jack. "I don't think my mental health is too badly damaged."

Gerald grinned. "But you're going to be living with him for a lot longer than a year now, love," he pointed out with a chuckle.

Alyssa sighed, bit her lip and then looked fondly at Jack. "Maybe if I isolate him to one room..." she mused out-loud. "He can't damage me too much if he's not around me all the time."

Rowan nodded. "I think that could work," she agreed and grinned at Jack.

Jack heaved a great sigh and rolled his eyes. He looked at Alyssa, then Rowan, then Gerald and then finally at Ray and tutted.

"I really need someone on my side," he said with a shrug and went back to his food.

Rowan snorted out a laugh and looked at Alyssa again.

Alyssa smiled. "I'm thinking of confining him to the bedroom."

Gerald half choked on his mouthful. "Do not need to know any of _that_!" he gasped out. "Don't go ruining my images of you still being a little girl."

Alyssa chuckled. "I'm hardly little anymore, Dad, and besides, if you don't want to hear it then don't listen."

"Difficult when you're sitting right there!"

"You shouldn't have chosen that seat then, should you?"

Gerald frowned at her then returned to his food with a small scowl.

Rowan and Jack both began to laugh uproariously at Gerald's face.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Gene finally stood up and walked over slowly, making sure to check and see that Alyssa's plate was empty before he walked over.

"Look, I know I should wait until later, but there are a few things bothering me. Rowan, can I take Alyssa up to your flat and get her statement about what happened?"

Rowan nodded. "Sure, it's unlocked, go right ahead," she told him.

Jack made as if to stand up, but Gene gestured at him to stay.

"I want to talk to Alyssa first, then I want to talk to you both. Take your phone up with you, love," he told Alyssa. "You can text Jack when it's time for him to come up."

Jack still looked at Gene in confusion as Gene held out a hand to help Alyssa stand.

"Look, I want the whole story, not the whole story with you interrupting every five minutes," he clarified. Jack frowned and sighed before giving a short nod. He sat back down and began to toy with the food left on his plate.

"Right, let's get this done," he said to Alyssa and led her up to the flat.

Jack stared in the direction Alyssa had gone and then looked at Rowan expectantly.

"Not yet, Jack," Rowan told him and glanced at Ray and then Gerald.

She tapped her fingers and watched the phone waiting for Alyssa to text. When the text finally came through, she raised her head to tell Jack, but he'd already stood and was on his way upstairs.

Alyssa looked at Gene and nodded as she took his hand and rose to her feet. She glanced back at the troubled expression on Jack's face and took his face in her hands. She pressed a kiss to his lips and smiled at him. "My phone got broken, can I borrow yours? I'll text Ro to send you up," she told him and kissed his forehead before taking his phone and following Gene upstairs.

Alyssa took a seat on Rowan's sofa and sighed and looked up at Gene, she swallowed anxiously.

"So, tell me what happened," Gene said as he sat down in a chair across from her.

She took a deep breath and began. "Okay, well, Rowan and Ray still had the dishes to wash up so Ro told me to go downstairs to wait for Dad. So, I was standing where I had agreed that Dad should pick me up and this car pulls up," she looked at Gene "This guy had a map and asked for directions to...Starbucks I think he said, anyway, I was pointing out some stuff on the map and then there was something over my mouth and a nasty taste, then everything went black," she sighed.

"I woke up tied to a chair, I couldn't see anything and I was gagged. I couldn't hear anything either though that was because there was nothing to hear. Then I heard a scuffle and Declan's voice and then he untied me and took me out of the warehouse. The guy that had taken me was lying on the floor unconscious," she sighed and folded her hands together in her lap. "I don't know where it was because I was too shaken up to take much notice."

He listened to her story and jotted down a few notes then looked back up at her.

"So, how did Declan say he'd found you? We've all been wondering," he invited. Making sure to betray nothing about his suspicions in his tone.

Alyssa nodded and dug around in her memory. "Ummmm, he said that he was on his way to the church when he saw the guy snatch me from the street. He said he followed us and waited for the best moment to jump the guy and get me out," she explained. She was curious why Gene wanted to know how Declan found her so fast, was he a suspect? Why? What had he done wrong? He'd found her and got her back to the church safely!

"He was on his way to the church?" Gene echoed. "And followed you."

He bent to the notebook again. "Go ahead and tell Jack to come up."

Alyssa nodded in reply to his question. "That's what he told me," she replied and then whipped out the phone and fired a text to Rowan.

Jack hurried upstairs and looked at Alyssa, then Gene, then back again.

"It seems Declan was on his way to the church when he saw Alyssa get grabbed. He followed her and then rescued her," Gene explained to Jack.

"He what?" Jack blurted.

Gene looked at him.

"That...that...bastard, this was all his doing wasn't it? That's why he took off the way he did," Jack huffed.

"Looks like it," Gene agreed.

Jack stood up and punched the wall in anger.

"I'll kill him," he snarled.

"No, just let it go Jack. Alyssa is fine. He's gone and he's not stupid enough to try again, he's failed at this. He knows Alyssa will never accept him."

Gene looked at Alyssa. He could tell she was confused. "The man who took you, did he have a northern accent?"

"I'll disrupt something all right," Jack muttered.

Alyssa was distracted by Jack's sudden anger and rose from the sofa too, she didn't understand what was so wrong!She nodded at Gene. "He did, yes," she replied and laid her hand on Jack's arm, trying to get him to turn to her.

"It looks like Declan may have hired someone to kidnap you, then he played rescuing hero. Can only assume he wanted to disrupt your wedding," Gene explained to her finally.

Alyssa's eyes widened at Gene's explanation of events and she gasped. How could Declan do something like that to Jack? How could be do something that would hurt Jack so much? Surely he had known that she loved Jack, that's why she had married him today after all! She shivered and moved her attention back to Jack. She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek and encouraged him to face her. She pressed her lips to his softly and then laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"It didn't work Jack," she said as she held him tightly. "It didn't work, he told me that he would take me anywhere I wanted to go, I told him that I wanted you," she said.

Declan had hired someone to kidnap her. So that he could rescue her. It didn't make sense, she wouldn't have just left Jack like that! Not on their wedding day! No way. Declan was stupid for even thinking that!

"I know," Jack sighed. "I'm just so angry that he would have even thought of doing it. I just want to punch his face in for what he did to you," he told her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I can't even stand the idea that he even tried," he said to her softly. "That he would _do_such a thing."

He pulled her close and buried his face in her hair. "I was so worried," he whispered.

Gene stuck the notebook back in his pocket and went back downstairs. They really didn't need him around.

Jack was aware of Gene leaving and slipped his hands into Alyssa's hair and lifted her lips to his. He kissed her thoroughly and then swung her up into his arms and carried her to the spare room. He stood her next to the bed and pulled her to him. He began to gather fistfuls of her dress and began to lift it up, his hands moving to her legs and up her thighs to her bum as his lips sought hers again.

"Alyssa," he moaned and pressed against her.

Alyssa helped him by taking the dress off over her head and turned as much as she could to lay the dress carefully over the back of the chair. She turned back and reached for him, pulling his lips to hers and kissing him. A small moan escaped her and her hands flew to undo his tie, she threw it behind her and started on the buttons on his shirt as she kept her lips glued to his. She stripped herself of the lingerie she had bought and pulled his trousers down until they were around his ankles. She looked back up at his face, a little breathless. His hair was all ruffled from where she had held his head, her breath caught at the sight of him.

Her arms came around his neck and she kissed his lips before putting her lips to his ear. "I love you," she told him quietly as she made sure that her body was completely pressed against his then continued to whisper in his ear.

Jack's eyebrows flew up slightly, but he didn't stop her. He liked it when she got aggressive like this. And after this morning's events, her taking charge helped how he felt immensely. Not that he didn't believe she loved him, but a little assurance on her part was welcome.

He groaned and pushed her to the bed, pinning her down, and looked her over, his hands tracing the path for his eyes to follow. She was so beautiful!

"Going into the cafe that day was the best thing I've ever done," he told her, his hands caressing her breasts. "I met you and realized I never wanted anyone else. You completely overwhelmed me," he paused and grinned. "And now, you're all mine," he gloated and bent his head to her breasts as he slowly skimmed a hand down her side, over her belly and between her legs.

Alyssa tilted her head back as her breathing sped up, she reached her hands up and cupped his face. "I'm glad you did go into the Cafe that morning," she agreed. Alyssa ran her hands up into his hair again and pulled his head down to her again and kissed him hard.

Her hands stroked down his neck and then down his chest. She moved her hands down his sides to rest on his hips and trailed a line of kisses down his neck. Her hand crept around his front and she stroked down the length of him.

"I'm so glad Rowan gave me that nudge to talk to you," she breathed. "Otherwise I may not have _you,_" she continued with a soft sigh.

"We really should get her some gift for that," he mused again before turning his attention back to her breasts. He groaned as he felt her hand on him and decided he'd had enough. He grabbed her hand, pinned it over her head, nudged her leg with his knee and then thrust hard into her with a long sigh.

He slowly moved his lips from her breasts to her neck. He let go her hand and moved it slowly down her arm and over her soft skin.

Alyssa moaned his name and lifted her leg over his hips. She loved his hands, the way they felt when he touched her, the fire they trailed across her skin. She stroked her hands down his arms, up his neck and twined her hands into his hair as she moaned his name again, louder this time. She bucked against him and pressed kisses to his neck as she felt the pressure building inside her.

His name burst from her as pleasure overwhelmed her and she clutched him tightly. She didn't want to go back downstairs now, she wanted to stay in this room, in his arms. She held him tightly and ran her fingers lightly up and down his back.

Jack thrust hard one final time and cried out her name as he let go. He gasped for air as he collapsed half on her, half next to her. He buried his face in her neck as he wrapped an arm tightly around her.

"I don't want to move," she whispered to him.

"I don't want to either. But, you realize everyone is downstairs and they'll start getting impatient to cut the cake soon. People are going to start wondering where we are," he murmured and then gave a hoarse chuckle. "I know, why don't you text Rowan that you're too upset to come down and cut the cake, that way everyone will think I'm calming you down after your harrowing experience this morning and then finding out it was all a sham," he suggested. "Then we could always wait a few minutes and sneak off home."

He raised his head slightly and grinned at her as he held out the phone.

Rowan looked at Ray, wondering what was going on.

"What do you think is going on?" she wondered aloud. She bit her lip. She didn't want to start worrying again. Alyssa was fine and everything was over. She drew in a deep breath and looked at Gerald.

"The ceremony was lovely."

Ray shook his head. "No idea, Ro," he said softly and squeezed her hand. "Sure we'll find out soon enough," he assured her.

Gerald looked briefly at Ray then nodded at Rowan. "Yes, it was lovely," he agreed. "After everything between her and her mother I didn't think I'd get to see this day," he sighed and happily took his final mouthful of food.

Ray looked greedily at the cake. "Hope they hurry up and get back down here!" he said. "I want some of that cake!"

Rowan nodded at Ray and gave him a small smile.

"I'm glad, too. Jack's really not as bonkers as he seems, you know. He can be...a little...intense...I think is the word. So, he gets very jokey. Anyway," she sighed. "I'm glad it's sorted. Shame Alyssa and her mother can't work things out though. I know how it feels to have family reject you. She's lucky that she at least has you, still," she told Gerald and patted his hand. She took a sip of her tea as one hand went to her belly.

Gerald sighed. "Caroline is stubborn, if she doesn't want something then she won't give in," he said.

Sometimes, she missed her parents terribly. She couldn't help feel a bit jealous that Alyssa still had hers.

She glanced up and saw Gene coming down and then looked at Ray.

"We'll have the cake when it's time," she told him firmly. She looked over towards the hall and her brow furrowed as Jack and Alyssa didn't come down right after. A slow smile spread across her face and she looked at Ray.

"We might have a bit of a wait," she said in a knowing tone.

Ray frowned at her, when it's time? What was that supposed to mean! He shrugged and sighed inwardly then went back to polishing off his food. Jack could have at least waited until he had got Alyssa home!

Gerald looked over at the hall too and half-groaned as he realized what Rowan was insinuating. "Did not need to know that!" he said grumpily and tapped his fingers on the tabletop impatiently.

Rowan shook her head at Ray's expression. He should talk! The slightest provocation could set him off, it never seemed to matter where they were.

She bit back a laugh at Gerald's comment and leaned against Ray with a small sigh. At least they were using the flat and not the bathrooms downstairs.

Davina watched Gene, Jack and Alyssa as they left. She wouldn't be surprised if it had all been Declan's doing.

JT helped Roxy get Amy a plate of food and then chatted with Ronnie while Roxy got her own food.

Ronnie smiled at Roxy when she came back.

"It's funny, you know, watching the wedding made me think back to mine and Jack's wedding."

Roxy looked around for JT and saw him safely over with Amy. She nodded at Ronnie. "It made me think of Sean," she sighed. "I shouldn't miss him really, not now that I have JT, but..." she sighed. "I don't know Ron, he..." she sighed again and threw her hands up in defeat. "I can't put it into words. But JT is his opposite almost, and I love him," she smiled and threw another look over her shoulder at JT as she began piling food onto her plate.

Ronnie looked at her sister and slung an arm around her shoulders.

"Well, that sounds like a good thing to me. There's nothing wrong with being in love with JT," Ronnie said.

"I think he feels the same about you and he's a great guy," she added. "So, if he asked you to marry him, what would you say?" she asked curiously as they walked slowly back to the table where JT was sitting and keeping Amy entertained.

Roxy bit her lip and shook her head. "I'd say no," she admitted quietly and looked over at JT and Amy. It would break her heart to refuse him but she didn't have a choice, it would be considered bigamy! She wasn't prepared to do that. She caught the look on Ronnie's face. "Not because I don't want to marry him Ron, because I do! But I couldn't say yes because I can't!" she tried to explain.

Ronnie grabbed Roxy's hand.

"Rox, it's fine. I understand. After what Sean did, who can blame you for not wanting to get married again. I can't imagine how hard it must be and I'm sure JT would completely understand. He may not propose anyway," she shrugged and hurried over to the table to sit down.

Roxy sighed and nodded mutely as she followed Ronnie back to the table. She sat down next to JT and gave him a small smile before looking at her food and losing herself in her thoughts. Now he had been mentioned, Roxy couldn't get Sean off her mind. She toyed with her food before finally taking a bite and starting on it pensively.

JT glanced at Roxy and wondered what was wrong. Something was clearly bothering her. He made a note to talk to her later to make sure she was okay, later when Ronnie and Peggy weren't right nearby. For some reason, he felt extremely nervous.

"Well, it looks like Declan paid someone to take Alyssa. That scum told Alyssa he saw her get taken and followed her until he had the chance to get her out. Of course, we all know that's not true. Which means, he made arrangements beforehand," he told Alex.

Alex gaped at him. "Oh my God!" she gasped. "How did Jack and Alyssa take it when you told the?" she asked.

"How do you think? Jack punched the wall and Alyssa was in shock. He was calming her down when I left, though I don't think that's why they still haven't come down," he remarked. "On the plus side, maybe now I won't have to give a speech."

Alex laughed and handed Sam to him. "That's all you're worried about!" she teased as she took the opportunity to mop Sam's face and clean up the mess he had made. She took the soggy breadstick from him and laid it on a plate before thanking Nora as she took the plates from their table.

"I'm not worried," Gene scoffed. "I just don't see the point in giving some speech. I'd just rather not have to bother."

"So, we're going to talk to Declan?" she asked "Have you called the station yet and told them?" she asked.

He picked up his beer and took a drink.

"Declan left. He's gone back north and we have no real evidence that he did what I think he did. He'll never admit it. I would be willing to bet the man who did it was in disguise and Alyssa was brought back safe and sound, by Declan. I'm not sure if there is anything we can do," he sighed.

"I suppose if Alyssa and Jack want to press charges we might be able to go after him," he shrugged.

Alex grumbled as she took Sammy back onto her lap. "They're always in disguise," she muttered and looked back up at him.

"You haven't asked if they want to press charges yet?" she asked. That was most unlike Gene, mind you, if Alyssa was upset then he was tactful enough to leave until she'd calmed down. She sighed as she hugged Sam and looked back at Gene as Sam struggled in her arms and reached for Gene. She laughed and released him and placed him squarely on his fathers lap. She smiled and looked around, she spotted Molly in a conversation with Whitney and Brett sitting there looking amused. She nodded to herself and smiled at Gene.

Gene sighed and took Sammy and began to bounce the baby on his knee.

He looked up as Nora came over with their cake and told him what Rowan had heard from Alyssa. Gene nodded.

"So, that's nice, no speech to be bothered with. I'll talk to Alyssa and Jack about it later. Since she's still clearly upset, they just might want to," he told Alex and then set to eating his cake, sharing the odd bite with Sammy.

Ray looked down at Rowan and raised an eyebrow at her before sliding his arm around her shoulders. He gave her a small squeeze and pressed a small kiss to the top of her head. He pushed his plate away with his free hand and glanced over at the cake, he wished Jack and Alyssa would hurry up and get back down here so that they could cut it and he could have a slice.

Rowan glanced up at Ray with a small smile and enjoyed leaning against him. He always made her feel safe, and the farther along she got in the pregnancy, the more unnerved she became. How could she explain to him how afraid she was? She wasn't ready for this. She would have to see about talking to Louisa later. Louisa had managed it. She didn't think she would be quite so worried, if she wasn't realizing that Ray seemed to be convinced there was only one baby. He never said "babies", always "baby". Why was he not listening to her? Sometimes, she would notice an amused look on his face. Did he think she was kidding?

She sighed again as she felt him turn slightly to look at the cake. He really was unbelievably single-minded sometimes.

"Let's just hope they get back down here before everyone else starts wanting cake, too," she said to Ray softly. "Otherwise, they're definitely going to be missed."

Ray nodded and looked down at her again "How long d'you think they'll be?" he asked curiously. The arm around her shoulders moved behind her until it encircled her waist and he placed a hand protectively over her stomach. He looked down at her and smiled, then dropped a kiss on her forehead. He gave her a gentle squeeze then went back to musing over Jack and Alyssa. Surely they couldn't be too much longer!

Rowan's jaw dropped and she looked up at Ray.

"What makes you think I would know? It's not like I time them, good grief, Ray," she snorted. "Besides, there's always the possibility they're doing something completely different. Alyssa had a rough morning, maybe after talking everything out she got…upset or something," she suggested.

She looked at Gerald. "I think that's a perfectly reasonable explanation, don't you?" she asked him.

She gave him an amused look and gestured Nora over.

"Can you go ahead and start gathering up empty plates, seeing if people want more to drink," she requested and the girl nodded and got to work.

Ray rolled his eyes. "It was just a question, Ro!" he said back in exasperation."I just wanted a rough estimation," he shrugged.

Ray grunted. "Well yeah, but that's not as fun as what I think they're doing," he snorted back.

Gerald narrowed his eyes at Ray. "I like Rowan's idea better," he said shortly. Ray laughed. "I bet you do."

Gerald smiled back. "Well, would you like to think of your daughter doing something like that," he said.

"I don't have a daughter," Ray replied shortly.

Gerald chuckled and gestured at Rowan. "You will do though," he said and smiled warmly at Rowan.

Ray frowned as he looked down at Rowan's tummy as well and glanced at her face briefly before redirecting his gaze back to Gerald. "Might not be a girl, could be boy," he said back. Gerald raised his eyebrows at Rowan and returned to observing the rest of the people in the Restaurant.

"I'm sure it's not, you really need to get your mind out of the gutter, Ray," she teased. She glanced over at Gerald and giggled at his remark.

She smiled back at him and then her expression changed to one of confusion at Ray's comment. She turned and looked at Ray.

"Ray, how many times do I have to tell you I'm having one of each?" she asked him in exasperation. She huffed out a breath in annoyance and looked back over at Gerald.

"Honestly, best Cleopatra impression, ever," she muttered and shook her head.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa cuddled up to Jack and nodded, she took his phone from him and sent off a text to Rowan. She smiled as she threw the phone back down and and wrapped her arms tighter around Jack. She buried her face in his chest and pressed a kiss to it as she happily lay in the circle of his arms. She moved her hands up over his shoulders to clasp around his neck as her leg stayed securely over his hip.

They could go home in a bit, for now she was content just lying with him. In his arms. It was where she was happiest. Her gaze fell on the dress and lingerie. She smiled and looked up at his face. "Did you still want a description of that lingerie we were talking about earlier?" she asked him as she wriggled up his body and pressed her lips to his.

Jack gave a soft chuckle as Alyssa actually sent the text. He'd been kidding, apparently she wasn't. He wrapped her up and kissed her forehead as she settled against him.

He raised his eyebrows at her question and then glanced over at the pile next to the bed.

"No, you can show it to me later," he replied and dropped his head back onto the pillow. "So, what did you actually tell Rowan? And do you think she believed you?" he asked her with a grin.

Alyssa sighed and got the phone back from off the bed and handed it to him. "Here," she smiled. Alyssa rested her head on the pillow opposite his and kissed the tip of his nose as he read the text. She shrugged. "I don't reckon she didn't believe me, but that's not really the same thing," she replied with a chuckle.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Rowan heard her phone beep and picked it up and read the text.

"Alyssa says she's in bits about what Declan did to her and is too upset to come back down. She wants me to save the top layer of the cake for her to take home and serve the rest," she said with a sigh. She shared a look of commiseration with Gerald and then looked at Ray.

"See, she's just upset. Hopefully they went into the spare room or something so no one will bother them."

She looked over at Gerald. "Though she sounds like they are going to leave soon, so you may want to go up in a few minutes and check on her," she told him and then pushed herself to her feet and walked over to discreetly cut the cake. She took the top off and set it aside and gestured Nora over.

"Can you find me a box for Alyssa to take that home in?"

Nora nodded and went into the kitchen. She came back a few minutes later with a container and put the top layer in it for Alyssa. Rowan smiled a thank you and set about putting slices of cake on plates for Nora to take out.

"Can you tell Gene we won't bother with the speeches?" she asked Nora and the girl nodded.

Ray watched Rowan go over to the cake and watched her hopefully as she cut the top layer and boxed it up. He watched her plate up the cake and waited impatiently for her to get back over to him. Why was she getting so snappy and upset? He knew she was only winding him up about the whole twins thing, he supposed she was taking it to heart to make her little performance more convincing. Or, maybe she had actually convinced herself that she was having twins and forgotten that it was all a joke!

He hoped she still knew that they were only having the one child. He didn't want her getting disappointed when she only gave birth to one. He gulped, they only had another 4 months until the birth. He didn't think he was ready.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Ronnie noticed Alyssa and Jack had still not reappeared and went over to talk to Rowan.

"Is she okay?"

Rowan looked up at Ronnie.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll be fine. She's just being emotional."

Ronnie nodded but looked sad.

"I was hoping to get to spend more time with her," she sighed.

"She's got her phone with her. Why don't you text her. She'll no doubt come back down when she's feeling calmer," Rowan reassured her.

"Right, I'll do that then, thanks," she said and then took cake for herself, Roxy, JT and Amy with a wink. Rowan grinned and went back to plating up slices of cake.

Ronnie took the cake back over and put them down.

"So, I guess Alyssa's really upset about what happened," she told Roxy. "Maybe I'll stay overnight. I wanted a chance to visit with everyone, and that includes her. I don't get to talk to her as often as I do you," she said to Roxy. She sent off a quick text to Alyssa.

"Worried about you."

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

"My crazy is rubbing off on you. Sure you don't want to escape while you can?" he teased.

He hurriedly stopped laughing when he heard Gerald calling out Alyssa's name. Jack slapped his hand over his face and sighed as Gerald walked in. At least they hadn't been in the middle of anything. Rowan must have told him it was okay to come up. He probably should have told Alyssa to let Rowan know it was a lie.

Gerald looked towards the stairs and stood. If Alyssa was crying then he wanted to know what was going on! He walked up the stairs to the flat and pushed the door open. It was empty.

"Alyssa?" he called out. "Jack?"

Alyssa looked up at Jack in alarm as she heard her Dad calling. She looked down at them both and bit back a small bubble of laughter. "Hang on, Dad."

Gerald heard Alyssa's voice coming from the spare room and made his way towards it, he tapped the door before pushing it and swore loudly and turning his back. Alyssa blushed and hid her face in Jack's shoulder as she started to laugh.

"You could've warned me Alyssa!" Gerald snapped as he kept his back turned.

"I told you to hang on," her retort was muffled from her face being buried in her husband's shoulder.

Jack burst out laughing at her comment and sighed.

"You didn't really say it very loud, Lyss," Jack scolded as he sat up and turned his back to the door. He grabbed his trousers from the floor and slid them on, but left his shirt unbuttoned. At least he was mostly dressed now. He looked at Alyssa, there was no way she could get in her dress very quickly so he slipped off his shirt and handed it to her so she could cover herself up.

"Sorry, Gerald, what did you need?"

Rowan carried two plates of cake over for her and Ray. She'd seen Gerald go upstairs, so she knew she didn't need to bring a piece over for him. She put a slice down in front of Ray and then sat down herself. She looked at her cake and tapped the table then looked at her phone. She picked it up and suddenly realized the text had been sent from Jack's phone.

"Oh crap," she muttered and got up. She went over to Ronnie and wrote Jack's number down on a napkin for her.

"Sorry, Ronnie, I completely forgot Lyss' phone was broken and she sent the text from Jack's phone. My head is just not with me today," she apologized.

"It's fine, thank you for this," Ronnie said and hurriedly sent the text to Jack's phone.

Rowan went into the kitchen to check on the clean up. Apart from some snacks and finger foods, the bulk of the food had been put away.

"Thank you so much for doing this today. You can stay and party if you want or you can go, take some of the food with you if you like," she told Syed, Trevor and Nora. She paid them for their time and went back out to sit down.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

"Declan's known me too long," Jack put in. "It doesn't work on him."

Jack gave Gerald a small wave and looked down at Alyssa.

"So, do we sneak out through the side door or what?" he wanted to know. He picked up his phone and handed it to Alyssa.

"Looks like Ronnie's texted you."

Alyssa smiled. "While I can...?" she repeated incredulously. "Jack, I just entered into a life sentence!" she retorted with a grin.

Alyssa sighed and snatched his shirt from the air as it flew towards her. She hurriedly pulled it on and did it up so that it was decent, she stood up off the bed and checked herself, she was fairly decent.

Gerald shielded his eyes carefully as Jack came out of the bedroom and he cautiously peered around his hand. He sighed in relief as he saw Jack was covered. "The text said that she was upset, I came to make sure that she was going to be okay," he said. "Though it looks as though I needn't have bothered," he commented dryly and raised his eyebrows as Alyssa came out of the bedroom too.

"I'll be okay, Dad," she assured him.

"Do I get to know why you're upset?" he asked

Alyssa sighed and took Jack's hand as she nodded. "It seems that Declan set up the kidnap deliberately so that he could rescue me and play the hero," she sighed as she rested her head against Jack's arm.

Gerald gaped at her. "You're joking!" he said in disbelief. "He seemed alright!" he protested.

Alyssa sighed. "I thought so too, but apparently not," she whispered.

Gerald walked over to her and placed a hand on her head. He sighed at the look on her face and kissed her forehead. "You're alright though now, Alyssa," he smiled and patted her cheek. "And look, you've got a husband to protect you from his evil cousin now," he teased. "Though I think Jack would do better at driving Declan round the bend than anything else," he continued with a glance at Jack.

Alyssa looked up at Jack fondly and squeezed his hand. "I know," she smiled.

Gerald looked back at the pair of them and took in their state of dress, he nodded to himself and gestured to the stairs. "I take it the pair of you aren't hanging round," he asked. Alyssa looked at Jack again and shook her head then shrugged. Gerald nodded. "I'll leave you to it, then," he said and returned to go downstairs.

Alyssa took the phone and read the text. She smiled. "I'll be fine :) Tomorrow? xx"

She sighed as she read the other text from Gene. "Gene wants to know if we want to press charges," she said as she handed the phone back to him.

She turned back to Jack and looked down at herself. "Well, first thing I needed to do is get dressed," she smiled as she took his shirt off and handed it back to him. She went back to the bedroom and put her lingerie back on then did her best to get back into her dress. She sighed as she smoothed it down and slid her feet back into her shoes. The grabbed his tie from the back of the seat and looped it around her neck.

She came back out of the bedroom and looked up at him. "Home?"

Jack sighed.

"I don't know, what do you think?" he asked as he pulled on his shirt. "I'm not sure I can be bothered. If he doesn't stay away, then I might change my mind. But it's up to you. You were the victim, love. If you want to go after Declan, I won't stop you."

Ronnie smiled at Alyssa's reply.

"Breakfast? Will have to leave noonish," she sent back. She knew she'd have to leave around lunchtime. She stuck her phone back in her bag and then went to watch her sister dancing.

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Alyssa glanced at Jack's phone as the text came through from Ronnie and nodded. "Sure :)"

She sighed as she watched him button up his shirt and held out his jacket for him. "Surely he won't come back now," she said. "Not with those same intentions. I mean, he didn't stand a chance before but now he really hasn't got a hope," she said. "Why he felt kidnapping me would make me love you less I don't know," she sighed. "I think he's the crazy one of the family," she half smiled and shook her head. "I don't want to press charges, if he comes back then we can ask him what the hell he was thinking," she said with a decisive nod and slid her hand into his.

"I think he thought if he could be a big hero while I was standing by wringing my hands, you might think he was the better catch," Jack surmised. "I don't know. If he does come back, I intend to ask what the hell he was thinking, after I punch his lights out."

"Mmmmm, except I wasn't looking for a better catch," she said with a shrug. "I just wanted you! And as far as I'm concerned, you're the best catch out there," she said with a smile up at him and she squeezed his hand.

He led her downstairs and paused in the hallway.

"So, go have one slow dance and say goodbye or just sneak out the side door?" he asked.

Alyssa smiled and rubbed her hand up his arm. "He'll be a bit difficult to talk to if you've punched his lights out, won't he," she teased and looked at everyone on the dance floor that had been cleared. "I think a dance before we go, thank everyone, especially Rowan for the reception and then say our goodbyes," she said as she took his hand and lead him back into the Restaurant.

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Alex nodded and pulled her slice of cake towards her. Poor Alyssa, she couldn't imagine what it would be like to be upset on your wedding day, though if Jack was with her then she would be fine. She pushed the cake around her plate then picked the icing off it and ate the cake bit before starting on the icing. "We can catch them before they leave for the honeymoon if needs be," she said decisively.

Gene looked at Alex, stood up and held his hand out to her.

"Come on," he gestured and waited patiently.

He swung her into his arms and danced with her.

"Oh, I sent a text to Jack asking if they want to press charges," he told Alex. "Just waiting for him to reply."

He glanced over at Peter dancing with Molly and gave him a look. Peter blanched and made sure his hands stayed where they were supposed to. Not that he wouldn't have anyway, but with Mr. Hunt watching, it made him even more nervous.

Alex gaped at him "_You_! You, _Gene Hunt _sent a _text_?" she said in mock-shock.

Gene looked at Alex and snorted.

"Give over woman. I have done it before you know."

He grabbed her and spun her around.

"Now shut up and dance."

Alex laughed. Shut up? Did he know her at all? She happily let him spin her around and wound her arms around him as she ended up back against his chest. "Me? Shut up? When have you _ever_ known that to happen, Gene?" she smiled.

"I don't know, but it's a lovely fantasy I have," he shot back and then pulled her close as a slow song began. "You're a mad woman, but I wouldn't have it any other way," he whispered in her ear and gave a low chuckle.

He slowly moved her away from where Peter and Molly were dancing. The terrified looks he kept getting from Peter were grating on his nerves.

"I'm getting really tired of tormenting that Beale boy," he admitted. "It's just not any fun anymore."

/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Roxy nodded her agreement. "You know you've always got the room at our place Ron, you're welcome to stay, I miss you when you're not around. Phone calls aren't the same," she sighed and smiled at her sister. "I'd like you to stay."

"Oh, thanks, Roxy. I think I might go ahead and stay over night then. I'll just call Jack and let him know that I won't be back until tomorrow. He won't mind. He's always off out somewhere for work so this time, it's my turn," she grinned.

Roxy laughed at Ronnie and looked up at JT. She glanced at Amy who was happily seated with Peggy and playing happily then stood and took JT's hand. She grinned broadly at him. "Well what?" she teased as she pulled him to a clear spot in the middle of the room.

JT looked up at Rowan.

"So, you still gonna put on some music for dancing or what?"

"I don't know, I hadn't really thought about it. No reason why not, if you want to dance go right ahead," Rowan told him and went back to eat her cake before Ray got a hold of it.

JT grinned at Roxy.

"Well?" he asked her.

"I have to go turn on the music first," he told her and went to flip the switch to turn on the radio. He quickly found a classics station and grabbed Roxy and began to swing her around to some Elvis that started to play.

Rowan laughed at JT and then rolled her eyes.

"We'll be here all night now," she remarked and took another bite of her cake as she watched everyone getting up to dance. "JT loves this stuff."

She glanced over at Nora who took advantage of the tables being empty to begin grabbing all the empty plates. A few minutes later, Trevor came out to help her.

Roxy laughed delightedly as JT swung her around. She looked up at his face and beamed at him. She didn't need anyone else but him.

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Ray slid his arm around Rowan's shoulders as she sat back down next to him and waved a hand at the dancing going on in the middle of the restaurant.

"You wanna dance?" he asked as he watched Roxy and JT doing something dancy together. His gaze moved to Alex and Gene and he watched them for a moment before dropping his gaze back to Rowan questioningly.

"I don't think I'm up for dancing around like that," she replied. "Let's wait for a slow song," she suggested. She couldn't help but give a wry chuckle as the song ended and a slow song came on.

"Perfect timing I'd say."

She quickly pulled her shoes on so she would have some height and then stood up and took his hand to start dancing with him.

Ray happily wound his arms around Rowan's waist and pulled her close to him. He smiled down at her and looked over as Alyssa and Jack came into the room. He thought they were going home? Apparently not. He smiled warmly at the pair of them before moving his attention back to the woman in his arms. He decided he liked her being on a more even height with him: it was easier when they were dancing. He kissed her temple lightly as they danced.


	17. Chapter 17

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 17**

Molly felt Peter stiffen slightly and looked questioningly up at him then heard Gene's voice behind her. She sighed, sometimes having a protective step-father really got on her nerves.

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"So, how long do you want to hang around here?" Rhys asked Tanya as he held her close. "I thought maybe we could go to mine if you fancy it? Or do you have other plans?"

Tanya leant back slightly in Rhys' arms and studied his face. Max was having Oscar again tonight. She had noticed the knowing look on his face when she had taken her son round and Max had agreed to look after his son for the weekend. She had shrugged it off at the time.

Her hand came from around his neck and smoothed back a lock of his hair that was sticking up at a funny angle. "I haven't got any plans, no," she said with a smile and moved her gaze back to his eyes. "I'd say hang around for maybe another hour or so, then go back to yours," she smiled.

"I like your way of thinking," Rhys purred and pulled her close again.

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"Rox, I've been thinking. You know, Rowan and Ray went back home and well…I'd really like to go back and visit too. It's been a long while since I seen my family," he paused and looked down at her. "And I'd really like them to meet you and Amy, too. What do you think about going home with me say, next week, for a couple of weeks or so?" he asked.

"Please say you will," he pleaded. "We could even leave sooner if you want. And I'm sure your pal Christian would help out with the club."

Roxy looked up at his pleading face and then over at Amy who was happily crawling across the padded seats under the watchful eye of Aunty Peggy. She looked back up at JT and nodded. "I think I'd like to see your home," she agreed. "I don't mind when we go as long as I have someone to look after the business side of the club, I'm sure I can beg Christian to sort some of the more buisnessy bits out for me and he likes working behind the bar there anyway," she smiled and then nodded readily. "Sure, lets go over to America," she beamed at him.

"Yes!" JT exulted and swung Roxy around excitedly. "When do you want to go so I know when to book the tickets?"

Roxy shrugged. "Book them for whenever you want," she smiled. "I just need to beg Christian and promise him a present," she smiled.

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Alex wound her arms around Gene's neck and looked up at him with an amused expression. "Try being nice to him then, you never know, his fear of you might dissipate," she said and looked over his shoulder at Peter. She sighed at the anxious expression on the boy's face. "You know, if you hadn't felt the need to terrorize Molly's boyfriend in the first place then you wouldn't have this problem," she teased her and then moved her head to rest on his shoulder.

"Maybe try not to wind him up so much," she suggested. "I know it gets on Molly's nerves when you start on him," she added with a small chuckle.

"I'll stop, but I don't think I want to go so far as to be nice to him," Gene snorted. "I'll do it for Molly, but not for him," he paused. "And because it's boring to wind him up anymore," he stated decisively. "Now, when are you and Ray going to stop acting like spoiled children and give me some peace?"

Alex frowned at him. "I'll stop when he stops," she pouted and shot a glare at him. "He keeps stealing my Pop Tarts and you do absolutely nothing about it!" she said in exasperation.

Gene sighed. Clearly he wasn't going to get through to her.

"I'll tell you now, you both need to stop. If I had known putting you in the same office would be like this," he huffed. "He wouldn't do it if you didn't react the way you do. And stop expecting me to help you. You need to work it out yourselves. I will say this, pranking him back is only going to make things worse. And the closer Rowan gets to having those babies, the more on edge he's going to be," Gene warned her.

He looked over at Ray, who was lucky Rowan hadn't gone nuclear on him, Gene had to admit and back at Alex. "I'm going for a smoke," he told her when the song ended and went outside.

He leaned against the building and smoked silently. Maybe since he wanted Alex to be more supervisory he should move her down the hall and into the large work room with everyone else. He'd let Ray stay in the meeting room outside his office. Ray would be good for keeping people away when Gene didn't want to be bothered. He would have no problem forcibly removing them for the office in fact.

And it would keep Ray and Alex from their petty squabbling. He needed to stop it soon, the Super was already making veiled comments about the lack of team work among the senior officers. First thing Monday, he decided. Alex would have a new desk.

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Rowan saw Jack and Alyssa come in and gave them a wave. She leaned her head against Ray's shoulder and stepped carefully in the high heels she was wearing. She didn't want to topple over in them. Of course, she also hadn't expected to be quite this big.

Rowan heard JT's yelp and glanced over as he swung Roxy around.

"I wonder what's going on there?" she mused aloud.

When the song ended, she walked over to Alyssa and put a hand on her arm.

"Hope you're feeling better?" she asked and gave Alyssa a mischievous smile. She'd had a feeling the text she'd got was a lie. She was even more certain when she saw Gerald's face after he'd come back downstairs.

Alyssa nodded and sneaked a small look at Jack. "I am, yes," she smiled and then let go of Jack and gave Rowan a hug. "Thank you so much for throwing the reception for us, Ro," she said as she hugged her sister. Alyssa pulled back and looked over at where the cake had been, she smiled and looked back at Rowan. "The cake looked spectacular," she said happily.

"It's the least I could do," Rowan said. She pulled Alyssa over to where the cake was and handed her the container. "This is the top tier of the cake, it's all chocolate cake under the pretty white icing," Rowan explained with a grin. "I also had Nora box up some tamales for you, but you can have Jack carry those for you. I wish you weren't leaving so early. Now, I'm not in the mood to party," she sighed. "Don't forget to take your gifts. I had Nora bag them up for you."

"I might just see about kicking everyone out early so I can go upstairs, put my feet up and relax," she turned and looked at Ray. "And see about getting him out of that suit," she chuckled.

Alyssa looked over at Ray, too, and smiled back at Rowan. "I'm sure getting Ray out of his suit shouldn't be too difficult," she grinned.

She turned back to Alyssa. "I saw your father's face when he came back down. I have to assume he walked in on you."

Alyssa bit her lip and looked over at Gerald, he caught her gaze and his expression suddenly went uncomfortable and looked away. She bit back a bubble of laughter and looked at Rowan bashfully. "He did, yes," she smiled. "Whatever he was expecting it wasn't that!" she said before the giggling started up. "I do feel bad for him though, there are some things your Dad should never see you doing," she said. "And that is one of them."

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Gerald hastily looked away from Alyssa when she made eye contact with him, he reached for his pint and drained it. She was talking about him walking in on her and Jack to Rowan. And she was giggling! He didn't think it was funny, he had been perfectly happy in the delusion that his daughter was an innocent little girl, he knew she wasn't of course, but he enjoyed the delusion. Now that was most definitely scattered and broken. He looked over at Jack, his son-in-law. Gerald smiled, he genuinely liked the guy. It was clear how much he loved his daughter, it put Gerald's mind at rest. He didn't want Alyssa unhappy. He only hoped that Jack wouldn't get on the wrong side of Alyssa's temper, granted Alyssa wasn't as bad as Caroline, but she was still pretty volatile when she wanted to be. Though Jack seemed to have it sorted, it seemed he had ways of calming Alyssa down.

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Ronnie went over to her sister and looked at JT who was grinning like a loon.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

"Roxy has agreed to go to Virginia with me and meet the family," JT replied smugly.

"Nice," Ronnie said and grinned at Roxy.

Roxy grinned at Ronnie nodded. "I'm actually quite excited!" she beamed and then looked up at JT.

"I'll look tonight and see what I can find. You talk to Christian tomorrow and let me know. I'm thinking let's go for two weeks. Then we can go some other places, too, if we want. I reckon I could talk my brother into taking us to Washington DC for the day," JT told her and grinned at Ronnie.

"I'll let you tell Amy she's going on holiday," she smiled and reached up to kiss him. "You might just make her day," she laughed and then looked back at Ronnie. "So you'll have to do without my phone calls for a week or so."

"Jeez, Rox, how lucky are you?" Ronnie asked, her tone heavy with jealousy. "You went to New York, now you might get to go to DC," Ronnie sighed.

"I think I can cope for two weeks without phone calls, but you better send me pictures or I'll have to come and hurt you. I need to make Jack take me to Paris or something," she muttered and sipped her wine.

Roxy smiled at Ronnie excitedly. "I'd best make sure my camera has plenty of room on it's memory then," she beamed and laughed delightedly as JT swung her back to dance with him.

"Not tonight," JT said. "Let me get stuff worked out and then I'll do it," he told Roxy and then whirled her onto the dance floor again.

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Jane walked over to Tanya and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Tanya, can you get a ride home? Bianca's having a problem and she needs me to cover the cafe so I have to go now. I probably won't be able to make it back. It looks like Jack and Alyssa are leaving early anyway. After this morning, I can hardly blame them. So, I don't imagine Rowan will let the party go on too much later. Give me a ring if you want to meet up at the pub or something. I'll see what I can sort out if I don't get too busy," Jane told her and squeezed Tanya's shoulder before leaving.

Tanya looked over at Rhys. "I don't think getting home is going to be a problem, Jane," she smiled and gave her friend a quick hug before she left.

Whitney looked around and then looked at Peter and Molly.

"Why don't we go someplace else, maybe R&R or the pub or just see what Mercy and Fats and them are up to?" Whitney suggested. "I hate to say it, but this really is kind of boring."

Peter nodded. "And I wouldn't mind getting away from Mr. Hunt, either," he added.

Molly nodded and rolled her eyes at Peter. "He's not that bad, I keep telling you but you still insist that he's scary," she snorted and let go of Peter to go and tell Alex she was leaving.

Alex nodded and looked over at Whitney, Peter and Brett, she smiled at them and then hugged Molly before her daughter ran off again, Sam reaching for her as his sister left and Alex distracted him by blowing raspberries on his tummy to make his giggle.

Molly nodded as she came back and Brett took Whitney's hand. "Right, everyone into the car," he smiled.

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Jack shoved his hands in his pockets as Rowan led Alyssa away.

"So, you've got just what, four and a half months left huh?" Jack remarked. He looked over at Alyssa. "Sometimes, I wish she wanted kids, and other times, particularly on bad days at school, I'm glad she doesn't."

Ray looked at Jack and gestured for him to take a seat. "Yeah, seems unreal. I don't know what to expect with babies, the only experience I have is helping Louisa over in America with her kids," he sighed. "I don't know how much of a help I'll be to her once the kids born, I reckon I'll end up more of a hindrance," he said as he eyed Rowan's swollen tummy. "I'll be glad when I can hug her properly again though, she's bigger and there's more of her," he commented.

"What are you going to do if you do end up wanting kids and she still doesn't?" he asked curiously as he moved his gaze to the redhead standing next to Rowan.

Ronnie watched JT swing her sister back onto the dance floor and smiled. JT was so good for her sister and Amy. Ronnie was deliriously happy with Jack. She couldn't believe things were finally good for both of them. Even Penny had ceased her open hostility and moved to an attitude of indifference. Ronnie hoped that might change to slight acceptance sometime in the future. At least the girl didn't outright hate her anymore.

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Gene came back over and turned his head to watch Molly and her friends leave.

"What's going on there?" he wanted to know as he sat down and took a drink of his beer. This would have to be his last one he reckoned, then he would have to drink tea or Alex would have his guts for garters.

Alex looked over at Molly as she climbed into Brett's car after Peter and then moved her gaze back to Gene. "The four of them are heading into Walford to find Fatboy and Mercy," she said. "She's got her phone, Gene, it's okay," she smiled in amusement.

Gene sighed. "As long as you're okay with it."

He decided he would reorganize over the weekend so that when Alex went in Monday morning he would have everything sorted. He would also make sure that she understood he wanted her to supervise and avoid bringing attention to the fact that it was mostly due to the bickering.

Alex nodded. "She wouldn't be going if I wasn't okay with it," she replied, amused. Alex caught the look on his face and wondered at it, he looked as though he was thinking. She smiled and wondered what about. She was jolted from her thoughts by Sam straining in her arms again and she immediately swept him up into the air and then brought him back down in front of her. "Are you bored Sammy?" she asked and dropped a kiss on his nose with a smile and sneaked a look at Gene. "What say you annoy your Daddy for a bit," she said as she dumped him on Gene's lap and reached for her wine glass as she relaxed back into the seat.

Gene frowned but took Sammy. He stood up and started wandering around talking to people.

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"No, not at all," Rowan agreed.

Rowan focused her gaze on Alyssa. "You weren't actually in the middle of though, were you? That would definitely be embarrassing. Did I ever tell you, once JT walked in on Ray and I? To be fair, we were on the stairs, but we thought everyone had left and the door was shut. I was mortified."

Alyssa smiled and shook her head "No, we weren't in the middle of it," she grinned and gaped at Rowan before bursting into laughter.

"You didn't tell me no!" she grinned broadly. "Poor JT, I can't imagine he was too happy about walking in on something like that," she said and looked over at JT who was busy twirling Roxy around the Restaurant.

"Well, that's a good thing you weren't, but your poor dad," Rowan commiserated. "I have to agree with you there," Rowan added. "No, he wasn't happy about it. The only fortunate thing was that all he saw of me was my back," she added.

Rowan barely peeked at Gerald from the corner of her eye. She was sure he knew he was being discussed.

"I'm sorry, but that's hilarious, I mean, Jack and I have done it in more public places than that but we've never been caught," Alyssa smiled.

"Ray and I did manage to laugh about it, later. I don't actually consider the stairs to be public, and the restaurant was locked. That's the first time we've been caught. We've been slightly…adventurous. We really did join the mile high club, on the way there and on the way back, at the swimming hole, a bathroom when we went to Paris, oh, and once in the café," she listed and then laughed. "No changing rooms, yet," she teased.

Alyssa laughed. "Mmmm, Jack and I tend to stick to bedrooms, but we've done a bathroom at home, in the flat when we lived there, on the sofa there, the changing room of course," she grinned. "And, the men's loos at the Vic," she laughed. "That one alarmed me a bit," she admitted with chuckle and looked over at Jack. "Mainly because I wasn't expecting it."

"I think it's hilarious you get caught when you're actually in a bedroom," Rowan chuckled.

Alyssa sighed and nodded. "I know, it doesn't seem fair, really," she commented with a shrug and then burst into laughter.

She looked back at Rowan with a grin. "You didn't tell me you were now a member of the mile high club," she teased and glanced over at Ray. "Not that it surprises me," she grinned

She blushed at Alyssa's comment and cleared her throat. "Actually, um, that was sort of my idea," she admitted in a small voice and gave Alyssa an embarrassed look.

"You know what Ro, that doesn't surprise me either," she laughed and glanced over at Ray as he spoke to Jack. "You're so in love with him, Ro," she smiled warmly.

Rowan blushed again.

"Yes, I am," Rowan agreed smugly. "And the lust I feel for him also knows no bounds," she winked and glanced over at Ray. "I don't know which of us it's going to be harder on after the birth and all…me or him," she sighed.

Alyssa nodded. "You'll get through it, Rowan," she said and patted her sister's arm supportively.

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Jack nodded along agreeably. He had a feeling Ray wasn't talking about just hugging, but he wasn't going to ask.

He looked at Ray. "I really don't think that will happen. I'm not getting any younger and small children take a lot of energy to keep up with. I'm more worried about if she changes her mind and wants kids when I feel like I'm too old to handle it," he confessed and looked over at Alyssa giggling with Rowan.

His gaze went to Gerald and he snorted and shook his head.

"Poor Gerald, there are some things that shouldn't be walked in on," he muttered and took a drink of his beer.

Ray nodded. "You've talked to her about it?" he asked as he took a sip of his pint and then glanced over at Gerald, too. "No, it's not something that you want anyone catching you doing. Ro and I got caught once," he commented as he looked over at the two giggling women. "She was shocked beyond belief," he grinned.

"Not about if she wants them later. I know some women get to a certain age and there's the whole biological clock thing. There's no guarantee she won't change her mind in 10 years or so," Jack sighed.

Jack chuckled. "I can imagine she was mortified. She seems so reserved…is that the word I'm looking for?" he shrugged. "Probably not, but you know what I mean. The conservative way she dresses," he explained.

Ray nodded. "I know what you mean, of course, I suppose I get to see a different side to her, but yeah, she was kind of flustered at the situation," he grinned. "Though JT did turn around straight away and walked back out," he told Jack with a small shrug. "We've been a bit more careful about where, since then," he admitted.

"It's always worse somehow when it's family," Jack commiserated. "I'm not happy it was her dad, but at least he's not giving me looks."

He glanced over at Alyssa and Rowan who were still giggling.

"I really hate it when they giggle like that. I always wonder what they're talking about and then I'm sure I don't really want to know," he groused. He turned back to Ray. "She was all for sneaking out of here half an hour ago, bet now we're here for hours."

Ray snorted. "You say that like it's a bad thing," he said. "Personally, I don't mind hanging around here," he grinned. "But, I'm biased," he shrugged with a grin and looked over at Rowan. "Mind you, if you two left then she wouldn't be in the mood to hang around down here and I'd get her all to myself," he mused and looked back at Jack. "I think you should go home," he joked.

"No, mate, didn't mean it that way," he gave Ray's arm a punch. "I just meant, she's ready to go and now we're hanging around. She does this all the time," he sighed.

"You two don't get a lot of quality time alone do you?" Jack asked. "I mean, she's probably a lot busier now than she was when she was running the café, doing a lot herself to keep operating costs down, I would guess and spending time with friends, too. It's going to get worse when the kids come along. It's good that you treasure your time alone with her," he said thoughtfully.

Jack waved at Gene as Gene walked over.

"So, you get to avoid giving the speech," he said to Gene. Gene grinned and nodded.

"Yes, and you can't change your mind," Gene informed him.

Jack shrugged. "I don't mind. As far as I know, Lyss still plans to leave, but she's over there busy giggling with Rowan."

Gene threw a look over his shoulder at the two women.

"Give Alex a few minutes of standing over there by herself and she'll join in, I'm sure."

Jack glanced over at Gene. "Well, you were right, Alex has joined them."

"It was only a matter of time," he huffed. "And now they're all looking over here, again," he glanced at Jack. "They want us to know they're talking about us don't they?" he asked and then looked at Ray and then back at Jack again for confirmation.

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Ginger noticed Jack and Alyssa getting ready to leave and walked over to Chris and Shaz.

"So, looks like the guests of honor are getting ready to leave early. How do you feel about grabbing Rhys, grabbing some beers and having a marathon of something?" he suggested. "Si wouldn't mind some Gavin & Stacey and we could also do a horror for me and Rhys and some scifi for you, Shaz."

Shaz beamed at Ginger and then looked at Chris. She smiled at him and then looked back at Ginger. "Sure," she agreed and glanced over at Rhys with a small laugh. "Do you really think Rhys is going to want to be there?" she asked. "He seems a bit preoccupied," she remarked as she gestured at him and Tanya.

"Sure he will," Ginger assured her. "He'll want her to get to know his friends, besides, his flat has the most room," he flashed her a mischievous grin and then went over to talk to Rhys.

"C'mon, Rhys," he said as he reached his friend. "We want to go have a movie watch at yours. Si and I will get the beer and Shaz and Chris are going to get some chips and stuff, let's go."

Rhys looked at him a moment. Ginger sighed and looked at Tanya.

"Help me convince him, please?" he asked and gave her a pleading look.

Tanya laughed at Ginger and nodded at him before returning her attention to Rhys. "Can I come, too?" she asked him quietly.

"Well, if she wants to come too, then let's go," Rhys decided and looped his arm around Tanya's waist.

Ginger walked back over to Shaz and held out his fist. "I know, I'm the best," he smirked.

Shaz laughed and gave him the fistbump. "Not when you ask someone else to convince him for you," she grinned. "That's classed as cheating."

"Oh, good grief, let's go," Simon pushed and grabbed Ginger's arm to pull him from the restaurant. Chris took Shaz' arm and followed Ginger, Simon, Rhys and Tanya out of the restaurant with a quick wave to Gene, Jack and Ray as they passed them on the way to the door.

"It convinced him didn't it?" Ginger argued. "I use whatever tools are at my humble disposal to use," he informed her, his tone still smug.

Simon shook his head and dragged Ginger towards the car.

"We'll hit the Minute Mart for the drinks," Simon told Shaz as he pushed a protesting Ginger into the car. "So, what do you reckon? Just go to the chippy?" he asked Shaz.

Rhys chuckled and opened the door and gestured grandly for Tanya to get in.

"It's good they're going to get drinks and food. If I'm being honest, the flat needs a bit of a tidy," he confessed.

Alex drained her glass of wine and stood up. She moved over to Alyssa and Rowan and looked accusingly at Alyssa. "I was told you were going home," she said.

Alyssa smiled and shrugged. "Change of plan," she said.

Alex smiled. "I'm glad you hung around, Gene told me about Declan," she said softly and Alyssa nodded. "I'm not pressing charges, just so you know."

Alex nodded "You sure?" she asked and Alyssa nodded once more. "Definitely."

Alex smiled. "Okay, so," she said brightly. "I'm intrigued as to what had you two giggling," she said.

Alyssa laughed. "We were talking about Ray and Jack and being walked in on," she explained. "My Dad just walked in on me and Jack," she continued and Alex burst into laughter. "Oh my god! No wonder he looks so uncomfortable."

Alyssa nodded as she calmed. "Have you and Gene ever been caught?" she asked and Alex shook her head. "No, but the whole station knows what we get up to when Gene locks me in his office," she smiled. "Though they're wise enough not to mention it,"

Alyssa turned back to Rowan. "Another one added to the list!" she exclaimed. "Jack's office," she grinned.

Rowan gave Alex a smile as she walked over. She chuckled along at Alex's comment and kept to herself that Ray had commented on it once or twice. Apparently, Alex was loud.

Rowan's eyes widened at Alyssa's comment.

"I remember that, well, one anyway if there's been more than once," she teased. "I kept everyone outside and kept you from getting caught. The looks on faces were hilarious, no one could figure out why I wouldn't let them go in, and no one even bothered to really press me about why."

Alyssa bit her lip to hold back the grin. "There's been more than once," she admitted. "And I was curious at the time how your timing was so perfect," she grinned.

She furrowed her brow and folded her arms and looked from Alyssa to Alex.

"I'm not that imposing, surely?"

Alex frowned in confusion. "Imposing?" she questioned and Alyssa giggled then shook her head. "I wouldn't say imposing, Ro," she said. "I'd go for..." she broke off as she paused to think of a suitable word, "...ardent," she decided.

Alex shrugged. "I wouldn't say imposing," she agreed. "But you can be quite astonishing."

Alyssa chuckled and nodded. "I guess authoritative fits," she agreed "Look at you when you're cooking, you assert your authority, but in the nicest possible way," she smiled.

"That was very diplomatically put, thanks Lyss," Rowan said with a low laugh.

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Jack nodded and gave the people leaving all a smile and wave as they left. He looked at Ray.

"Well, you've not got many guests left it seems, you may get your wish sooner than you think," he joked.

Gene blew out a breath. "Well, it's because everyone thought the happy couple was leaving. So, now they're all finding their own things to do on a Friday night."

Ray grinned and nodded. "She's a woman," he said simply. "They're all whimsical like that," he shrugged. "I like it when we're together, I've got her hooked on the football though, which makes life easier, I don't have to choose between her and the match," he said with a grin. "Though sometimes I have to catch the highlights because we get carried away," he smiled. "To be honest, I think we'll cope okay with a baby, as long as she's in my arms when I go to sleep, I'll be fine," he said firmly. "We'll have problems if she isn't though," he frowned.

Ray snorted. "You two are just jealous because Alex and Alyssa don't watch the football with you like Ro does with me, which is why the pair of you run to the pub to watch the matches," he grinned. "What's it like being under the thumb?" he asked with an evil smirk.

"And I don't support the wrong team!" he grouched. "United is so much better than City, look at the league tables!" he snapped.

"Lyss watched the other day when Villa was playing," Jack was quick to retort. "And no, I'm not jealous. I don't watch football as much as you do, so it doesn't bother me," he shrugged.

Gene raised an eyebrow at Ray. "I don't have to watch with Alex, I watch with Sammy," he argued smugly and drained his beer. He frowned. "Now I have to switch to tea," he complained.

Jack looked at Ray and grinned. "He's under the thumb," he laughed as he pointed at Gene.

Ray snorted. "So Alyssa watched one match," he said. "Rowan watches every single one with me, and wears team colours," he said proudly and looked at the baby that Gene held skeptically. "But he doesn't know what's going on, so that's pointless," he sniffed.

Ray sighed and nodded. "I think they like to get us all worked up and angsty," he commented as he frowned slightly at Rowan as he caught her eye.

Rowan caught Ray frowning at her at raised an eyebrow at him.

She turned her attention back to Alex and Alyssa.

"I do believe we are upsetting the men," she observed with a smirk.

Ronnie noticed almost everyone had left. JT and Roxy were still dancing, but Peggy had put a fussy Amy in her stroller and started walking home. She went over to her friends and her eyebrows went up as she overheard the subject of conversation.

"I know you're past it, but since you're sharing public shag stories, Jack and I used the office of the club once and when I told him I was pregnant, he dragged me into the alley near the Vic and his excitement got, um, out of hand," she shared.

She noted Rowan's glance out of the corner of her eye and chuckled. "Men always get upset when they know you're talking about them. They don't like to think we umm, compare them I suppose," she added with a large smile.

Alex grinned at Ronnie as she came over and nodded. "Gene did that to me too, but not when I found out I was pregnant," she laughed. "I bet that alley has seen a lot of action, it's in a convenient place," she grinned.

Alex glanced over at Ray, Jack and Gene and nodded with a smile. "Looks like it," she said slyly. "I love that just us talking can get them all worried."

Alyssa nodded with a smile. "Mind you, they talk about us in exactly the same way," she looked at Alex. "When you were pregnant with Sam, Gene used to meet Jack in the pub and then talk to Jack about you and how you being pregnant was hard for him and things like that," she said.

Alex looked over at Gene thoughtfully. "I did wonder why he always seemed a little more relaxed when he came back from the pub," she said slowly as she tore her gaze from her husband and looked back at her friends. "I just assumed his good mood was because he had taken his frustration out on the darts board," she shrugged.

"It's what they think we are talking about that worries them," Rowan added. "And of course, that is exactly what we are talking about."

"That's not talking about us in exactly the same way," Ronnie put in. "Gene was talking about his feelings and we're talking mostly about sex." She snorted out a laugh and took a drink of her wine before looking at Alex. "And yes, I agree that alley has to have seen some real action."

Alex raised her eyebrows. "Gene was talking about his feelings?" she asked Ronnie incredulously. "Wow, he's going soft," she laughed. "There was time when Gene Hunt thought feelings were girly, cissy, nancy things that he wouldn't be caught dead talking about," she continued. "He must be going soft," she said again.

Alex studied Rowan with a small frown. "You haven't blow up at Ray yet have you?" she commented. "Gene mentioned something to Ray that got me thinking, by the time I was 4 months pregnant I was hell to live with, for Gene anyway," she laughed. "He couldn't seem to do anything right."

"No, I still haven't. I cry and go maudlin at the drop of a hat though. What really upset him, was all this," Rowan replied and tugged on a curl and then made a vague gesture at her dress. "He still hasn't adjusted to me acting more like her," she jerked her thumb at Alyssa. "I told him I wasn't going to go high maintenance and start wanting jewelry and perfume, but you should see the look he gets in his eyes when he sees me curling my hair and wearing one of those dresses."

Alyssa nodded with a laugh.

Alyssa frowned and looked down at herself and then back at Rowan. "A new dress and a different hair style does not make you like me," she snorted back. "And are you implying that I'm high maintenance" she frowned. "Because I'm not."

Alex chortled. "No, she's saying that Ray has noticed the change and isn't adjusting to it well. Look at her before, you never really saw her in a dress," she said and then gestured at Rowan to prove her point. Alyssa looked Rowan up and down and nodded. "Okay, so you do look a little different compared to how you used to," she admitted. "But it's nice that you look girly," she said with a shrug.

"Well, he could have been complaining about what a cow you were being," Ronnie teased and ducked Alex's hand.

"I'm not implying that you're high maintenance, just that part of his fear might be that I will become so," she paused to take a drink of her lemonade. "I made sure he understood certain things have not changed," she said and gave her friends a look, but did not expand on what she meant.

She looked at Alex. "It's not that I wore dresses, it's just that I usually wore leggings with them and really, the ones I did wear weren't at all like the ones I bought," she agreed.

"I'm glad you like the change. I'm happy with it and I think Ray's getting used to it," she said and glanced over at him.

Ronnie shrugged. "I don't dress that much different from the way you used to," she remarked. "Roxy was always the one that wanted to be outrageous with her clothes," she told them and pointed at Roxy.

"I've never been comfortable wearing revealing stuff," Rowan told her with a shrug. "This dress is a major landmark for me."

Alyssa smiled. "I know, I remember your wardrobe when we first met," she grinned. "Those early shopping trips were desperately called for," she added with a smile.

Alex looked over at Roxy at Ronnie's indication and eyed over her outfit. "What she's wearing today is pretty tame to what she normally wears," she said quietly.

Alyssa nodded at Rowan. "But you do look gorgeous in it, Ro," she smiled.

Rowan blushed and looked down, she would have looked at her feet, but she couldn't see them anymore.

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Jack bit back a laugh at Ray's bragging. It was interesting to hear him brag on Rowan, he rarely did. Maybe he thought someone would try to steal her if he talked her up too much.

"I'm just saying, Alyssa doesn't forbid me from watching and she's willing to watch on occasion."

Gene frowned at Ray's comment while Jack slapped Ray on the back and howled with laughter.

"He will do soon enough," Gene defended. "And play one day."

Ray grinned at Jack and nodded. "Mind you, he was stupid enough to marry to Alex, what do you expect!" he grinned and looked over at the group of girls again. "I wish I knew what they were saying, it gets me all anxious."

He glared at the two men and then looked over at the women at Ray's comment.

"Fine then," he said and walked over to the women.

Ray watched with interest as Gene stalked over to the group of women and raised his eyebrows at Jack as Gene came back over. Ray frowned and looked over at Rowan. He didn't think they had shagged anywhere in public!

"What are you talking about over here?" Gene demanded to know.

Rowan turned and looked at him, her eyes wide, and replied without missing a beat.

"We're discussing the places we've shagged in public," she chirped and flashed him a wicked smile as his face went pale. Gene looked around at them and then turned and walked back to Jack and Ray.

Rowan collapsed in a fit of giggles against Alyssa and Ronnie's face turned red as she bent over trying to breathe.

"I can't believe you said that to him," Ronnie said to Rowan as she watched Gene walk away.

"Well, he did ask," she burbled.

He cleared his throat as he approached and scratched his forehead.

"Rowan says they're talking about shagging in public," he informed them bluntly and went to get another beer. Alex could stop drinking and drive them home. He was having another beer.

Alyssa clutched at Rowan as she burst into giggles and looked over at Ray and Jack as Gene told them what Rowan had said. She grinned broadly at him before trying to get Rowan to stand up straight again so that she could try to stop laughing.

Alex took Sam from Gene before he walked away and kissed her child's cheek as she held him and laughed as Gene walked away form them. She watched Gene go to get another drink and looked over at her empty wine glass. She supposed that she was driving then. She sighed and cuddled Sam as she tried to stop her giggles.

Rowan looked over at Jack and Ray too, knowing that Gene was telling them what she'd said. She met Ray's gaze as he frowned at her and raised her eyebrows at him. She wondered why he was frowning. Surely he hadn't forgotten what they'd gotten up to. Even now, memories of the swimming hole made her weak at the knees. There was something about Ray when he was dripping wet that she found extremely enticing. She clutched at Alyssa's arms and tried to stand upright as her giggles subsided slightly. She tried to catch her breath and finally let Alyssa go, and nearly doubled over again when she saw Jack look over at Alyssa and wink at her.

"I don't think Jack has any shame," Rowan said to Alyssa. Ronnie chuckled and agreed.

Alyssa shook her head. "Don't worry about it," she smiled. "I think it scarred Dad more than me, and we already know that Jack has no shame," she smiled with a small look over at her.

Alyssa smiled brightly at Jack and then looked at Rowan as she caught her breath. "He doesn't," she said with another chuckle. "But I wouldn't have him any other way," she smiled. Alex glanced over at Jack and Ray and caught the expression on Jack's face. She grinned at Alyssa. "I agree with Rowan," she laughed and Alyssa grinned at her.

Alyssa sighed as she looked over at Jack again. "He didn't even seem upset when Dad burst in earlier, he just brushed it off and there's me blushing like a loon, hiding my face and trying to stop my laughing," she smiled.

Alex grinned. "Even with Molly in the house Gene and I have never been caught," she said smugly.

Alyssa chuckled. "Maybe that's because she's wise enough not to come into your room when you're both in there alone," she said and Alex shrugged.

"And to be fair, I told your father what you said, that you were upset. So I think he would have barged in no matter what you said to make sure you were okay. I'm sorry, I should have told him I thought you were lying," Rowan chortled. She felt very cheerful after the way Ray had smiled at her. She began to wish her friends would go home. She loved them dearly, but Ray had to work tomorrow and she wanted time alone with him, now. She also wanted desperately to relax and put her feet up. She had only stuck with the shoes because she had thought she would be sitting down most of the time, not standing her having a girl gab with her friends, and now her feet were killing her.

Ronnie shook her head.

"Jack is terrified Penny is going to walk in on us. He wakes me up in the middle of the night, when he's sure she's asleep, raring to go. I'm going to have to insist he put a lock on the door, because between him waking me up at night and JJ waking up early in the morning, I'm not getting a lot of sleep," she told them. "In fact, I'm thinking I should go. I'll get more sleep tonight than I've had in a long while," he remarked. She drained her wine and then put her arms around Alyssa and gave her a hug.

"That's for certain," Rowan agreed and gave Alyssa a look of commiseration.

"And you're going to meet me for breakfast in the morning right? Wherever you want, on me," Ronnie told her.

Alyssa hugged Ronnie back and nodded with a smile. "I'll text you as soon as I'm awake," she agreed with a grin as Ronnie left. She turned back to Alex and Rowan with a smile, then glanced over at Jack, she smiled at him then turned back to Rowan. "He's got that look on his face," she smiled. "I think we'll be leaving soon," she added with a small chuckle.

Alex looked over at the men too and bounced Sam on her hip, Gene looked like he was in conversation with Ray about something, she smiled and looked back at Rowan and Alyssa. Her attention was stolen as Sam started to whimper and then began to howl. She looked apologetically at her friends and excused herself while she tried to calm her son down.

"Do you think he's hungry?" Rowan asked Alex as Sammy began to howl. She went into the kitchen, grabbed a small container and put some leftover porridge in it and heated it up in the microwave. She took it and a small plastic spoon out to Alex and handed it to her. "You can give him this. It's just porridge," she told Alex. "And it's fine if you have to take the container home," she assured.

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"I imagine that conversation came from discussing the fact that Gerald walked in on me and Lyss," Jack mused after winking at Alyssa. He blew a little kiss to Alyssa and then turned to Ray and chuckled at Ray's frown.

"Be glad that's all they're talking about mate," he told Ray.

Gene walked back over with his beer and glanced over at the women, who were all still laughing.

"Glad they think that's so funny," he griped.

Ray looked over at Rowan again and caught the dreamy expression in her eyes, he wondered what she was thinking about. He knew that expression, he realised he knew it quite well, she often looked at him like that. He knew that train of thought and he grinned at her happily. He turned back to look at Jack and Gene and frowned

"What else could they be talking about?" he asked curiously, he couldn't think of anything much worse than them discussing the most public places. He still remembered the airplane to America, there and back. A smile graced his face as his thoughts took a detour to the rest of their trip to America.

"I wonder if Alyssa is ready to stop talking about sex and going and having a little," Jack mused and then looked at Ray and Gene as he realized he'd said it out loud.

Ray looked at Jack and grinned. "Why don't you go and ask her," he said with a shrug. "Because," he paused with a smile. "going back to my earlier point, if you two leave then I get Rowan all to myself," he smiled.

"Will you be at work tomorrow?" Gene asked Ray. "I need your help with something."

Ray looked at Gene with a small frown. "I can be if you need me to be," he said. "Why? What's going down?" he asked, intrigued.

Gene snorted at Jack and shook his head then looked at Ray.

"I just need to move some things around. To get ready for being Super and all," he replied dismissively. The last thing he was going to do was tell Ray right now exactly what he was planning. He didn't want Ray to have a chance to lord it over Alex. Since Ray was working all weekend, he wouldn't see Alex and be able to tell her what was going on.

Ray looked at Gene. "I'm fine with that," he agreed. "I'll be in tomorrow morning to give you a hand, I'm working anyway," he shrugged.

Gene nodded at Ray. "You don't have to come in extra early or anything, it can wait till you get there," he told Ray and then walked over to Alex. "Is he all right?" he asked curiously. "Should we take him home?"

Jack grinned at Ray. "Well, then, I shall see if my Lovely Lady Wife would like to now depart," he said decisively and strode over to her.

"So, Mrs. Rimmer, Mr. Rimmer would like to know if you are in fact, ready to depart for our marital home," he said, putting on a posh accent as he offered her his arm.

Alex took the porridge from Rowan with a smile as she moved to the table. "Thanks, Rowan, but I think he's tired," she replied as she tried him with the porridge and he calmed. She grinned as she fed him but after a few spoonfuls he refused to eat any more and started howling again. She put the porridge aside and lifted him into her arms properly and made soothing noises as Gene came over. "I think he wants his bed," she told him as she tried to lessen the noise he was making.

Alex handed Gene the baby and picked up the small container of porridge and handed it and the spoon back to Rowan. "Thanks, Ro, he's just cranky because he's sleepy," she explained.

Ray watched Alex give Gene the baby and furrowed his brow. How could one tiny little infant make that amount of noise, he could have sworn that Louisa's kids weren't as loud as that! Though Sam did have Gene and Alex for parents and he knew from experience that the pair of them had pretty big lungs. He made his way over to Rowan and kissed her forehead. "You look tired," he murmured to her. "Need a hand?" he offered as he watched Alex take Sam back from Gene.

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Gerald finally stood, most had left now and it looked as though Alyssa and Jack were going to start making a move too. He went over to his daughter and nodded at her friends before pulling her aside. He kissed her cheek and beamed at her proudly. "Congratulations, Mrs. Rimmer," he smiled at her and she smiled back. "I'm going back up to Birmingham," he said gently and her smile faltered. "You're not staying?" she wanted to know and he shook his head.

"I can't Alyssa, I don't need to be on your mothers bad side any more than I already am, besides, you've got that honeymoon anyway and you don't need me hanging around," he smiled as he brushed a lock of her hair out of the way. "Besides, I'm not sure I want to hang around you pair of newly weds anyway, especially after earlier," he said with a look at her as she blushed.

"I did try to warn you before you opened the door," she mumbled and he grinned at her and kissed her forehead again. "Call me when you get back from France," he said and she slipped her arms around him in a hug. "I will, Dad," she promised and he nodded.

"Right, I'm going to say goodbye to my son in law and then I'm off back to the Midlands," he smiled as he patted her shoulder and moved away. Gerald went and shook Jacks hand, he decided against the threatening speech, he already knew that Jack would take good care of his daughter.

Jack heartily shook Gerald's hand. "Come back and visit soon," Jack told him and watched his new father-in-law leave.

Gerald said his goodbyes to the rest of the group still in the Restaurant before leaving and getting back into his car to drive home.

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Alyssa looked at Jack and took his arm then looked back at Rowan. "What have I let myself in for," she murmured. "I suppose it's too late to back out now," she added in a heavily resigned tone.

Rowan looked at Alyssa and bit back a laugh. "You're in it for the long haul now," Rowan told her and Jack chuckled. She followed Alyssa and made sure they got all their things and hugged Alyssa back.

Alyssa looked up at Jack and shrugged her shoulders with a sigh. She tugged on his arm to pull him to the now empty buffet table and handed him the box of tamales with a grin and then gently took the box with the cake inside and placed it on top of the tamales box. She patted his hand with a bright smile and moved to hug Rowan. "This time I really am going, thank you for the reception, the cake and the tamales," she beamed and kissed Rowan's cheek then turned to Alex and hugged her carefully around the baby.

"Aww, you're welcome, it's no trouble," Rowan said and took the container back into the kitchen and dumped the uneaten porridge into the bin. She growled under her breath as the container slipped from her fingers and fell into the bin. She grabbed it out and put it in the sink to clean tomorrow.

"If you and Ronnie want to come here for breakfast, it will be my treat," she offered.

"Bye troublemaker. You do know, I'm not going to be nice just because you're family," she told him and he grinned at her. "Hey, likewise," he said and grabbed her and hugged her.

"I'll get to pick you up as much as I like," he told her.

"Yeah, and I'll make you sorry you did," she warned him. He kissed her cheek noisily and then grabbed up the bag of gifts. He grabbed Ray's hand and shook it and saluted Gene and Alex before leading Alyssa out the door.

Alyssa turned back to Jack and took the cake box back from him with a smile. "Okay, this time I honestly think that I'm ready to go," she assured him.

Gene walked over to Rowan. "Thank you, it was very nice. Make sure Ray brings me breakfast tomorrow," he told Rowan loud enough for Ray to hear. She grinned at him.

Alex hugged Rowan back and then looked back at Gene. "I'll see you soon, Ro," she smiled and waved at Ray as she followed Gene out.

Rowan smiled at Ray. "Actually, if you could pick up all the bottles and glasses for me when everyone is gone so I can go upstairs and change out of this," she gestured at her clothes, "I would really appreciate it. My feet are killing me," she told him.

Ray smiled and kissed her cheek. "Course," he grinned at her as he went to start collecting the bottles that were scattered.

Ray smiled as she left to go upstairs and set about going round and collecting all the empty glasses, the amount of them it looked as though he would have to make two trips to the kitchen. He grumbled to himself as he worked.

Shaz snorted and glanced at Tanya then back at Ginger. "A woman is not a tool, Marc," she argued back as she followed Chris to their car.

"A tool is whatever gets the job done!" he yelped as Simon pulled him away.

"You can't use a woman as a tool, MARC!" she yelled back before shutting herself in the car with Chris.

Shaz nodded at Chris. "IF we get a couple of large chips, Rhys should have ketchup and mayo and whatever else he stores in the cupboards at that flat of his," she smiled at Chris.

Chris nodded. "Although, I think we should get three large chips. One for us, one for Si and Ginger and one for Rhys and Tanya," he suggested.

Shaz nodded. "That makes sense," she agreed as Chris stopped outside the Chippy and she darted inside to stand in the small queue for chips.

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Tanya laughed at Shaz and Ginger as she followed Rhys to his car and climbed inside. She raised her eyebrows. "Would you like a hand cleaning up before they get there?" she asked.

"I don't mind at all," Rhys replied. His eyes grew wide at her comment.

"You'd better drive quickly so we can get that mess sorted out then," she smiled at him.

"It's not as bad as all that," he assured her.

Tanya nodded with a smile and sat back in the car as Rhys drove off. She climbed out as they reached his flat and she caught the key he threw to her and opened up. She had never been into his flat and she was curious, they always went to hers. Tanya frowned as she went inside: What mess? She was expecting pizza boxes, plates, mugs and stuff everywhere, all she could see was a cushion on the floor, some clothes tossed over the sofa and a couple of things in the sink.

She turned back to Rhys with a frown. "You're seriously calling this a mess?" she half-laughed.

Rhys gaped at her as he hurried past to snatch the dirty shirt and trousers from the back of the couch.

"Please, come on, can you get that cushion back on the couch please and I'll get the washing up done," he said in a near panic and tossed the clothes into the hamper in his bedroom before going into the kitchen and filling the sink with soapy water. He turned and looked at her. "Do you think there's time to run the hoover?" he asked her curiously.

Tanya's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She suddenly burst into laughter and moved towards him, she cupped his face and gave him a kiss. "I'd never have pinned you as a neat freak," she smiled. "Calm down, the floor's spotless you don't need to hoover, I'll pick the cushion up, you wash the..." she peered over his shoulder and raised her eyebrows. "...mug, plate, knife and fork," she smiled and patted his shoulder before going and stooping down to pick up the cushion. She placed it back on the sofa carefully and watched in amusement as he washed up. A neat freak! She couldn't help but burst into laughter once more.

Rhys' eyes widened as Tanya kissed him, then he grinned.

"I am washing," he told her and then went into the hall to peer into the front room to make sure she had replaced the cushion. He could hear her laughing and shook his head. Why was the fact that he was tidy so amusing? He hoped she wasn't a slob. No, her flat had always seemed neat enough, considering the fact that she had a small child, it was to be expected.

Tanya looked back over as she heard Rhys putting everything away into cupboards: she snorted, everything consisted of 5 things, he had acted as though it was the end of the world. She looked into the kitchen as Rhys came out and then looked at the window as she heard a car pull up outside. "Ginger and Simon or Chris and Shaz?" she smiled.

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Rhys carefully finished drying and putting away the few dishes and came out of the kitchen and walked over to the window and looked out with her.

"All of them it seems," he remarked and went to stand by the handset to buzz them in.

Ginger came bounding up and burst in, waving the Gavin & Stacey DVD in one hand and brandishing a bottle of wine in his other. Simon trudged in behind Ginger carrying a bag full of beer in one hand and another bottle of wine in the other.

Chris gallantly took the chips from Shaz and carried them up.

Ginger paused in the middle of the front room, put his hands on his hips and looked around in disgust.

This place is filthy, Rhys, you surely don't expect us to actually sit down or anything?"

Rhys grabbed the wine from Ginger and punched him in the arm.

"My place is not filthy so sit down and shut up or you can bloody well feck off," Rhys told him and Ginger burst into laughter.

Simon took in Tanya's face and touched her arm reassuringly. "They're always like this," he told her.

Chris shook his head. "No, they're not. Sometimes they are much worse."

Shaz brought up the rear and nodded in agreement with Simon as she smiled at Tanya. "He's right," she said and looked at Rhys and Ginger. "Don't tell me I'm wrong because I still remember those dares," she said with a small grin at them as she followed Chris into Rhys' kitchen and got down some plates. She knew that Rhys would got ape if they got chips on the floor and grease stains everywhere.

Tanya smiled at all of them and grinned at Shaz then looked curiously at Rhys. "Dares?" she asked.

Ginger began to chuckle and Rhys shook his head.

"Just the kind of dares that long time mates make to each other," he told her. "Don't ask," he waved his hand at her.

"Oh, go on and tell her," Ginger goaded as he poked at Rhys' arm with his finger.

"No, just leave it, Marc," he sighed and rubbed his hands at the sight of chips.

He grinned at Shaz. "I'll get the rest of the stuff," he told her and went to get a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of brown sauce.

Shaz made sure that everything was on a plate and then handed one plate to Chris for her and him, one to Ginger for him and Simon and gave the other to Tanya for her and Rhys. Shaz went and skimmed through the movies on Rhys' DVD rack and picked one of his scifi's to put next to the Gavin and Stacey DVD already sitting on the floor next to the TV. She then went and sat in her usual place next to Chris as she waited for everyone else to get themselves in order.

Tanya looked up as Rhys came back with the two sauces and snagged the ketchup from his grasp before adding a blob to the side of the plate. She smiled at him and took a seat on the sofa as she waited.

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Rowan watched them all leave and locked the door. She blew out a long breath.

"Okay, that's over with. Could you also pull the blinds when you finish picking up? Just put the glasses next to the sink and the bottles in the recycle bin," she told Ray and leaned against him. "I'll see you upstairs," she said and patted his cheek before heading towards the stairs.

Rowan trudged tiredly upstairs after watching Ray go to finish picking up the last few beer bottles and empty wine glasses scattered around. She walked into the flat, leaving the door open behind her and slipped off her shoes and padded into the bedroom. She carefully took off the dress and hung it up in its garment bag. She quickly stripped down to her knickers before slipping on the oversized shirt she liked to sleep in. She sighed-now she was finally comfortable. She grimaced at her leggings and decided only Ray was going to see her walking around and didn't need them.

She tossed the shoes into the bottom of the wardrobe and huffed out a breath in frustration when one of the shoes fell back out. She reached down for it with a grunt and managed to snag her finger on the back of the shoe and put it in the wardrobe. She swung the door shut and turned away only to have the door not catch and swung open to gently bump her.

She turned around and let out a frustrated sigh and forcibly closed the door. She looked at the wardrobe door a moment and then went into the kitchen. She reached a bag of crisps out of the cupboard and bit back a howl of frustration as the bag slipped through her fingers and onto the floor. What was the matter with her! The whole flat was turning against her. She grabbed the counter, crouched down, grabbed the bag and stood back up. She stared at the fridge a moment, but decided Ray could get her something to drink. She didn't want to spill something everywhere. She half-stomped to the living room and scooped the remote up off the coffee table, this time she did not hold back her growl of aggravation as the remote slipped from her fingers.

She flung the bag of crisps onto the couch and bent down to get the remote, only to have her foot bump it and send it skittering under the couch. She closed her eyes, clenched her hands into fists, clenched her teeth and growled again. She opened her eyes, huffed out a breath and dropped to all fours and shoved her hand under the couch to get the remote only to sweep it just out of reach. She raised herself up a bit and frowned.

"Ray! I need your help," she shouted as she kept ineffectively reaching under the couch for the remote. "RAY!" she shrieked. Her backside was pointed towards the door and she wasn't sure he was in the flat yet. She glared at the couch.

"Give me back the remote you stupid, bloody, useless, shagging, ugly, smelly, piece of shit excuse for a couch!" she shrieked, punctuating each word with a punch on the seat cushions. "ARRRRGGGHHH!" she howled slammed her fist against the couch again.

Ray's head shot up in panic as he heard Rowan's shrieks. He put the final glasses down in the kitchen and sprinted for the stairs, terrible thoughts going through his head and his hand already reaching to his pocket for his phone. He ran up the stairs as fast as he could as he heard her scream his name again. What had happened? What if she'd hurt herself, or fallen and...

His mind trailed off at the sight of her punching the sofa, he refused to let himself relax as he moved forward and he gently pulled her away and sat her on the sofa instead. He checked her for bruises, but she didn't seem like she was upset, or injured. Just frustrated. He rested his forehead on the arm of the sofa ass he let out a long, slow, shaky breath

"Jesus Ro, I thought you'd hurt yourself or something," he sighed in relief as he slid a hand under the settee and pulled the remote out easily. He pressed it into her hand and sighed in relief once more. "Nearly gave me bloody heart attack!" he told her as he sat down next to her and pulled her to his chest.

Rowan wriggled in Ray's arms but finally let him sit her down. She folded her arms sourly across her chest and glared at the floor. She gave the remote a scathing glance and slammed it down on the coffee table.

His hand went to her head and he combed his fingers through her curls as he clutched her to him, he took her free hand and pressed it to his chest. "Feel that heartbeat," he said. "You scared me."

She huffed out a breath in frustration as he pulled her close and tried to let the feel of his hand in her hair calm her.

He willed his body to calm as he held her to him. "What got you all worked up?" he wanted to know as he took the remote from her and switched the TV on for her.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so pissed off!" she spat as he put her hand to his chest. "I put the shoes in the wardrobe and one falls out and I can barely bend over to pick it up. Then the wardrobe door wouldn't shut, then the crisps fell on the floor and then the remote and when I tried to pick up the remote I accidentally kicked it under the couch and then I couldn't reach it. It was just so infuriating," she howled. "I can't do anything right anymore because I'm this huge horrible thing!" she wailed.

She looked up at him. "I just wanted to relax and everything went wrong!"

She looked into his amazing eyes and then her gaze trailed down to him, still in his suit. She couldn't help but smile. She ran the lapels of his suit jacket through her fingers as she admired him.

"You really do look good in a suit," she told him, glad her voice sounded calmer and gave him another small smile. "I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized. "I just got so angry!"

Ray sighed. "You're not a huge horrible thing, Ro," he said gently. "You're beautiful and pregnant," he smiled. "And yelling abuse at the sofa will not get you the remote back any quicker," he teased with a grin and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

Rowan gave him a big eyed look. "You really think so?" she asked him.

Ray smiled down at her and nodded sincerely. "Of course, Ro, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it," he told her gently and pushed her hair back from her face. "You are beautiful," he smiled at her and pressed his lips to hers gently before pulling away with a smile.

"You can relax now, and if you need anything then I'll get it so nothing goes wrong for you," he said decisively.

"Well, I was angry and something was wrong, I couldn't get the remote," she pouted.

Ray grinned as he looked at her. "It's fine, just don't screech my name like that unless something is severely wrong, I was all ready to call an ambulance for you," he said and shifted in his suit. "I don't like being dressed up like this," he sighed and let go of her. "I'm going to get changed back into my jeans," he told her as he stood up and smiled at her still sitting on the sofa. He went to the bedroom and shed his suit, then went to the wardrobe and pulled out his jeans and a jumper, he dressed himself and padded back out to the room where Rowan was. He contemplated her for a moment then went to the kitchen and got her glass of lemonade, he pulled out a bowl for the crisps and grabbed a packet of chocolate biscuits. He got a beer from the fridge and laid everything in front of her on the coffee table. Then went to the DVD rack and pulled out a selection. He pushed one into the DVD player and snatched the remote from the coffee table where she had slammed it then joined her on the sofa and pulled her against him and the coffee table closer so that they could both reach it.

Rowan watched as he rummaged in the kitchen and then got some DVDs. She smiled as he pulled her against him.

"We're having a movie night," he informed her as he reached for his beer and used the remote to skip straight to the menu screen on the DVD.

"Oh, are we?" she asked him. She pushed him to lean back on the couch so she could lay against him. She grabbed a biscuit and cuddled close to him so she could watch the movie and began to nibble the biscuit.

Ray made sure she was settled before starting the movie and draping an arm around her comfortably as he lay back and reached for his beer can. He opened it and then snagged a handful of crisps from the bowl as the opening music started.

Rowan shifted slightly so she could look at Ray. She waited until he'd finished eating his handful of crisps and then took his hand, laced her fingers with his and put it on her belly.

"Are you scared?" she asked him softly as she looked up at him. "I know I am," she admitted. She leaned against his chest again and sighed. "Sometimes I can't wait until it's over and other times I wish it wasn't happening at all."

She looked up at him.

"I just don't know how I'm going to do this."

Ray squeezed her hand with his and looked at her tummy. He ran a hand over it tenderly and sighed. "I'm scared too, Ro," he confessed quietly. "I'm glad it's happening though," he told her with a smile. He wanted to do this with her: have a child. He was scared stiff and unsure how he was going to do it, cope. But he figured that as long as he had Rowan then they would do it together and get through this. Gene had done it, he had Sam and a teenager and he seemed fine. If Gene Hunt could manage children then so could he. Jack even worked with kids for a living, granted they were teenagers and didn't belong to him, but he still spent a lot of his time around them. If his friends could cope around kids then so could he.

"You're not alone Rowan, I'm with you all the way. We can do this together," he said softly as he gave her another gentle squeeze. "And I think that rather than dwelling on it too much that we should just go with the flow," he shrugged. "We can do this Ro, we'll get through it. Promise," he told her.

"I'm glad too, I just get scared sometimes," she told him. "I don't worry all the time."

"So, stop worrying because that never helps anyone, and watch the movie" he instructed and grinned down at her. As long as they were together doing this then they would be fine, he was certain.

She knew Alex had done it and she herself had babysat more times than she could count.

"It's not just having kids, you know, being a mother, I used to babysit. It's the birth I'm scared of. Actually having the baby," she sighed.

She pressed herself against him.

"I know you'll be with me, that we're in this together and I love you for being with me, and there for me."

She wrapped her arms around him and looked at the screen.

Ray held her close and sighed, he was more anxious about the whole being a dad thing. But then, he wasn't actually the one giving birth to the kid. "I've told you, Rowan, I'll be right there with you all the way," he promised and leaned down and kissed her head. "We're doing this together," he confirmed.

Ray sighed again and chuckled at the happenings on the TV screen. He was always his most relaxed like this, hold her. It didn't matter whether it was in bed or on the sofa. He just like doing it. She was a welcome weight against him. Ray frowned as he caught himself wondering what he would do if she left him. He shook his head to rid himself of the notion, that wasn't going to happen. He wouldn't let it happen. He was not going to lose this woman. Ever.

He was slightly regretful that he had to go into work tomorrow. He would rather spend the day with Rowan, especially now she was being forced to do less and less in the Restaurant. He had given JT clear instructions that if she did start working then she was only allowed to work for a few hours before she had to have a sit down for at least 20 minutes. He wasn't going to have her overdoing it. He knew that she would get frustrated about being told she wasn't allowed to work, but it was for her own good and he didn't want her hurt or anything.

"I know," she sighed and squeezed him.

She liked being with him best when they were alone. He was so loving. She loved just being held by him, like this. She still couldn't believe she'd fallen for someone like him, and now she couldn't imagine her life without him. She hoped some other thinner, curvy woman wouldn't turn his head while she was huge like this. She wasn't sure she could bear it. She squeezed him again and held back a sigh.

He had to work tomorrow, she wished he didn't. She knew occasional weekends had to be done, but it didn't mean she had to like it. She knew that JT and the others would take down the decorations when they got here, so technically, she could sleep in. More time to cuddle with Ray in bed.

Now that Trevor and JT were opening the restaurant, she would get more time every morning to cuddle Ray in bed. She decided there were some things about being told to 'take it easy' that she liked. She glanced at the TV to see what had him chuckling and chuckled herself.

Ray felt himself begin to doze as he watched the movie. The combined feel of Rowan in his arms and against him, the comfortable sofa beneath him and the gentle blare of the TV was lulling him. He sighed peacefully as he felt his eyelids droop and he shut them for a moment. Resigned he left them shut, he couldn't open them now: it involved too much effort. Leaving his eyes shut he groped around the coffee table until his hand reached the bowl of crisps and he grabbed a few and guided them back to his mouth. He munched them victoriously as he settled back into the cushions and dozed happily.

Rowan found her attention caught by Ray's hand fumbling around for the crisps. She raised an eyebrow and then lifted her head to watch him eat the crisps with his eyes closed.

"Ray, I thought we were watching a movie?" she asked him curiously. "You don't look to me like you're watching the movie," she said, a tiny hint of mischief in her tone. She bit her lip as she watched his face and slowly unfastened his jeans and slipped her hand inside. She slowly slid her hand over his lower belly and further down into his boxers and began to lightly brush her fingers against him.

Ray cracked open an eye and looked at her. "We are watching a movie," he replied with a small shrug and pointed at the TV, with the movie still blaring from the screen in front of them. He shut his eyes again as she began to touch him and his hand fisted gently in her top. He sighed happily and pulled her closer to him as he made a happy noise in his throat.

She shifted slightly and bent to press a kiss on the soft flesh just below his belly button as she continued the featherlight brushings with her fingers. Now that she wasn't cooking as often, she had let her fingernails grow a bit, they were still quite short, but she could use them. She slowly grazed her nails gently up his belly, pushing his shirt up as she went, trailing kisses behind her fingers, up to his chest. She shifted to move closer to his head and put her hands on his sides and slowly pushed his shirt up and over his head, pressing slow kisses to his chest.

She tossed the shirt aside and buried her face in his neck, planting long slow kisses up to his jaw and then tracing her tongue along his jawline before dropping her lips to his shoulder. She kissed her way slowly to his chest, running her hands over him as her lips traveled across his skin. She slipped her hand inside his boxers again, resuming her gentle stroking of his hardness with her fingers, gently fondling the length of him. She smiled as her lips reached his neck again, she loved it when he let her have her way like this. She couldn't get enough of exploring him.

Ray let her remove her shirt and he chuckled lightly, then half sighed, half moaned at the feel of her lips on his skin. He released the material he clutched and smoothed it down by stroking her back slowly. He moved both his arms around her and kissed her languorously. He liked this: slow, relaxed. Ray broke the kiss and raised his eyebrows at her as he brushed her hair back from her face and cupped her face in his hand "Now who is not watching the movie?" he grinned at her as he shifted his position slightly so he was more comfortable.

She lifted her face from his neck and slipped her hand around the back of his neck to draw him close for a long slow kiss.

Ray glanced down at his bare chest and then back at her face. "Well this isn't fair is it?" he said, gesturing to himself. He tugged on her oversized shirt and lifted it easily over her head. He dropped it on the floor next to the sofa and smiled at her in appraisal. "There," he grinned as he ran his hands slowly up her sides. "Much better," he said happily and cupped her face once more as he brought her back to him for another kiss.

"Well, if you aren't watching it, then I shouldn't have to either, besides, I can think of other things I'd rather do," she whispered.

She lifted herself slightly so he could pull off her shirt and and happily kissed him back. She could quite happily lay here and kiss him all night. She ran the fingers of her hand into his hair and intensified her stroking as she deepened the kiss.

She moaned low in her throat and stopped her hand. She ran her other hand down from the back of his neck to his waist and began to ease his jeans and boxers down. She shifted herself awkwardly and straddled his hips and began to run her hands over him again, his chest, shoulders, arms, first caressing with her palm and then grazing lightly with her nails.

She gazed down at him, feeling the hardness of him between her legs through the thin cotton of her knickers, and nearly cursed her belly aloud. She couldn't lean to kiss him.

She wanted to kiss him, but she wanted him inside her. She raised herself to her knees and leaned so she could kiss him. She shifted her weight more on one arm and let her other hand slip down to take him in hand again. She brushed her fingers over him gently again, marveling at the softness of his skin. She trailed her fingers up and down the length of him and then wrapped her hand carefully around him and began to stroke him, intensifying the kiss as she did so.

Ray ran his hand up her back and into her hair as she kissed him, he held her head to his and kissed her back hungrily. Ray couldn't take it. Her hand was driving him crazy, couldn't she see that. He reached down and closed his hand around hers then moved it away. He put her hand back on his chest and broke the kiss and looked at her before curling his hand into the material of her knickers and tearing them off her. He was in no mood to mess around with getting things off. He made her sit back and pulled her onto him. A guttural groan left him and his hands held onto her hips as his head fell back, just the feel of her was incredible.

Rowan looked at him curiously as he pulled her hand away and her eyes widened as he tore off her knickers. She went along as he sat her back and made it clear where he wanted her, and lowered herself onto him. She let out a small cry as he filled her and as he moved his hips she began to move with him.

Ray looked up at her face and moved his hips slowly and he moaned again, he moved his hands down to stroke up her legs, then leaned up and planted slow kisses up her body, starting from her belly and lavishing attention onto her swollen tummy. He knew it was frustrating her and effecting the way she saw herself, so he would try to show her just how beautiful he thought that she was. He gradually moved away and up to her breasts and showered kisses there too. His hand moved from one leg up to her hip again as he rocked his hips faster.

She leaned her head back with a long, low moan as he began to kiss his way up her body. She dug her fingers into the back of the couch to steady herself as she began to ride him faster. She was so close and the feel of him inside her was so wonderful.

"Ray, oh, Ray, oh, oh!" she gasped out and her cries intensified as the pleasure overwhelmed her. She couldn't hold back screaming his name as she went over the edge and her grip on the couch eased as her head dropped forward as she tried to catch her breath. No one else had ever made her feel this way, and she loved it. Granted, her personal experience was small, but it didn't change anything. She loved him. All the small moments they had when he would kiss her cheek or touch her hand, it always made her heart beat faster.

She closed her eyes a moment and then opened them again and looked at him, this man she loved so deeply. She stretched out her hand to his cheek and stroked her thumb across his mustache. She would do anything for him.

Ray cried out her name and held her hips to hold her down as he felt himself go with her. He closed his eyes and let his head fall back onto the cushions of the sofa. He stayed there and smiled as he felt her hand on his cheek and opened his eyes to look at her and smiled at her happily as he sat up and hugged her carefully. He rolled her so that she was laying in front of him and buried his face into her hair, breathing her in with a deep sigh as he opened his eyes to look at the TV over her head. He let her shift until she was comfortable then held her to him once more.

Rowan lifted herself from him reluctantly and shifted to lie in front of him. She loved the feel of him against her back with his arms around her and the feel of his skin on hers. She sighed contentedly and pulled his arms tight around her. She laced the fingers of one hand with his and rested it on her belly. She wondered if he would sing to her tonight, well, to the babies. It always calmed the kicking, and she was beginning to think the kicking was now intentional in order to get sung to. She smiled at the thought and heard him chuckle.

He was torn between watching the movie and going to bed so this was a compromise. He got to hold Rowan as he would in bed and they both got to watch the movie. He would have to invest in a TV for their room. Especially for when he took paternity leave. Which he would as they got closer to the due date. He had no intention of staying at work while she was at home on her own most of the time. A TV would be perfect while he was on paternity leave with her. They could switch it on in the morning and cuddle. He grinned to himself and squeezed her gently as he let loose a small chuckle.

She leaned her head back and tilted it so she could look behind her at him.

"What's so funny?" she asked him curiously.

Ray hugged her close and looked down at her. "I'm going to take paternity leave," he informed her with a smile. "And then, I'm going to buy us a TV for the bedroom so that we can have lazy mornings in bed and have movie nights in bed, this sofa isn't the roomiest," he smiled at her. He kissed her cheek and rested his head against hers happily.  
>"You know, I can't believe we're lying here naked like this, good thing I locked the door," she teased and let go his hand so she could pull him to her for a quick kiss. She laced her fingers with his once again and her eyes widened as the kicking began.<p>

Ray chuckled again and looked down at her. His eyes trailed down her and then back up to her face with grin. "I like you best without any clothes on," he informed her and kissed her back. He raised an eyebrow as he felt the kicking and moved his other hand around so that he could feel too. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he grinned. A though occurred to him and he turned his face to look at her properly. "Does it hurt?" he asked. "When the baby kicks?" he continued curiously.

Rowan sighed and massaged her belly to calm the kicking. She finally stood up.

She shook her head at his question. "No, it's more…uncomfortable than anything else," she explained. "Though, there have been some fairly hard kicks that hurt a little bit. Mostly, it feels strange."

"Okay, come on," she said and switched off the TV. She reached down and grabbed his hand to encourage him to stand. "As much as I love looking at you lying on the couch like that, acuisle, we need to go to bed and you need to sing so the kicking will stop," she told him. "They always stop when you sing to them," she added and tugged his hand to get him to follow her.

"Never mind the mess, I'll clear it up tomorrow. I'm going down late in the morning and just playing hostess, since they are terrified to let me lift so much as a plate," she gave him a look. "I'm not an invalid you know, just pregnant. Some things I can still do," she scolded. She stopped in front of the bedroom door and wound her arms around his neck.

"You just don't want me to be too tired for a little naughtiness," she teased and reached her hand down to squeeze his bum and then gave him a swat. "Wait until after the birth, then I'll be too tired," she said and chuckled as she walked into the bedroom.

Ray grinned at her as he followed her into the bedroom and collapsed with her onto the bed. "Well, as much as I enjoy a bit of naughtiness, I don't want you tiring yourself out," he smiled at her as he pulled her close to him under the covers and kissed her forehead. "Though, as long as you're in bed with me then I'll be fine," he assured her. In truth he wasn't looking forward to those first few months after the birth when he wouldn't be able to touch her, but he was hoping that he would be too tired to worry about anything like that. He remembered Gene's temperament all too well once Alex had given birth to Sam and could remember snoring coming from his office on countless occasions. He guaranteed that he would be something like that.

She smiled as he pulled her close once they were in bed and shifted to lie on her back. "You know, we won't have lazy mornings watching TV after the birth," she warned him and pushed the covers off her belly.

He looked at her. "A month before the birth, when I take paternity leave," he said, he knew that it should only be two weeks before the birth but he was hoping for more. He was sure that the team would be able to cope without him for a few extra weeks. "We are not getting up until at least 10 unless we absolutely have to, and I intend to treat you like a queen," he grinned at her as he held her close and closed a hand over her tummy once more. His eyebrows raised as he felt a kick again and he kissed her cheek before humming the start of a tune.

"I don't think I could sleep well without you either. Funny, after years of being alone and now I can't stand it," she shrugged. "I can't tell you how much it means to me that you're going to take time off work to help me, acuisle," she told him. "It will be nice sleeping until we wake up, no alarms," she smiled. "Alex is always telling me she can't believe you're the same man and she doesn't even see you when you're like this," she said and stroked his cheek.

Ray snorted and looked at her. "Course I am," he said and patted her arm. "It's a valid excuse for time off work," he grinned. "And I get to spend it all with you, why wouldn't I take paternity leave," he added.

Ray nodded and ran his hand over her belly as the kicking gradually stopped. She moved her hand and put it over his and leaned her head against him as he began to sing.


	18. Chapter 18

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 18**

Ronnie went over to Roxy and JT and told them she was heading to the pub. JT looked at Roxy.

"You want to go, too?" he asked her and glanced over at the few people remaining. "Looks like most of the party has left anyway."

He glanced at his watch. "It's only 5:00, we can have fun at the club or something," he suggested.

Ronnie shook her head. "I just want to sleep," she told them and shouldered her bag.

Roxy looked at Ronnie. "Well you've got the room at the Vic," she smiled. "We can all head back to Walford now anyway," she said as she took JT's hand. They would take Ronnie home so that she could go to bed, then decide what to do for the evening. She didn't mind what they did, she was all in favour of going out, but then, she was also liking the idea of curling up on the couch with JT and Amy to watch one of Amy's Disney Princess movies. She smiled and waved at the rest of them over by the buffet table and the lead her sister out to her car.

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Alex made sure that he strapped Sammy into the carseat safely. She smiled at her husband as she climbed into the front of the car and drove them home. She pulled up outside the flat and left Gene to himself as she took Sam inside and settled him in bed then fired off a text to Molly saying she wanted her home by 10.

Alex rolled her eyes when the text she got back was a single 'k'. She discarded her phone on the counter and collapsed down on the sofa after changing into her jeans.

Gene took Sammy from Alex and bounced him.

"Okay, you're driving," Gene said and grabbed their things.

Gene stayed outside to have a quick smoke and then went back in. He saw Alex relaxing in her jeans and walked over.

"So, he's out for the count then?" he asked and dropped onto the couch next to her. "Shame Molly's not here, we could go to the pub or something," he said and sighed.

"It's more fun than sitting around here, stuck in the flat," he complained. "And I only had three beers."

He sat back on the couch and folded his arms and frowned at the television.

Alex smiled up at him. "He's dead to the world," she smiled and sighed happily."You just like having a live in babysitter," she laughed. "Why go to the pub? You've already spent most of the afternoon drinking," she said. "Besides, no one will be there, Jack will be at home with Lyss and I reckon Ray will be with Rowan," she shrugged. "If you want beer then there's some in the fridge," she added as an afterthought.

"Just because Jack and Ray won't be there doesn't mean no one will be there," he added and looked at her.

Alex snorted. "You're not stuck in the flat, you are allowed to go down to the pub if you so wish," she added. "I'm not stopping you," she shrugged and got up from the couch and went to the fridge. She pulled out the orange juice and poured herself a glass then got out the ironing board. She glanced briefly at the pile of washing in the corner that was needing her attention: it wouldn't get done otherwise. She smiled briefly at him as she picked the iron off the side and plugged it in. "I however have this lot to get through if you want nice looking clothes next week," she said.

"You sure you don't mind?" he asked her and stood up to walk over to her. "I won't stay long," he promised. He hurriedly kissed her cheek and then grabbed his keys and headed out.

Alex shook her head with a chuckle as she watched him leave then grabbed the iron and made a start on the mountain of clothes.

Rhys stuck the "Gavin and Stacey" DVD in the player and dropped onto the couch next to Tanya.

Chris slung an arm around Shaz as the show started. He opened a beer and handed it to Shaz before opening one for himself.

Rhys was glad for an excuse to put his arm around Tanya as they all watched the movie Shaz had picked out.

Simon had suggested they save Gavin and Stacey for last, so they could laugh after the suspense and the gore. Rhys thought it a good plan. He watched Tanya out of the corner of his eye, he hoped she didn't plan on leaving, he wanted her to stay.

He looked up and frowned at the sound of the door buzzer.

Ginger looked over at him.

"You expecting anyone?"

"No, I'm not, you're all here already, aren't you?" Rhys replied and reluctantly left Tanya's side to pick up the handset.

"Oh, you are kidding me," he sighed. "Fine, come up," he grouched and hit the buzzer.

"It's Ffion, she sounds upset," he warned them all.

"When is she not?" Ginger joked and Rhys rolled his eyes and opened the door before Ffion could knock. She flew to her brother and barreled into him, nearly knocking him down as she flung her arms around him.

Rhys sighed and patted her back.

"What is it this time?" he asked her, slightly gently. She was always so emotional, no one had believed her at first when she said she'd miscarried. So, he tried to reserve judgment now until after he heard the crisis.

"Bradley and I have had a row," she said and sniffed.

"What about?"

"He got annoyed at me, he thinks I fancy bloody Trevor," she wailed.

"Don't you?" he pressed.

"Well have you seen him? Who wouldn't? But he's married and believe it or not I love Bradley," she defended.

Rhys sighed. "Fine, you can stay here for a bit, but be quiet," he told her. She nodded and went to the bathroom and blew her nose.

Rhys looked at his friends and grimaced at them.

"Sorry about that," he apologized.

"No worries," Ginger assured him. Chris and Simon nodded. Ffion was almost always coming into the station with some drama or other.

Tanya watched the girl with acute interest. Rhys had mentioned his sister and the rest of his family a couple of times and she had never met the girl. She was exactly how Rhys had described her and Tanya couldn't hold back a small chuckle. She watched Ffion disappear and looked at the rest of them: Ginger, Simon, Chris and Shaz seemed unphased by Ffion's behaviour. So she assumed that this sort of drama was normal for her. She smiled up at Rhys briefly before turning her attention back to the movie and grabbed a couple of chips from the plate Rhys had put on the little side table near them.

Ffion came back out of the bathroom finally and looked around, her arms folded across her chest. She frowned and then promptly deposited herself on Rhys lap, drawing a cry of protest from Rhys.

"You're my big brother, Ree, just hold me okay?"

"Fee, this is ridiculous," he snorted.

"Why doesn't Bradley love me anymore?" she wanted to know.

"Fee, I'm sure he does,"

"No, no he doesn't," she disagreed.

"We never even have sex anymore," she wailed.

"FEE!" Rhys gasped. "I do not want to hear that," he told her, his tone shocked.

"Yes, Ffion, that is indeed too much information," Ginger agreed.

Ffion sat up and looked back over her shoulder at him.

"Well, it's only the truth," she told him and stuck her tongue out.

She looked back at Rhys.

"What am I going to do?" she pleaded. "What if he chucks me out? Can I move back in here, I promise I'll be clean."

She widened her eyes at him in an attempt to look pathetic. Rhys sighed and looked down, then at Ginger, then at Tanya, any direction to avoid his sister's gaze.

"Fee, that's not going to happen."

"How do you KNOW?" she railed and pounded her fist on his chest. "You can't know."

"Neither can you, Fee," Ginger told her and she promptly began to pout.

Tanya widened her eyes slightly at Rhys as he looked at her but said nothing as she distributed her attention between the TV and Rhys' sister.

Shaz looked up from the chips that were balanced on Chris' lap and looked over at Ffion "Fee, have you tried talking to Bradley yet?" she asked as she shifted her position on Chris to look at the younger girl

"Because Bradley should know that practically every girl that walks in that restaurant now goes in not just for Rowan's food, but also to get a glimpse of Trevor. I think he needs to know that every girl that goes in there fancies him and it's not just you," she said with a shrug and looked back at Chris before he could talk. "Yes, I think he's good looking," she said simply and kissed him with a smile before snatching another chip from the plate on his knees.

She looked back over at Ffion. "I think that you should talk to him and then show him that you love him," she said with a shrug.

"I did talk. He didn't want to listen, that's why we had a row," Ffion told Shaz in a teary voice. "I keep telling him I'm not going to run off with a married man like Stacy did, besides, I'm not pregnant with Trevor's baby like she was having Ryan's. There's nothing there, but he won't hear it."

She looked at her brother and sniffed.

"I told him, Trevor's happily married, so there's no way I would," she said and Ginger barked out a laugh.

"Adam was married love, didn't stop you there. Oh, and Gerald as well," Ginger corrected her.

Ffion whipped her head around at him, smacking her brother in the face with her hair, causing him to frown and splutter.

"I said happily married, Marcus, there is a difference. Wouldn't have mattered how drunk we were, if Adam had been happy it wouldn't have happened and Gerald, well, I didn't know who he was at first, did I," she explained and then leveled her finger at Marcus. "But he was definitely not happy. He was only here because he'd left his wife," she finished vehemently.

Rhys looked at Tanya during his sister's diatribe and rolled his eyes.

"The desk sergeant at work," he mouthed at her questioning expression at the names Ffion was spouting. "Alyssa's father."

"Look, Fee," Rhys turned back to his sister and pushed her off his lap. "Go home."

"Ah no, Rhys, let me stay in the spare room, just tonight, please, I promise you won't even know I'm here," she begged. "Just tonight, please. So I can make him miss me a little bit?"

She widened her eyes at him again and tried to look pathetic.

"Fine, but I have company," he gestured at the others and looked at Tanya before looking at his sister. "You will respect that," he insisted.

"Yes, I promise," she vowed. "In fact, I'll go to bed now and be fast asleep in a minute."

She stood up and took Rhys and Tanya in with one look as she continued. "And you know me, I could sleep through and earthquake if I'm being honest, couldn't I?"

She flashed them both a cheeky grin and went to the spare room and shut the door.

Rhys looked at Tanya, he hoped she would still stay, gave her a small smile and then looked back at the movie as he tightened his arm around Tanya's shoulders.

Tanya's eyes widened, the desk sergeant? Her eyes went even wider Alyssa's father? She nodded slowly as she digested the information and looked back at the TV as she listened to the conversation and avoided looking at the rest of them as she listened to the conversation between brother and sister and fought back the blush.

Tanya watched Ffion in a mixture of shock and amusement as she danced off into the bedroom. She glanced up at Rhys as she felt his arm come back around her, then shrugged to herself before leaning into him and resting her head on his shoulder.

Shaz rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh at Ffion before snuggling back into Chris and biting back a smile at the sight of Rhys and Tanya. She had never seen him like this with a woman, he usually tossed them aside straight away. He'd gone out with Tanya a few times now and seemed to genuinely like her. She grabbed a handful of chips and smiled up at Chris as she returned her attention back to the movie.

Rhys sighed as Tanya leaned against him. Ffion always had the worst timing. But she could sleep through anything, she was right, if a bit too sharing, with the information. He hoped Tanya would still stay. There were other women he could call if she chose to leave, but Tanya was fun.

Rhys bid his friends goodnight and then looked at Tanya.

"So, will you still stay despite my mad sister being in the spare room?" he asked her.

Tanya looked up from the kitchen where she had made sure that all the plates were next to the sink for him. She looked over at him at his question and glanced at the spare room. The door was shut. She looked Rhys up and down and the nodded at him. "okay" she agreed.

"Are you really?" she asked him. She couldn't hide how pleased she was that he was going to take time off work. She would never have expected it from him.

Rhys grinned, grabbed Tanya's shoulders and turned her toward his room and walked her to it, closing the door firmly behind him.

Tanya gathered herself as she watched Sean go into the Vic without so much as a look at her. Fine! She marched over to Max's, picked up Oscar then dashed home to get ready for work.

"Mmmm, you don't hear me complaining, just expressing surprise, but very pleased," she told him and kissed him.

She sighed as his singing settled the kicking and pulled the covers back up before cuddling up with him and falling asleep.

"So," Jack said as he swept Alyssa up into his arms to carry her over the threshold. "Here we are."

He walked into the house and stood her in the front room before going back to close the door. He made sure the door was shut and locked and walked over to Alyssa, putting his hands on her arms.

"Can I see the lovely things you bought now?" he asked her curiously. He leaned forward, hooked his finger into the top of her dress and tried to peer down it. He raised his face and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. "Please?"

Alyssa raised her eyebrows and reached to the side of her dress and tugged on the zip until the dress fell and pooled around her feet. She stepped out of the folds of the material, bent and picked up her dress and then laid it carefully over the armchair. Satisfied that it wouldn't get ruined or creased.

She turned slowly and looked at Jack and then did a twirl for him. "So, what d'you think?" she smiled at him as she took a step towards him and tugged gently on his tie to pull him closer to her. She pushed his jacket off his shoulders and ran her hands up his arms slowly as she smiled up him.

"Ooooo," Jack gave a low whistle. He let her push off his jacket and stepped back a bit so he could look her over.

"Lyss, you look so amazing I can barely get my head around it," he told her. He grinned and stepped close to her again and slowly ran his hands down her arms. He took her hands in his, raised them to his lips and kissed her fingers.

"I can't believe I've married the most beautiful woman in the world," he told her softly as he let go her hands and gently traced his fingers from her shoulders, over her breasts and settling on her waist. He wound his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I love you, Alyssa Rimmer," he stated and then brushed her lips with his once. He looked into her big green eyes, smiled and fastened his lips on her hungrily.

Alyssa melted against him and wound her arms around his neck. She was so glad that their wedding day had finally come. She had been on the brink of insanity the last few days leading up to the wedding: rushing around making sure everything was booked and confirmed. Sitting and waiting impatiently for the dresses to arrive and making sure that Jack was out of the house when she got her dress after two hours of sitting restlessly on the sofa. And now they'd done it. They had got married. And she couldn't be happier.

She kissed him back greedily and pulled away to catch her breath. She gazed at him happily as her hands slid down to his collar and undid his tie properly and dropped it to join his jacket on the floor, she undid the buttons on his shirt and pushed it off as much as she could so that she could run her hands up his bare chest. She smiled at him as she pressed her lips to his once more and her hands continued their slow journey up his chest. She trailed kisses across his cheek, smiling as the small amount of stubble tickled her lips. Her hands slid back down his chest and smoothly undid the buckle on his belt and tugged his trousers down. His boxers followed soon after. She suddenly pulled away from him with a grin and looked him over and bit her lip before stepping forwards once more and dropping to her knees in front of him. She looked coyly up at him as she ran her hands up his thighs and then moved her head to press teasing kisses to his inner thigh. She glanced up at him once more before taking him in her mouth.

Jack watched her, his eyebrows raised as she undressed him. He really couldn't believe his luck.

His head dropped back as she took him in her mouth.

"Oh, Lyss," he moaned.

He wasn't sure he could stand while she did this to him-not without falling down. But he couldn't bear to ask her to stop-it felt too good.

Alyssa kept going as he called her name and ran her hands up his legs. She was aware that she had never done this to him before and she was rather enjoying it. She took him deeper into her mouth as she caressed him with her tongue, increasing her pace in reaction to the noises that he was making as he stood above her.

Jack reached out and was glad to find he was near the wall. He pressed his hand against it, hoping it would help keep him upright, his knees were getting weak! Why couldn't she have waited until he was sitting down or even better, lying down?

He was getting close, so close! He moaned her name again and his jaw dropped open as his breathing got more ragged.

"Lyss, you better stop," he gasped. "I can't..." he trailed off, unable to focus on what he was saying. Oh god, she was incredible!

Alyssa refused to stop at his words but kept going, she knew he was close. She intensified her efforts to push him over the edge and pulled away once he finally did.

Jack bellowed her name as he felt himself go over the edge and nearly fell down. He grabbed the wall and leaned against it, trying to catch his breath.

She smiled at him as she stood up and looked at him. Alyssa studied his face as she pressed her lips to his for a kiss and then pulled back with a small laugh at the expression on his face. She ran her hands up his chest and around his neck as she stood close to him and beamed.

"Next time, can you make sure I have a wall to lean against?" he asked her in a piteous tone. "I nearly hurt myself."

"So, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, or here?" she asked playfully.

He lowered his head and gasped for air and looked at her again.

"I'm going to need a few minutes to recover," he confessed. "Why don't you just stand there and look sexy while I think about it?"

He grinned.

Alyssa smiled at him and shook her head with a small grin. She nodded at him. "I promise to make sure that you're somewhere safe next time," she agreed with a small laugh. Alyssa watched him with a smile as he recovered himself and admired him as she did so.

She looked him up and down and studied him carefully as she did so. She found herself glad that Whitney was staying with Brett again tonight. Walking in on them like this would be embarrassing, getting caught twice in one day would be some sort of a record. She danced her fingers up his arm and pressed a kiss to his neck. "I'm thinking the bedroom, that way you can lie down when it all gets too much for you," she teased and pressed another kiss to his neck.

He wound an arm around her waist as she pressed herself close.

"I can lie down anywhere, really," he shot back with a cheeky grin. "Now," he began as his hands slipped down to her waist and tore off the brief knickers she was wearing. "Let's see how you get on," he purred and shoved her against the wall as he dropped to his knees before her. He grinned up at her as he pushed her legs slightly apart and kissed up the inside of one thigh. He glanced up again then took hold of her leg and moved it so it was draped over his shoulder before moving in close and kissing down the thigh he held until he reached between her legs and then put his mouth to work there.

He ran his hand up her other leg, up her belly, to her breasts and back down to her belly to press it against her there and keep her against the wall. He began to tease her with his tongue and then trailed two fingers from his other hand along the underside of her leg draped on his shoulder. He moved them closer and closer as he teased her faster and then slipped them inside her as he kept his efforts up with his tongue.

He fully intended to make her scream.

Alyssa braced herself against the wall. There was nothing to hold onto! What was she supposed to do? Alyssa moaned at his efforts, he was doing this deliberately! She would have been angry if it didn't feel so amazing. She balanced on her one leg as she clutched at the wall to no avail.

"Jack, please," she moaned and her head tried to fall back only to hit the wall, so she let it fall forward instead and her breath began to come in small shallow pants. She managed to find the edge of the wall before it curved to the door and grabbed at the corner desperately for some support. A long moan escaped her as she felt herself getting closer and closer.

"Jack! I..." she stopped as her words were stopped by the moan that came instead and she tensed her leg muscles as she felt herself go and his name left her in a small scream. She leaned back against the wall and gazed down at him as she tried to get her breathing under control.

Jack looked up at her and smiled as he removed his fingers and eased her leg from his shoulder, his other hand never leaving where it was pressed against her middle and holding her upright.

He made sure her foot was firm on the floor and waited as she caught her breath. He slowly stood, making sure she was able to stand and then gathered her to him.

"Now you know how I felt," he murmured with a small chuckle.

"Now," he said and began to remove the rest of her outfit,"why don't we go upstairs and find something else we could do," he suggested and quickly slung her over his shoulder and carried her up to their room.

Alyssa tried to glare at him but failed, she couldn't do it. She laughed as she wound her arms around him and held on. Alyssa waited until he deposited her on the bed and sat there looking at him. She glanced around the room and then turned her gaze back to him "So, what did you have in mind?" she asked.

"Hmmmm, I don't know…." Jack mused and tapped his chin as he gazed at his lovely nude wife on the bed. "I suppose we could have a snack?" he suggested. "Maybe watch a bit of tele?"

He grinned at her. "How early do we have to be up to leave?" he wanted to know and glanced over their neatly packed bags.

Jack hurried back upstairs with a plate and hopped onto the bed next to her and began to carefully feed her bites of tamale.

"And if you're very good, you might get to have pudding," he told her and wriggled his eyebrows at her.

Alyssa glanced over at the bags too and then leaned over at to the bedside table and grabbed in the drawer for the flight details. "Well, the flight is at 2, so we need to be at the airport for 12," she smiled at him. "But, I've got to be up earlier anyway, because I'm meeting Ronnie at Rowan's for breakfast," she smiled at him and replaced the papers safely in the drawer.

She glanced over at his bedside table and frowned at it then looked up at him curiously. "Do you still keep crisps in your bedside table?" she asked, laughter colouring her tone.

"You've lived here how long and you ask me that?" Jack snorted. "I can't even dignify it with an answer."

Alyssa shrugged. "We haven't devoured your stash in ages," she argued back. "I just wondered if you still kept your cupboard stocked. Mind you, there is all that cake downstairs, and those tamales that Rowan made for us."

He nodded as she read off the flight details again. "Okay, well wake me up when you leave and I'll be ready when you get home. And now, tamale time," he informed her before walking out the door.

Alyssa laughed and caught a bit of tamale before it fell on the bedcovers. She ate it before grinning at him and sidled closer so that she was leaning against his chest as he leaned against the back board of the bed.

She glanced up at his face and pushed the empty plate to the floor before turning to face him properly and winding her arms around his neck. "So, pudding?" she asked hopefully.

"Oh definitely pudding," Jack purred as he pushed her onto her back and pounced.

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Christian trudged into the flat just as Syed was getting up to leave. Syed gave him a hug and a quick kiss.

"Rough night at work last night?" Syed asked him. Christian nodded.

"Thank goodness I've only one week until Roxy gets back," he sighed.

"And thank goodness that the week isn't nearly as busy as the weekend," Syed added. "I'll see you later. I'll bring something nice back for you from work," he promised and Christian smiled and dropped onto the bed.

Syed headed out, running into Ffion as he crossed the Square.

"What are you doing leaving so early?" he asked her. Ffion shook her head at him. Since JT had gone to America with Roxy, Rowan had asked Ffion to learn how to help with the baking so Trevor and Syed wouldn't get behind. The various baked goods Rowan churned out were now being ordered by the box at various offices in the area for meetings and several other people had begun placing large orders for special breakfasts or card games and all sorts. Rowan had never expected her baking to become quite so popular.

Trevor was already waiting at the door when Ffion and Syed arrived and they all went in and got to work.

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Rowan opened her eyes, yawned and then strained to listen. She finally heard the faint tinkling of the bell over the door telling her Syed and the others had arrived. She slipped from the bed and took a quick shower and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and headed downstairs. She would go back to bed once she had finished, but Ffion was still needing help mixing up the batters and Rowan would not stand for any of her baked goods to not turn out perfect.

She navigated carefully down the stairs and went into the kitchen and smiled at everyone and led Ffion over to the table counter space to begin the baking with muffins, taking Ffion carefully through the recipe and each step of making the various batters.

Ray frowned as he felt Rowan leave the bed. He glanced at the time and sighed before getting up. He had work today, and today he would ask for paternity leave. If Gene was in a good mood. It was Monday Morning, but Gene had spent the weekend with Alex, so hopefully he would be cheerful, unless Mrs. Hunt was unhappy with her husband for some reason or another. He hoped that Gene hadn't got into Alex's bad books, it would make life a lot simpler if the Guv was happy today. Ray was even willing to be civil to Alex and not torment her.

Ray heaved himself to the bathroom and got under the shower. He towelled himself dry and got dressed swiftly. He padded to the kitchen, made himself a mug of tea, and then made Rowan her coffee, he took a large gulp of his tea and looked around, he didn't see Rowan; downstairs then. He plodded down the steps and took his regular seat in the big kitchen, out of the way of the goings on, and smiled at Rowan when he caught her attention. He pointed at the mug for her as he cradled his own.

Rowan saw Ray and gave a couple of final instructions to Ffion before walking over to him. She looked at her watch and then looked at him.

"You're up really early," she said and took the cup from him. She had decided she liked coffee in the morning too much and had switched to decaf so she could still drink it. "I was going to come back to bed when I finished down here. Ffion just needed some more training on the baking. The good news is, with her knowing how to do it, there will be no trouble keeping up with all the baking when I'm not doing it," she said with a smug grin.

"Do you want some breakfast?" she asked him. "I'm in a teaching mood and if you're willing to learn…." she trailed off and raised her eyebrows at him before taking another sip of her coffee.

Ray glanced at the time and then nodded at her. "I can't sleep right when you get out of bed, Ro," he smiled at her and downed the rest of the tea in his mug. He raised his eyebrows at her comment of going back to bed.

Rowan gave him a look of commiseration. "I'm sorry, acuisle, but we have to do the baking early, we don't have time during breakfast to get it done and a lot of the baking orders get picked up when we open. So we have to get an early start," she told him. She shook her head at him. "I didn't think you'd actually get up," she told him. "Not at this time of morning."

"Now you tell me," he grunted and glanced at her again. "How about we make breakfast down here and then take it back upstairs?" he suggested. He knew she liked to get up early to get everything sorted but this was a bit excessive in his opinion. No sane person should be awake by choice at this hour; he was only here because the absence of her in his arms was uncomfortable.

She tilted her head at him. "What do you want to try cooking for breakfast?" she asked him and led him over to the stovetop. She checked Ffion's progress as she passed and then stopped and watched him expectantly.

He looked at her as she sipped her coffee. "What is quick to make so that we can get back to bed?" he asked.

"Eggs...bacon...sausages...pancakes...what would you like to try your hand at?" she asked him.

Ray shrugged. "Lying in bed alone is boring, which is why I need to get that TV for the bedroom," he grinned at her.

Ray looked on contemplatively and then grinned at Rowan. "Can we do pancakes and bacon?" he asked. "Because I'm pretty sure that I can do bacon. Shove it in the pan and don't let it burn," he shrugged.

"Oh, so that's the real reason you want a TV in there," she teased.

Rowan bent over laughing at Ray's idea of cooking bacon. "I suppose that's somewhat accurate," she told him and went over to get a mixing bowl and the ingredients to make pancake batter. "Now, there is usually some of this already ready in the walk-in so you shouldn't have to make it," she told him when she saw his face.

She hurriedly put together the pancake batter and showed him how to turn on the griddle on the stove top and then carefully poured six portions onto it. She showed him how to watch the bottom as the batter cooked to know when to flip it over. "Don't pat it down," she instructed. "They should be fluffy."

She expertly flipped the finished ones onto a plate and gestured for him to try it.

Ray looked down at the batter and then at the pan where she was directing his attention and did as he was told. He waited until he thought the pancake was done and and tipped it out of the pan and onto the plate. He poured another carefully measured amount of batter into the pan and began again. He looked at her as he followed her instructions to make sure that he was doing it right.

Rowan bit back a smile as he avoided the griddle and made them on at a time in a skillet. She stood next to him and started cooking the bacon as he waited for each pancake to cook. She eyed the stack and decided they had enough for the two of them. She gestured at the one he was cooking.

"That can be the last one. I'll get the bacon finished up and then we can go eat," she told him. She left the bacon and pulled down two plates, divided up the pancakes and stacked them on the two plates.

"Can you grab me that tray?" she asked him and gestured at the counter where the trays were. She had butter and syrup upstairs so they wouldn't need that, she thought. She divided up the bacon between the two plates and put them on the tray when he brought it over.

"We are ready to eat now," she pronounced and began to quickly wipe up the small amount of mess they'd made before following him upstairs.

She smiled as she walked over to him in the flat's kitchen and wound her arms around his waist.

"You did a great job, I'll have you cooking like a pro yet," she said smugly and went to pour herself some coffee and fix Ray a cup of tea before sitting down to eat.

Ray took the stash of pancakes and bacon upstairs as he was told and set them down in the kitchen as he took both empty mugs off the tray and switched the kettle on. He set the mugs aside as he dug in the cupboards for the syrup and the butter and set them on the tray with the pancakes then grabbed down some plates and forks too.

Ray looked round at her and smiled as he set the tray down and started on his breakfast. "Well, I have got a brilliant teacher," he smiled at her as he dug into the pancakes.

Rowan grinned at him and tossed her braid smoothly over her shoulder as she lifted her chin arrogantly. "Aren't I though?" she stated smugly and buffed her nails on her shirt.

"Will you drop me off on the Square on your way in?" she asked him. "I want to take Jane her order and maybe go over to the salon and get a manicure," she looked over her fingernails on one hand as she dipped a piece of pancake in syrup with the other. "The vitamins I'm having to take are making them grow fast, my hair, too," she added and ran her braid through her hand, bringing it over her shoulder.

Ray studied her as he ate and looked down at her nails. He had noticed that her nails were getting longer. He was beginning to get tiny dents in his back. He smiled at her. "Sure," he agreed. "Alyssa and Jack are back today right," he asked as he reached for some more bacon. "What time do I need to be home for dinner?" he asked, he knew that Rowan had planned for Alyssa and Jack to have dinner here tonight.

"Around 6, after the restaurant is closed," she told Ray as she carefully tore another pancake to pieces to dip. She looked at Ray at his question and considered her answer. She had the impression he liked her hair long.

"My hair has never been this long," she told him and waved the end of her braid at him then tossed it behind her again to feel the end thump low in the middle of her back.

He looked at her hair. "You going to get that cut, too?" he asked, gesturing at her braid.

"Um, I was thinking just a trim, I've got some bad split ends," she ate a piece of pancake and considered as she chewed. "Maybe I might get it cut to here," she finally said and tapped her shoulders to indicate length before picking up and nibbling a slice of bacon.

She didn't mind wearing her hair long for him. He never told her how to wear it, but she liked doing little things for him, and wearing her hair long was hardly onerous.

Ray considered her and then nodded. "Good," he said with a smile as he grabbed another pancake. He finished up his breakfast and then checked the time with a sigh. It was still way too early to do anything. He picked up the used breakfast things and put them all in the kitchen then picked Rowan up and carried her through to their bedroom and deposited her on the bed. He reached over and set his alarm so he would be up in plenty of time and then took off her shoes. He grinned at her as he pulled her back against him and curled his arms around her. "We're going back to sleep," he mumbled into her shoulder.

Rowan raised a brow at his comment.

"Good for just a trim or good getting it cut off to here?" she wanted to know.

She squeaked in surprise as he lifted her and carried her to the bedroom. She couldn't help but be surprised he lifted her so easily, even when she was quite pregnant. She had to roll her eyes as he pulled off her shoes, but snuggled up when he pulled her close.

Ray frowned at her and then shrugged. "Either. Both."

She sighed at the non-answer. Maybe she would get it cut then, but between the two lengths.

"Are we now?" she asked him and rubbed her nose against his. "I vote for kissing and cuddling, but just kissing and cuddling," she told him and gave him a look. "I'd rather wait until tonight for fooling around," she explained. Some days she wanted him more than she could bear, other days the idea of sex made her cringe. She hated saying no to him, but the larger she got the more awkward it was. She knew soon enough that there would be a couple of months where they wouldn't be able to at all, and she hated saying no to him while she was still able.

However, she loved kissing him, especially when he stroked her face and ran his fingers through her hair.

She smiled and then pressed her lips to his, pulling away slowly and gazing into his eyes before kissing him again, softer and deeper.

Ray held her close and nodded. "Fine. I'm not awake enough for anything else anyway," he told her.

Ray greedily kissed her back. She felt like she was getting bigger every day. Not that he minded. Soon the baby would be out and they would be back to normal. He was torn between wanting the baby out and wanting it to stay in for just a little longer. The closer they got to the due date the less he would be able to enjoy Rowan.

He broke the kiss with a grin and dropped a few kisses down her neck as he pulled her as close as she was comfortable with. He had learned that she got uncomfortable if he held her too tightly. So he had made sure to test his boundaries and kept to them as best he could.

"Mmmmm," she hummed as she snuggled against him. "Proper snog," she commented in a contented tone. She would be glad of one thing, when she had the baby Ray would be able to hold her properly again. She liked being wrapped up in his arms, pressed close and warm. She grunted and shifted around and pressed her back against him and pulled his arms tight around her. She missed burying her face in his chest and breathing in the smell of his skin.

She closed her eyes and was surprised when the alarm went off to find she had dozed.

She hauled herself around to make sure Ray was awake.

"I'm going to change, then I'll be ready to go," she told him and pulled out one of her dresses and the white cardigan and got changed. She slipped her feet into the cushiony sandals she'd bought and pronounced herself ready.

She grabbed her bag and waited for Ray before heading carefully down the stairs to get the Jane's order.

Ray pushed himself off the bed and made it as he stood up. He grabbed his shoes and shoved them back on then followed her back downstairs. Ray took the boxes for Jane off her carefully and chucked her the car keys. He followed her out to the car and gently put the boxes on her lap then climbed in the front seat and drove to the Square. Ray dropped Rowan at the Cafe ad then hurried to work.

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Whitney woke up to the buzzing of her alarm and sat up quickly. She looked at the clock and yawned. Jack and Alyssa were back today!

She hurriedly climbed out of bed, pulled on her dressing gown and ran downstairs and into the kitchen. She had had Brett staying over almost every night, sometimes they studied, but sometimes they did not. And she'd gotten lazy about cleaning up. She hurriedly filled the sink with hot, soapy water and put the dishes to soak before going to get the vacuum and beginning to clean in the front room. She glanced at the clock again, hoping she could get done before they got home.

Whitney finished the washing up, cleaned the kitchen and finished the front room. There. No one would ever know she hadn't kept up with the housework. Her bathroom was fine and she had kept Jack and Alyssa's door locked when she had had her friends over last weekend. Granted, it had just been Fatboy, Mercy, Molly, Peter and Brett but still. She was taking no chances.

She checked her watch and went upstairs finally to take a shower. She needed it after all that cleaning.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Rhys woke up early and looked at the clock. He squeezed Tanya and tapped her arm.

"You should wake up, Tan," he whispered. "You're going to have to pick up Oscar."

He swung around and climbed from the bed, pulling on his dressing gown as he stood with a great yawn. He shuffled into the kitchen and switched the kettle on and stared at the wall.

He really liked Tanya, he did, but he still wondered if he shouldn't break it off. She had kids and he wasn't the daddy type, not when it seemed he still had to clean up after his sister. She had stayed over several times, especially after JT and Roxy had left and she had been asked to go in early and help with the baking. Bradley, it seemed, took exception to her spending so much time with Trevor.

After a long conversation with Bradley, it turned out most of Bradley's problems were in Ffion's own mind. An innocent seeming remark of commiseration over her early waking had been misinterpreted by Ffion as chastisement. Rhys had told Bradley to get used to it, Ffion couldn't seem to live without high drama and suggested maybe Bradley actually do some of what Ffion thought he did, it might shut her up. Rhys thought perhaps it had worked. He'd managed to go the whole weekend without an Issue from his sister.

Rhys leaned on the kitchen counter and sighed. But Tanya was fun. And he even liked Jane, the pair of them were seriously crazy to go out with and Rhys was having a great time. He ran his hands through his hair and made his tea and then made a cup for her and took it into the bedroom.

"Brought you some tea," he told her and put the cup down.

Tanya rolled out of Rhys' bed and grabbed at her clothes from the floor. She knew that Max was working today, he wouldn't want to have to look after Oscar for very much longer. She would have to get a wriggle on. She checked the time, if she hurried then she could make it back, collect Oscar and get home in time for a shower before she had to open the Salon. And Alyssa was back today, finally. She was glad, she had been running the Salon pretty much full time which meant the days that she hadn't had her childminder, Oscar had had to go to Max. Now Alyssa was back they could go back to normal.

She smiled at him as she took the mug from him and then took a sip before slipping back into her clothes from yesterday. She drained the rest of the tea, gave him a quick kiss, then left after saying goodbye. She was glad that his flat wasn't too much of a walk from the Square and Tanya moved quickly down the road, breathing a sigh of relief as she finally got into the market and headed towards Max's house.

Her attention was caught by an all too familiar figure standing by a car and she stopped dead in her tracks. He shouldn't be here.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Alyssa grabbed the last bag from the luggage carousel and beamed at Jack. Now all that was left to do was hail a cab and grab a ride home. The parking fee for leaving the car in the Airport car park had been so much that they had decided to just grab a cab back to Walford. It worked out cheaper, and it meant that they didn't have to worry about driving. Alyssa handed him the suitcase and then grabbed her own. She took his hand as she lead him to the taxi rank outside and they waited patiently in the queue for their turn to get into a cab.

The honeymoon had been fantastic and she had decided that they would have to go skiing again. Sure, he had laughed at her the first few times when she was getting back into it, but she had recovered herself soon enough and a lot of their time on the slopes had been spent racing. Then the lodge they had had to themselves had been so cosy and gorgeous. Log cabins were now her new favourite thing. Spending two weeks alone with Jack had been her idea of heaven - minus Rowans tamales. Even the cold hadn't been a worry, snowball fights had lead to some rather interesting situations. She clutched his hand and rested her head on his shoulder as she relived the two weeks and sighed happily to herself. Sitting in front of the fire with just a blanket, Jack, and a glass of wine had been the best though.

Jack picked up the bags he had grabbed and led Alyssa out of the airport. He wished they were still back at the lodge…just the two of them. Now he had to go back to the madness of the last few weeks of school and he wasn't looking forward to it at all. Just the two of them had been sheer bliss and he'd found all sorts of new places for them to shag in public. He grinned to himself.

He waved down a taxi and loaded their bags into the boot as Alyssa climbed into the cab. He climbed in himself and looped his arm around her shoulders.

"I almost wish we didn't have to come back," he said regretfully and pulled her against him.

Alyssa wrapped her arms around him and smiled up at him. "In a way, I do, too," she smiled. "But, on the bright side, you only have a couple of weeks before you get 6 whole weeks all to yourself," she beamed at him. "Annnnnnnnd...with Tanya running the Salon, I don't have to be in work quite so early anymore, if it's one of her days to open up anyway," she smiled. "Which means I get you all to myself," she grinned and pressed a kiss to his lips.

She gave their address to the cab driver then settled back into Jack's arms and rested her head on his shoulder. "Besides, this time when you finish work you don't go home to an empty house, unlike this time last year when you did," she smiled at him. "This time I'm there," she said and took his hand happily. This time last year she had seen very little of him, however, this year he would come home to her every night. It was satisfying to know that she would have him with her at night, even if she didn't get to see him properly.

"Well, there is that," he said agreeably. "Coming home to you every night, what more could I want?" he asked her.

He watched the scenery fly by as they rode to the house and began to smile as the cab drove onto the Square and to their home. He grinned at her as the cab pulled up in front of the house and quickly handed the driver the money and got out of the cab. He got their bags so Alyssa could open the door.

He followed her inside and looked around.

"Clean, at least Whitney didn't destroy the place," he remarked as he looked around.

Alyssa looked around too and smiled. "To be honest, I don't think that she's the trashing house type. If she did have a party I reckon she kept it under control," she smiled and then took her bag up to their bedroom. She dumped her bag next to the wardrobe and collapsed onto the bed with a small sigh. No matter how much she had enjoyed their honeymoon, it still felt good to be home. She sat up and grabbed her suitcase and began unpacking. She had this morning off and didn't have to be in work until after lunch.

She threw half of the contents of her suitcase in the wash bin and then hung the remaining garments up. She went downstairs once she was done and headed for the kitchen. She dug around in the cupboards and was delighted to find that whatever Whitney had eaten she had replaced. Good, Alyssa would have to thank her later. She grabbed the bread and put a couple of slices into the toaster.

"I wasn't saying that she is necessarily, but we don't know all her friends," Jack reminded her.

He copied her actions, hanging up things that were still clean, or that he'd washed before leaving the lodge and tossing the dirty clothes in the basket. He picked it up and carried it down with him to the kitchen.

"I could do with a slice or two," he told her as he dropped the basket in front of the little laundry room and opened the sliding door. He started shoving clothes in the washer and got it started before turning to her with a sigh.

He glanced at his watch. "I suppose I should stop in at school later today," he mused. "Why are we having toast when we could go to the caf?" he asked her. "I'd say let's go to the restaurant, but we're supposed to go for dinner tonight."

Alyssa shrugged. "Maybe because toast is easier than going all the way across the square when I really can't be bothered to," she replied as she handed him the two slices that had just popped up and put another two in for herself.

"Fair play," he agreed and took the toast she handed him and kissed her cheek. He took the butter and slathered some on his toast and took a healthy bite before washing it down with a gulp of tea.

She reached into the fridge and handed him the butter before jumping up to sit on the counter to wait for her toast.

"What time are you going to go in then?" she asked. "I'm in the Salon after lunch," she added.

"I suppose I should go when I've finished this," he replied and held up his toast. "You're good to put the clothes in the dryer and all?" he asked her.

Alyssa nodded. "I'm sure I can manage," she replied lightly as she grabbed her toast from the toaster. She took the butter from him and spread a layer over her toast. She smiled as she took a bite.

"So, last few weeks for you," she grinned. "Then you're all mine," she added gleefully.

He finished his toast and drained the last of his tea.

"These will be the craziest weeks," he sighed and dropped his forehead on her back between her shoulders. "I hope I make it through."

Alyssa laughed. "Not frightened, no," she smiled. "Maybe a more positive emotion," she grinned.

Alyssa put down her food and turned to hold his face in her hands. "You'll make it through," she assured him. "And then you get 5 weeks before you even have to think about that Head of Department meeting and then you have another week before you officially go back to work," she smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "And you're birthday is in the Summer, too," she added with a small smile as she tilted her head to look up at him and raised her hand to his face once more. "You'll be fine, and I'll bring you food from Rowan if you can't make it home in time for dinner," she promised.

"I love you, woman," he told her and kissed her forehead. "Food from Rowan and I'm yours," he raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Well, I married you so I guess I'm shackled to you already," he laughed and ducked away.

He brushed at his clothes to make sure he wasn't covered in crumbs. "I should go ahead and go to work. See you tonight," he said and grabbed her face and kissed her thoroughly, wishing for a moment they could just go upstairs and celebrate being home.

Alyssa watched him in amusement as he let her go and picked up her toast again as he left the house. Her gaze drifted to the time and then to the washing machine. She sighed as she finished her toast and dumped her things in the sink next to Jack's plate. She checked the timer on the washing machine and then dashed upstairs.

Sean parked up outside the Queen Vic. He looked up at the pub contemplatively and gazed at Roxy's bedroom window. He knew that he had been the one to leave her. All he had wanted was his family and that lake had been the perfect way to keep them all together. Forever. He knew that no one but Roxy knew that he was still alive though. She knew. She had seen him, he had made sure that she had seen him. She had urged him to leave. So he had.

Now he was back. He wanted his wife back, he wanted his family back. As far as he was concerned it was simple. Roxy, Amy and him. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he surveyed the Square. Faces he didn't know, faces he didn't want to know. And familiar faces. He growled quietly to himself and watched the doors to the Vic open. His gaze flew back up to Roxy's room. He frowned as he realised the curtains weren't drawn. She wouldn't be up this early, he checked his watch: not even 8am yet. No, Roxy liked her sleep.

Sean climbed out of the car and shut the door and locked the car with a flick of his keys. He had been away, the north of England of all places: Staffordshire. Got a job, kept himself to himself, got himself some cash, saved. For Roxy. Got himself a car. To come back here. To his family. Sean gazed around himself cautiously and his face hardened at the sight of the Slater home. Stacey. He would see his sister later.

Sean didn't glance at Tanya as she stood gaping like a goldfish in the middle of the street and headed straight for the pub. She'd let herself go, he decided as he pushed open the heavy door and let himself inside.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Jane hurried to the café, why was she running so late today! She saw Tanya standing there in what looked like shock and went over to her.

"Tan, you okay?" she asked and put a hand on her friend's arm. She followed the direction of Tanya's gaze and saw what was causing the look. Sean Slater! He was dead though, wasn't he?

She gaped as he went into the pub and then Tanya walked away without a word. Jane blinked. She hoped Tanya would be okay and turned and rushed to the café.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Bradley walked to the car lot and stopped short. Had that really been Sean Slater he'd just seen walk into the pub? Sean Slater was supposed to be dead! Bradley took off across the Square and pounded on the door of his father's house.

Max thumped from the kitchen as he heard the pounding on the door.

"All right, all right, I'm coming. What did you forget?" he called out, assuming it was Tanya. She had looked like she'd seen a ghost when she'd been around a few minutes earlier to pick up Oscar. He controlled his surprise at seeing Bradley there and let him in.

"What's the matter, Bradley?" he asked.

"I swear I just saw Sean Slater going into the pub."

"Thought he was dead," Max commented.

Bradley shrugged. "Sure looked like him. I should know."

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Peggy straightened but did not turn from counting bottles as she heard the pub door open.

"We're not open yet," she called over her shoulder as she jotted another amount down on her clipboard.  
>Sean raised his eyebrows at Peggy's back and stayed in his cautious position, watching, observing.<p>

"I'm not here for a drink Peggy, I want to see my wife," he said in a calm low voice.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Tanya made her way to work, still in shock. Sean Slater. She was sure that he had died, drowned, in that lake. Everyone had been told! She bumped into someone and apologized. What was he even doing here? Stacey wasn't here.

Tanya pulled her head from her thoughts as she reached work and saw Kim outside waiting to go in. She hadn't realised that she was so late. Kim immediately launched into a conversation that Tanya half-heartedly went along with, not that Kim needed someone to respond. She seemed content talking at Tanya rather than to her. Tanya wasn't listening properly anyway. She was too wrapped up in the mystery of Sean Slater.

Whitney grabbed her bag and headed out to the pub. She didn't want to be late, not when Peggy had been kind enough to hire her. She had thought about asking Rowan to hire her, but she knew Molly wanted to work there. Molly liked Rowan a great deal and liked learning to cook, whereas Whitney really only wanted to be able to stare at Trevor.

She ran across the Square and pushed on the door, glad to find Peggy had already unlocked it for her.

Peggy jumped and spun around and gaped at Sean Slater standing there.

"Sean Slater?" Peggy gasped and peered at him. "Roxy said you were dead, everyone said you were dead."

She blinked at him and put down the clipboard and considered his question.

"Roxy's not here," she finally told him. "She's gone to America on holiday with JT and Amy."

Whitney bounded into the pub.

"Hiya, Peggy, what do you need me to do first?" she asked and trailed off at the man standing there. She ran her hand through her hair and walked slowly over to the bar. She ducked behind it and picked up the carrier with the cleaning materials in it and an apron to keep her clothes from getting messed up.

"D'you want me to start on the cleaning?"

Peggy turned and looked at Whitney.

"Yeah, um, the bathrooms are done, there's just um, some dishes in the kitchen need doing, if you could take care of that," she finally replied.

"Right, yeah, no problem," Whitney nodded and put the cleaning stuff back down and headed around to the kitchen. She wondered who the guy was and gave him a small smile before she turned away.

Sean raised his eyebrows "Do I look dead Peggy?" he asked as he looked down at himself "Because I feel very much alive" he added

"Roxy said you'd drowned," she informed him and folded her arms.

Sean's face curled in a snarl. Who was JT? And what was he doing with his wife and child? His anger blinded him from the dark haired girl that bounded past him. He took several calming breaths. She would be back soon. That would probably be better, give him a chance to prepare for this bloke. How dare she replace him! She was still married to him, she was still his. As was Amy. This JT was nothing.

Sean turned out of the pub and headed back to his car. If this JT thought he could steal his family then he had another thing coming.

He punched at the wall with his fist and felt better at the flash of pain. His gaze fell on the Slater house hold and he made his way towards it. He would need somewhere to stay until Roxy got back from her little holiday.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Peggy watched as he left the pub and went to lock the door behind him. She had only one thought – warn Roxy.

She hustled over behind the bar again and grabbed her phone and began to dial the number JT had left that belonged to his brother where they would be staying.

"Hello?" Louisa answered and looked at the clock.

"Hi, it's Peggy here, can I speak to Roxy please? It's an emergency," Peggy begged.

"Sure, ya'll hold on a sec and I'll go wake her up," Louisa replied and went to get Roxy.

Peggy looked at the clock and grimaced. She had forgotten about the time difference. It had to be in the morning there!

Louisa went to JT's room and listened at the door, then cracked it open. Sleeping. She crept over to the bed and leaned over and gently shook Roxy's shoulder.

"Roxy, wake up, Peggy is on the phone," Louisa said softly, "she says it's an emergency."

Roxy looked up at Louisa groggily and shifted slightly so that she could take the phone. She smiled up at Louisa as she pressed the phone to her ear "Aunty Peg? What's wrong?" she asked and looked over at the time with a small groan.

"I'm sorry to wake you darlin', and I don't want to put a damper on your holiday, but you have to know," Peggy said hurriedly, her tone nearly panicked.

Roxy frowned at her Aunt's tone. "Know what?" she asked nervously.

Peggy took a deep breath.

"Sean Slater was just here in the pub not five minutes ago looking for you. Roxy, I thought he drowned?"

Roxy sat bolt upright, her eyes wide "What!"

She stared straight ahead as she tried to speak "But...he wasn't...because..." she tried to say and gave up helplessly. Sean wasn't supposed to come back. He was supposed to stay vanished.

"Roxy, are you all right darlin'?" Peggy asked worriedly.

"Why did you lie to everyone, oh, Roxy? What are we going to do?"

JT woke up at Roxy's shout and gaped at her. He felt a cold chill as he heard her stammering on the phone, talking about someone, "he", a man obviously. He frowned worriedly and looked at her and had a feeling that his world would soon be falling apart.

Roxy barely listened to Peggy. "I didn't intentionally, Ronnie didn't see him get out and I didn't mention it and then everyone sort of assumed he didn't manage to get out. He wasn't supposed to come back," she said in a shaky voice.

"Well, Roxy, he's here and this could get messy. Maybe you should stay there with JT," Peggy suggested. Sean Slater was a psycho and it would be a lot better for Roxy if she stayed away, with JT, whom Peggy liked a great deal.  
>Roxy glanced at JT and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile and reached for his hand. Why did Sean have to come back now? When she had JT? Why not when she had had nobody!<p>

JT looked at Roxy and gave her half smile as she squeezed his hand, but he didn't feel any better. He realized as he listened that she was talking about her supposedly dead husband, Sean, who was apparently back from the dead.

Roxy considered it and sighed. "He won't leave until he gets whatever he wants, Aunty Peg," she sighed and then looked at JT. She moved her attention back to the phone. "I've got to go Aunty Peggy," she sighed. "I'll talk to you soon," she said before hanging up and putting the phone on the bedside table. She turned onto her side and looked at JT.

"Sean is back in Walford," she said quietly as she looked at him. She didn't want to lose JT.

"I thought you said he was dead," JT said in surprise, keeping his voice low. He didn't want to get Roxy any more stressed than she obviously seemed to be. He gathered her close and wrapped her in his arms. "Are you scared?"

Roxy cuddled close to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "A little," she admitted. "Very anxious," she added.

Roxy hugged him tighter. "Sean wanted to drive himself, Amy and I into a lake a few years ago," she said after a while. "I got out the car and stood on the ice and managed to get him to join me. Ronnie got Amy out of harm's way while I distracted him," she sighed and buried her face in his chest. "Sean isn't the sanest person, mind you," she let out a sour laugh. "If you asked Ronnie or Auntie Peggy they'd tell you he was a psycho," she sighed and stayed silent for a while as she held onto him.

"The ice gave way. Ronnie got me out. I was holding Amy and watching the crack in the ice where we had fallen in. I thought that there was no way he could have been under for that long and survived. Ronnie and Jack weren't watching, Sean climbed out of the hole, looked at me and then walked away. I haven't seen or heard from him since," she explained.

"Then, Ronnie and Jack believed he had drowned. I was still in shock and somehow it got around that he was dead. I suppose after 3 years I started to believe it, too."

JT let out a low whistle.

"I won't let him hurt you, or Amy, and even though she's massive pregnant, Aunt Rowan won't either. And you know Aunt Rowan's friends with the police, so if he's smart he'll keep his distance. I promise I won't let him hurt you," he vowed and held her close.

Roxy sighed as she buried her face into his shoulder. She couldn't guarantee that Sean wouldn't hurt her but she knew that he wouldn't do it intentionally. He was just misunderstood, not a psychopath. Ronnie just didn't understand him. She listened to the quiet house as she snuggled into him and sighed.

JT cuddled her close and tried not to worry as he dozed off again. He wondered if they shouldn't stay for good, but that wouldn't help matters. He'd run from trouble once before, but now he was more mature. Going with Rowan had done him a world of good, he thought.

He would face things head on and fight for Roxy if it came to that.

Roxy sighed again as JT held her. Now she thought about it she didn't want to lose JT. He was perfect, brilliant with Amy, a fantastic cook, and her family all liked him. She closed her eyes as she relaxed in his arms. She would face Sean, see what he wanted then tell him to leave. She made a small humming noise In agreement with her new plan before falling asleep again.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Peggy put the phone down and put her hands to her face.

What were they going to do? She looked up as Whitney came back behind the bar.

"The washing up is done and I made sure the kitchen was tidy," she told Peggy. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, darlin', I'll be okay, just had a bit of a shock."

"Did it have something to do with that fella who was in here earlier?"

"Yes, actually. That was Sean Slater, he used to be…used to be….I suppose he still is married to Roxy. We thought he was Amy's father for awhile before we found out it was Jack Branning," Peggy poured herself a drink, downed it and let out a long breath. "Up until now we thought he was dead."

Whitney gaped at Peggy. "You're joking."

Peggy shook her head. "Roxy gave everyone the impression he drowned in the lake," Peggy said. "She lied."

Whitney put a hand on Peggy's shoulder.

"I guess Roxy's not going to have a good time when she gets back."

"Probably not," Peggy agreed but privately, she wasn't so sure.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Janine crossed the Square. She was tired of working in the bookies, but what else was she to do? It wasn't any fun without Ryan anyway. It still hurt that he'd run off with that cow, Stacy. She glanced over and saw a very fit bloke standing outside the Slaters' house. She licked her lip and walked over.

"Charlie and Mo aren't there," she stated as she walked up behind him.

"Charlie's out driving his cab and well, who knows where Mo goes?" she sniffed. She leaned against the barrier between the Slaters' and Dot's steps, folded her arms to emphasize her bust and smiled at him flirtatiously.

Sean looked blankly at the woman in front of him. His gaze skid over her lazily, taking in the way she was pushing herself into his face.

"What about Stacey?" he asked her as he moved closer. Roxy was away for now. With some other bloke. Why couldn't he have some fun.

Janine's eyebrow went up. Why would he want to know about Stacy? Her eyes looked him over as her mind whirred. Stacy had a brother…but she had heard he was dead. This couldn't possibly be him, could it? She would be careful. If this was someone Stacy cared about, she could have a bit of revenge on that cow for running off with Ryan.

"She moved away, with Lily and Lily's father. I don't know where, she didn't really tell everyone," Janine replied and tilted her head at him. "That's been, oh, my, nearly a year ago," she continued. "Then, about five months ago, Jean went, too. Charlie said she had gone to live with Stacy and Ryan," she finished, taking great care not to let her emotions show at saying Ryan and Stacy's names together.

She paused to give herself a moment to gather herself before she spoke again. "I'm sure Mo or Charlie know where she is, or Ryan's sister, Whitney, she works at the pub now," she added then cleared her throat.

"I'm Janine, by the way," she introduced herself and held out her hand. "Who might you be?"

She smiled again and looked him up and down.

Sean looked at Janine. Ryan? Stacy was with Bradley, or had been. Seems being away a few years had meant him missing some important stuff. Sean? Stacy had a baby? He was an uncle. He grinned, he had a nephew. Named after him. Sean felt a small burst of pride and looked back at the woman. Janine. Ryan. Sean frowned, he hadn't been all that keen on Bradley, he would need to meet this new guy. And give his sister the shock of her life if she actually believed him to be gone. He supposed that Roxy had put it around that he hadn't survived the frozen lake. Why would she do that? He scowled as he lost himself in his thoughts then looked back at Janine again

"Sean" he replied shortly and looked over at the pub again. Ryan's sister? That dark haired girl with the red streaks then. He would have to have a chat with her.

Janine watched as he considered her information.

She widened her eyes. Sean? "So, your name is Sean? Wait, are you Stacy's brother?" she asked him in disbelief and inwardly relieved she hadn't made any disparaging remarks about Stacy. "You know she thinks you're dead?" she said.

Sean looked over Janine once more. "Yes, Stacy's brother."

"You don't look dead to me, though," she smirked. She followed his gaze to the pub and looked at her watch. "They won't be open for a while yet."

He chuckled darkly at her words. "Everyone seems to think I'm dead. It looks like my wife has taken care of that," he said and looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. "It's not a drink I'm after," he commented.

"I didn't think you were after a drink," Janine shot back. "But once Whitney got there, Peggy would have locked the door again."

She tilted her head at him again and bit her lip. "Would you like to have breakfast with me?" she asked him.

Sean glanced at Janine at her comment about breakfast. "Fine, you're paying," he told her firmly before moved past her and heading towards the Cafe.

"Oh, am I? Well, then, don't order anything expensive," she informed him tartly and walked with him to the caf?. Jane smiled, trying very hard to keep it cheerful as Janine walked in with Sean. Now that was an atomic bomb waiting to happen.

"Hi, Jane, I'll have tea and do you have any of those coffee cake muffins Rowan makes?" she asked curiously as she looked over the display case.

"No, I'll have some in another couple of hours. All I have right now is a cinnamon roll and a banana nut muffin," Jane replied.

Janine shrugged. "Cinnamon roll, then," she decided and fished her purse out of her bag and before looking expectantly at Sean.

Sean looked at Jane and gave her a sullen smile "Tea, takeout" he said tonelessly as he looked around the Cafe. This had changed too. Why did everything have to change during his absence? Sean waited impatiently for the tea and then stalked from the Cafe without so much as a look at Janine.

Janine huffed out an annoyed breath.

"Fine, so much for that, you're welcome!" she went to the door and called after him. She frowned and took the cinnamon roll and her tea from Jane and sat down in annoyance to eat.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Sean sipped his tea as he prowled the Square. It was hot and burning his mouth but at that moment he didn't really care. He sat in the park and kept his eyes glued to the pub. He wanted to talk to Whitney about his sister and then to Ronnie about his wife. Peggy clearly would tell him nothing.


	19. Chapter 19

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 19**

Rowan put the boxes with Jane's order carefully into bags as Ray drove her to the Square.

She pulled him close and kissed him thoroughly when he stopped in front of the cafe.

"See you later," she said and climbed carefully from the car and then grabbed the bags and headed in to the cafe. She smiled at Jane as she walked inside.

"I've got your order," she announced and Jane chuckled and clapped. "Your baking sells like crazy. I may have to increase my order."

"Promise me you'll wait until Christian is picking the order up again, not that I don't like bringing it to you. Now that I'm working less I get bored sitting around the flat with nothing to do. And Ray is going to take paternity leave closer to the due date."

"Really, you should be overjoyed he is helping out so much. He looks, um," Jane trailed off, uncertain how to phrase what she was thinking.

Rowan barked a laugh. "You can say it, too rough to be so sweet."

"Yes," Jane agreed.

"He hides it well. My only worry is, when he crosses the line between spoiling me and stifling me."

"True," Jane nodded. "I would imagine he could overdo it."

"You imagine correct."

Jane finished stocking the display case and then handed Rowan a takaway decaf coffee. Rowan thanked Jane and looked at her watch as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Well, I'm going to stop over and see Peggy. I got some more pictures she'll want to see, then I'm going to see about getting something done with my hair and nails."

Jane raised an eyebrow at her and looked at Rowan in her pretty summer dress. Rowan blushed.

"No, it's not me being high maintenance," she chuckled. "The vitamins are making my hair and nails grow like crazy. So it's chopping time," she growled jokingly and make a cutting gesture. "Bye," she waved at Jane and left.

She half-walked, half-waddled over to the pub and knocked on the door.

Whitney looked up and then over at Peggy.

"Should I get that?" she asked. Peggy considered for a moment and then finally nodded. Sean would likely have pounded and begun screaming for the door to be opened by now.

Whitney went over and carefully cracked the door open. She smiled when she saw Rowan and quickly let her inside and locked the door behind her.

Peggy looked at the clock as Whitney locked the door.

"Hi, Rowan, how are you?"

"Good, yourself? I stopped by because I got some more pictures from JT and wanted to drop them by."

She handed Peggy a disc in a jewel case. "They're really enjoying themselves. Junior flew them to Washington DC yesterday and I think Roxy bought out the shops," Rowan said with a laugh.

"That sounds like Roxy."

"Well, I can't stop long. I want to go see if I can't get in at the salon. Oh, and if you need my help again in the kitchen, let me know."

"Well, actually. If you could see your way to maybe doing a shepherd's pie, some pasties and a lasagne that would be appreciated."

"I'll get right on it, Whitney can help me with the lifting. Won't take long at all. Jane's coming over to help when Bianca gets in right?"

Peggy nodded. "You two have really saved me. Pat and I can do the simple stuff, but we don't have time to do all the rest. I'll be glad when JT gets back."

Rowan grinned and led Whitney into the kitchen. She quickly assembled what Peggy had asked for and put the lasagne in the oven first. She quickly wrote down the cooking times for Whitney who thanked her.

"Okay, it's all set and Whitney is going to make sure the things go in the oven when they need to."

"Thanks again, darlin'," Peggy said and opened the door so Rowan could leave.

/\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\

Gene glanced up at Ray.

"You're early," he remarked and bent back to the file he was reading. He left his office door open more now that Alex was down the hall. It had turned out to be a very good idea. Rhys and Ginger could get quite rowdy. Now, with Alex in there with them, they kept things more low key.

And Ray had proven to be very useful at keeping people from annoying him. Gene gave a self-satisfied smirk at his own cleverness.

Ray chuckled lightly to himself as Rowan vanished into the Cafe and he pulled away from the curb. She was going to go to Salon. Willingly. She was getting more and more like her sister. He half-dreaded what he would come home to that night. A hair cut, he could deal with that as long as she only had the trim she claimed she wanted. But nails, what if she didn't something odd to her nails? Ray knew Alyssa often had her nails painted, what would he think if Rowan did that?

He grunted as he parked up outside the station: he'd probably think that Alyssa had had something to do with it. How Jack lived with a woman that...girly was beyond him. That's why he liked Rowan. She wasn't the girly sort, well, hadn't been until she had hit her pregnancy. Would she go back to the old Rowan once the baby was born? Or stay like she was now? With dresses and curly hair and make up.

Ray nodded at Gene. "Ro was up early," he said by way of an explanation as he pulled a face at Alex and took his seat at his desk.

Alex gave him a haughty expression. She had been angry at Gene for moving her into the open office to start with. But now she could see it had advantages. Everyone seemed to be getting more done. The DC's and DS didn't seem to play up as much with on of their DIs constantly present and she was getting more done now that she didn't have Ray there to irritate her. Though she did notice he was still stealing her stuff at every opportunity he got. But it didn't bother her so much now. She supposed that without her and Ray arguing right outside he could concentrate better.

Gene looked at Ray steadily, expecting more commentary, but he remained silent. Not that Gene wanted to hear about what Ray got up to with Rowan, but it was strange and unnerving that he didn't brag. He got up and stalked across the office.

"Going for a smoke," he announced and headed off down the hall.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Rowan walked to the salon, humming softly to herself the song Ray had sung to her last night. Her lips curved into a smile and she waved cheerfully at everyone she passed. She bounced into the salon and greeted Tanya with a chipper hello.

"I need a bit of a manicure and a haircut," she stated and pulled the tie off her braid and began to loosen it with her fingers. "I'm thinking cut it just to here would be fine," she told Tanya and put her hand just below her shoulder to indicate where she wanted.

Tanya smiled warmly at Rowan and nodded. "You seem in a good mood this morning," she smiled as she opened the appointment book and skimmed through it. She grabbed up a pencil and studied Rowan's hair and then glanced at her nails.

"We've got a free spot now if you'd like you hair cut first, then one for your nails in 3 hours. Or, you can get your nails done first and then your hair done 2 hours, but your nails should take about an hour or so to get done," she offered.

Rowan shrugged. "It's nice to be out on a nice day," she said.

"An hour for my nails?" Rowan asked and looked at her nails. Why so long? "Um, I'll just have my hair done then. My nails just need a bit of tidying, so..." she trailed off. "Yeah, just my hair."

She could buy a nail file and get someone to show her how to file her nails down. She didn't mind that she had them now, but she didn't want them so long.

Tanya nodded and filled in the appointment. "You're with Gayna," she said and gestured towards the comfy seats in the small waiting area. "I'll just go see how long she's going to be," she said and made her way upstairs.

Tanya came back downstairs and smiled warmly at Rowan. "She's just finishing, she'll be down soon."

"Thanks," Rowan said and continued to finger comb her hair. She was tempted to lean back on the comfortable sofa, but she wasn't sure she would be able to get up again without help. She leaned her elbow on the arm of the sofa and stuck her chin in her hand and hoped her hair wouldn't get cut too short.

Tanya had a quick word with Gayna and smiled after telling her that she had an appointment with Rowan once she had finished.

Tanya came back downstairs and grinned at Rowan. "Gayna will be finished in a bit," she said. "D'you want a cuppa?" she asked as she flicked through the appointment book to tick off the people that had turned up. Alyssa was the one that usually went and called up to rearrange or confirm appointments. It was a job that Tanya hated and she knew that she was procrastinating.

"Oh, no thank you. If I drink anything I'll end up in the bathroom five minutes later," Rowan joked. She hoped the wait wouldn't be much longer; her back was starting to ache a bit. She really wanted to sit back and relax. She could do that once she was in the chair.

Rowan hid her sigh of relief when it was finally time for her turn. She showed Gayna exactly how much she wanted cut off. No layers or anything like that. She was sure Gayna was not impressed and she likely could have gone anywhere to just get length cut off, but she was out and not stuck in the flat. That was what mattered. Besides, with any luck Alyssa would be here soon and she could get a quick hello in before she went to surprise Ray at the station.

She smiled delightedly when her hair was finished and let Gayna give her a quick blow dry. She shook her head at the offer of it being curled. She awkwardly stood, took notice that the streaks in her hair would need to be redone soon enough and handed Gayna a tip before carefully going downstairs to pay.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Whitney finished cooking the food per Rowan's instructions and noticed it was nearly 11. She went to unlock the door and then went behind the bar to get ready. Peggy had gone upstairs, but she would come down if Whitney called and Tracey was coming in soon enough. Whitney looked around the empty pub, sighed and then began to wipe the bar down for lack of anything else to do.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Ffion finished and left the restaurant when James showed up just before lunch. She wondered if she should ask Rowan if she could work like this all the time. But she would have to get the baking stuff down first to do that. She liked getting done early enough to have lunch with Bradley, now that he wasn't accusing her of trying to get into Trevor's pants anymore, and she was able to help him at work earlier, too.

She began to skip and sing when she got to the Square. The day was sunny and warm and it had been a good morning, Rowan had praised her muffin batter! And she was now in a very good mood. She spun around as she passed the park and found herself nearly running over someone she could swear hadn't been there a minute before.

"Oh! Where did you spring from?" she gasped in surprise. "I'm so sorry, I nearly ran you down, but if I'm being honest, I would swear you weren't there a moment ago!"

Sean let out a small oof as someone bashed into him and then began to blabber. He frowned as he took a step back and readied himself with an insult before actually looking at her. It seemed there were a lot of new faces around. Pretty new faces. He grinned, Roxy had a bloke, why couldn't he play the field if she was

"Do you often make a habit of dancing into people?" he inquired, his tone curious, his eyes dark.

"No, I don't. Do you make a habit out of appearing out of thin air?" she asked breathlessly. "I did say I was sorry, but I didn't see you."

Sean raised his eyebrows at her comeback. "I didn't appear out of thin air," he frowned. "You barged into me."

She looked him up and down. He was cute, she had to admit. But she had someone.

"It looks like there's no harm done," she said and smiled at him.

"I have to go now, though, meeting my boyfriend," she added.

Sean scowled at the mention of a boyfriend. It seemed the only unattached person here was that woman that had brought him that tea. And she wasn't his type. He looked the girl up and down, letting his eyes linger as he studied her. Some guys got all the luck! He finally moved his eyes to her face and smiled at her again, as nicely as he could manage.

"I didn't catch your name," he said with a smirk.

"Only because I didn't see you there," she said and flashed him another smile. Ffion's eyebrows went up at his question. Was he chatting her up? Well, he was fit. But she had Bradley….

"I didn't throw it," she replied tartly and then chuckled. "It's Ffion."

She stuck out her hand.

"And who are you?" she asked, her tone slightly flirtatious. She couldn't help it.

Sean raised his eyebrows. Attached but flirting. He grinned smoothly as he slid his hand into hers and grasped it firmly.

"Sean" he replied with a smile as he left his hand in hers for slightly longer than was necessary.

Sean glanced over the top of her head as he saw that woman from earlier cross the square. Janine. He let out a small snort. The woman was too obvious.

"So Ffion, where were you off to when you bumped into me," he asked her as he looked over her once more.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Bradley looked at the clock. Ffion should be on her way now. Nothing was going on, so he got up and headed out to meet her on her way.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Ffion gave a small laugh and shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"I think I did say," she teased. "I'm going to meet my boyfriend and we're going to have lunch," she told him. She glanced up and saw Bradley coming in her direction.

"Well, here he comes now," she chirped and raised her hand and waved at Bradley. He smiled and waved back and quickened his step. He almost faltered when he noticed Sean Slater was talking to her.

She stepped around Sean, beaming at Bradley.

"Hiya," she greeted him and kissed his cheek.

"Hey," he said to her with a small smile and then looked at Sean.

"So, Sean Slater lives," he remarked.

Sean held back the scowl as he took in Bradley Branning but his face hardened and his eyes darkened. "You know, you're the second person to say that to me today," he said sharply. "Now why would you think that I was dead?" he demanded.

So, Stacy was with this Ryan bloke and Bradley was with pretty little Ffion. He smirked as he looked at Ffion again.

"I walked in, I didn't actually have an appointment. But my hair and nails are growing so much I had to do something," she lifted a handful of hair to show Alyssa she'd had it cut and then showed her nails to show how much they'd grown. "I'll have to get a file and tidy them up. They're longer than I like," she chuckled. She cleared her throat and looked at Alyssa bashfully. "Longer than Ray likes, too."

"Maybe because that's what everyone was told. You drowned, in the lake," he said shortly. Bradley slid a possessive arm around Ffion's waist when he saw the look Sean directed at Ffion.

"Excuse me, but we have to go," he told Sean and led Ffion away. Ffion gave Sean a wave, but turned her attention quickly back to Bradley. He clearly knew this Sean fellow and it was just as clear that he didn't seem to like him, at all.

Sean sneered as Bradley lead Ffion away. Clearly Bradley had moved on. Sean let his gaze linger on Ffion, ignoring Bradley's possessive arm holding her waist tightly.

He turned his attention back to the pub. He wanted to talk to his sister's new boyfriend's sister. Whitney. He started towards the pub and kicked a can lying on the pavement into the path of an oncoming car, satisfied when he heard the crunch of aluminum.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Ray watched Gene wander off and caught Alex's face peering at him. He pulled another face at her before getting down to work. Alex snorted at Ray and shot a look at Shaz as she started to giggle.

Shaz stifled her laughter at the look on Alex's face and hid her face by looking down at the file in front of her.

The phone rang and Alex grabbed it. "Walford CID, DI Hunt speaking," she answered.

Alex held in the groan and sighed. "We'll get someone down to you as soon as possible, sir," she mumbled and put the phone down. She glanced up at Shaz. "I really wish that people didn't see stolen lawnmowers as a job for CID. I'm going to patch it through to plod," she said and Shaz sighed as Alex rang it down.

Once Alex got off the phone Shaz spoke. "The worst one I got was one bloke wanting us to come and do something about his broken TV," she said in exasperation. "I mean, seriously, this is why there are electricians and everything!"

"I honestly got one about a cat stuck in a tree," Ginger put in. "I thought it was a prank call."

"I remember that one," Rhys said. "I thought Marsden was going to go off," he chuckled.

Shaz laughed. "And back at Fenchurch that we got a call saying a man was dangling a baby over a bridge threatening to let it fall. When we got there it turned out it was simply a man carrying his dog over because the poor thing didn't like bridges."

Alex burst into laughter. "The look on that poor woman's face when Gene arrested her for wasting police time! Priceless."

Shaz giggled. "He was so pissed off. Ranting and raving about the actual crimes that needed his attention not some bloody nancy dog!"

"We got a call once that there were some people dancing naked in a shop window up on the High Street. We got there and it turned out it was the mannequins in the window weren't wearing anything. Apparently whoever called had horrible eyesight!" Rhys put in.

"That was insane. We never did find out who exactly made the call, but there are two or three little old ladies that might fit the bill. They must have realized the mistake when we didn't do anything and most of us were laughing quite hard," Ginger added.

Gene came back from his smoke break and heard the laughter going on. He walked over and stood in the doorway.

"I see an awful lot of talking going on, but not an awful lot of work," he said with a scowl. He focused his gaze on each of them before turning and going back to his office. He looked at the pile of paperwork on his desk that seemed to have gotten higher since he'd been gone. He sighed, sat down and glanced around before pulling out his flask and taking a drink. He stuck it back in his pocket and frowned at the files.

He should have refused to become the Super, but then they would have brought in someone else, someone he might not like. It seemed wisest to take the position so he could do as he pleased. But the amount of unending paperwork was making him rethink his decision.

Alex gaped at Ginger and Rhys before bursting into more laughter. "That's priceless!" she gasped in delight.

Shaz tried in vain to keep her giggles in as Gene stalked past, but failed miserably. Alex grinned broadly at Gene as he past. He wasn't like they were talking about something that wasn't work related! She mentally made a face at him in her head so that the others wouldn't see. She knew better than to undermine him in front of the junior officers.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Janine finally left the café. She glanced across the Square and saw that Welsh bimbo Ffion talking to Sean. And he was smiling at her! Again, it was Ffion! What was it about that stupid girl? Janine snorted and stalked to the pub. She went inside and ordered a shot of vodka and quickly downed it.

"So, Whit, how's your brother?" Janine asked snidely.

"He's fine," Whitney replied, her tone short.

Janine ordered another drink and drank it down as well as she looked at Whitney steadily.

"You don't have to look at me like that you know. He left me, remember? For that Slater cow," Janine snorted. "He's divorced me now as well. I expect he'll be marrying her shortly."

"I don't want to talk about my brother with you," Whitney told her. "If you just want to be like this, I'll have Peggy bar you."

Janine frowned at Whitney and stood up. "Fine, I'm leaving then."

She turned and stormed from the pub. She glanced over at Sean again. Stacy's brother. She would love to get him in her bed and then make sure Stacy heard about it. She would find a way.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Alyssa pulled the clothes out of the washing machine and set them in the tumble dryer. She glanced at the time and sighed before hurrying upstairs and changing to get ready for work.

She came back down 10 minutes later ready to go and grabbed up her handbag and jacket before leaving the house and heading to work.

Alyssa came into the Salon with a cheery wave at Tanya as she swept behind the counter to dump her hand bag underneath the front desk.

Tanya breathed a sigh of relief when Alyssa came in. "Hey, how was the honeymoon?" she wanted to know and met Alyssa's beam with a smile. Alyssa nodded happily. "It was the best two weeks of my life," she grinned and Tanya nodded. "I still remember my honeymoon with Max," she smiled.

"You look fantastic," she said, quickly changing the subject. "I'd say your trip agreed with you," she said and raised an eyebrow at Alyssa. "I suppose Jack is sporting the same smug look?"

Alyssa grinned. "I suppose so," she agreed as she touched her cheeks. Was she looking smug? She shrugged it off, she was entitled to look smug. "He was reluctant to leave and insisted on staying in bed until we absolutely had to get up this morning," she smiled and rolled her eyes. "Yet he's the one that gets almost 2 months off work in a few weeks," she smiled.

Alyssa reached over to grab her pen from the pot where she had left it. She glanced at the appointment book and smiled as she recognised the marks on the pages. She pulled back and smiled at Tanya. "Dyou want me to call for rebooking?" she asked with a smile and Tanya nodded. "Please! I hate that bit," she said as she stood aside and gestured to the book.

Alyssa grinned as she took over and grabbed the phone

Tanya looked up from her coffee as she heard steps coming downstairs and looked over at Alyssa. She was still on the phone. Tanya stood and moved back to the desk where Alyssa moved over to make room for her.

Tanya smiled at Rowan and Alyssa put the phone down and ran around the other side of the counter to embrace her sister. "Ro!" she squealed happily. "I didn't know you'd booked an appointment!" she smiled.

Alyssa admired Rowan's hair. She liked Rowan's hair shorter, it was pretty when it was long, but personally Alyssa liked Rowan's hair when it was shorter. It suited her better.

"Sounds like Ray. Do you know what he told me? He wants to get a television for the bedroom when he goes on paternity leave. I know! He's going to take time off to help out he says," she broke off and chuckled. "Anyway, he wants it so we can lie in bed in the morning or at night and watch. I don't think he realizes we aren't going to have any time for lazing about once the babies are born."

She laughed softly. "I'll bet," Alyssa said with raised eyebrows at her sister, her bemusement evident in her tone as she glanced at Rowan's nails.

Alyssa smiled. "Maybe he just wants to spend time with you before you give birth," she suggested. "I know that the TV in our room is well used on a Sunday morning," she smiled.

No, I know that. I just know that after the babies are born, there won't be much lying comfortably watching TV."

Alyssa smiled. "Just plenty of lying around trying to catch some sleep," she said.

Rowan sighed and handed Tanya her money.

"And for some reason I can't figure out, he keeps saying 'baby' instead of 'babies'. And sometimes when I talk about the twins, I see him with this odd look on his face, out of the corner of my eye. I would swear he thinks I'm kidding," she told Alyssa.

Alyssa frowned "What? He doesn't believe you're having twins? But the scan..." she trailed off. "He was working!" she remembered. "You showed him the pictures afterwards," she said with a sigh and then shrugged. "Maybe he's toying with you?" she offered.

"I know, I don't know if he thinks I'm kidding him or if he's teasing me," she shrugged.

Alyssa shrugged. "If he does think it's a joke then he's gonna get a shock when you give birth to two babies," she laughed.

"I'll be in shock, too," Rowan said with a snort of laughter.

"But look, I want to go and surprise Ray for lunch. I'll see you at six at my place," she said and gave Alyssa another hug. "So glad you're back."

Alyssa smiled and waved as Rowan left and turned her attention back to her work.

She flashed Alyssa another smile and headed out, toying absently with a lock of hair. Her head felt so much lighter, even though it was still just past her shoulders she noticed the difference. She stopped in the Minute Mart and bought a nail file and then at the café to pick up the lasagne she'd ordered from Jane and headed for the station. She couldn't wait to see Ray's face.

She waved at Adam as she walked in and walked down the hall towards Ray's office. She peered around the doorframe and smiled. He looked so serious when he was doing paperwork. She loved the way his brow furrowed. She stood and just watched him for a moment, then walked through the doorway.

"Surprise," she said softly and held up the bag with the food in it. "Thought I would have lunch with you before I go home," she said.

Ray looked up at Rowan in surprise, but pushed his work away from him to clear a space on his desk.

"You didn't tell me you were coming for lunch," he grinned at her as he dragged another chair over for her and gestured to it. "Sit down, Rowan," he ordered with a glance at her stomach as he placed his hand on her shoulder. He bent down once she had sat down and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss, then took his seat once more.

He turned his attention to the bag she carried then moved his gaze back to her. He reached out a hand and touched a lock of her hair. "It's shorter," he noted with a small smile as he dropped the lock he had wound through his fingers.

"I wanted to surprise you. I see that I did," she smirked and sat down, though she didn't like his bossy tone when he told her to sit. She decided once again not to tell him she was helping out at the pub on occasion until JT got back.

"Not by too much though. It was just getting longer than I wanted to mess with," she said as she took the containers of lasagne out of the bag. It was too awkward to lean towards his desk she decided, so she slipped the sandals off her feet and stuck her feet up on Ray's leg with a small smile as she leaned back on the chair and opened her container. She rested it on her belly, but kept hold of it just in case any kicking started.

Gene smelled food and walked out of his office and looked at Ray and Rowan.

"Where's mine?"

"Sorry, Gene, it's not my week to babysit you," she retorted.

He frowned at her.

"Get your feet off my officer," he demanded.

Rowan looked at him and blinked. "He's at lunch, so my feet can be wherever I want them to be," she informed Gene. "Now why don't you go pester someone else?"

Gene looked at Ray.

"I'm going to lunch," he pointed at Ray and then swung his finger to Rowan, keeping his gaze fixed on Ray. "No funny business while I'm gone."

Rowan kept her lips pressed together so she wouldn't laugh in Gene's face and bent over her lasagne.

Gene looked at them both again and then left the room and walked down the hall. He opened the door and looked at Alex.

"Let's go to lunch," he said to her and let the door shut as he turned to walk back down the hall, expecting Alex to catch up.

Alex looked up as Gene stormed past. She sighed and looked through the office as she followed him. She saw Rowan and Ray together and wondered what had got him upset. She caught up with him and slid her hand into his.

"What's up?"

Gene waited until they got outside. "I've had it with all the bloody paperwork. There's forms for every little thing and I'm fed up. I want a nice juicy case," he complained.

He led her towards the cafe and tried to stay calm.

Alex sighed and squeezed his hand gently. "You can take your anger out on some of the phone calls we've been getting today. Someone called CID this morning expecting us to do something about his stolen lawnmower. It's hardly our top priority so I patched it down to plod," she told him.

"Try calling round your snouts. See if they've know anything interesting that you've missed," she supplied with a shrug.

"If they had, they would have called me. Calling me means getting money. I'm not going begging, then they'll just start making things up," he snorted. Gene gazed longingly at the pub and then looked at Alex.

"One pint," he stated. He looked at her, looked at the café and then back at the pub. "Just one."

Alex smiled at him and tugged on his hand to pull him towards the Vic. "Come on then, we might as well eat there if we're going in, too," she said with a shrug. "While JT's away Rowan's been doing some of the cooking," she grinned. "But don't tell Ray, he doesn't know," she laughed as she slid her arm into his and walked along with him.

Gene looked at her. "Then how do you know?" he asked her. "And why can't Ray know?" he stopped and thought about that a moment and remembered how he acted towards Alex when she was pregnant. "Never mind," he said gruffly and went into the pub.

Alex smiled. "I know because I got told, and Ray can't know for obvious reasons!" she replied. Flippantly. "Men seem to treat women like invalids when they're pregnant," she grumbled.

"I did say never mind," he growled softly.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Sean pushed open the door to the pub and leaned on the bar. So the girl with the black and red hair was Whitney. She had to be.

Whitney looked up as the man who had been in earlier came in again. She bit her lip as she finished serving Shirley and Heather and then walked over to him.

"Hi, what can I get you?" she asked with a smile.

Sean wondered what her brother looked like as he watched Whitney. How much of a family resemblance was there?

"Are you Ryan's sister?" he asked her with a smile.

Whitney looked at him. "Why do you want to know?" she asked curiously. She thought it might be safer to play dumb a bit, but she was careful not to sound hostile and kept the easy smile on her face. Peggy had taught her well.

Sean shrugged. "Ryan is with my sister. I want to know where they are. Figured his sister would know," he said.

Whitney considered him a moment.

"I'll have to check with them first. They don't want people knowing where they are," she explained.

She took in the look on his face and sighed.

"Ryan left Janine for Stacy, it turned out he was the father. Ryan and Janine were married," she told him. "Janine is still carrying a grudge even though they're divorced now."

Sean considered her words thoughtfully. Janine was cropping up a lot. First taking him to breakfast and now she had a connection to Stacy which she had neglected to mention. He nodded at Whitney. "If you do speak to your brother tell him to tell Stacy that I'm around and want to see her," he said. Ryan could deal with his sister's shock.

"No ifs, I talk to my brother all the time, and Stacy, she's great. I've even been to visit them," she told him, her tone slightly smug.

Sean looked at Whitney curiously. So his little sister had had a baby. Janine hadn't made that up. He looked around the pub and shrugged off the look that Peggy was giving him. He was married to her niece. She couldn't throw him out.

He clenched his fists again at the thought of Roxy. She had tried to replace him with this bloke. He would hang around until she got back and then take her back. She loved him. She would choose him. She wouldn't get a choice.

Sean closed his eyes as he tried to calm down and looked at Whitney. "How old is their kid?" he asked.

"Sean is a year old now," she told him. "I suppose I could show you a picture, if you want?" she offered. She bent down behind the bar and fished a little book of photos she had out of her bag. She flipped through to a small family portrait of Ryan, Stacy and the baby and held it out to him so he could see.

Sean took the picture curiously and nodded at the happy expression on his sisters face. At least someone was happy. That Ryan didn't look like such a bad bloke..he seemed to love Stacy from what Sean could tell from the picture. He peered closely at the baby in the tiny picture. She had named the lad after him, because Roxy had led everyone to believe that he was dead. He let out a breath as he handed the picture back to Whitney.

"Cheers," he said with a nod at her and then gave her a forced smile.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

"Why were you so mean to him?" Ffion wanted to know as they headed for the café.

"Because Sean Slater is crazy and he's no one to mess around with. Please stay away from him, Fee. He's would kill you as soon as look at you," he told her.

"I don't believe that," she scoffed.

"Well, it's true. He hurt plenty of people around here before he supposedly died."

Ffion looked at him, not quite believing him, but he'd never lied to her before.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Ray grinned at Rowan once Gene had gone and then let loose the laugh that he had been holding.

"You do know that you're one of the only people that can get away with talking to him like that?" he grinned at her.

"What about Alex? I'm sure she talks to him like that all the time. Anyway, I don't work for him and you know there's always what I did to him at the engagement party to make him think twice, even in my condition," she smirked at Ray and went back to eating her food.

Ray shrugged. "She's allowed to. He married her," he said nonchalantly. "So she doesn't count," he said.

Ray looked at her with a grin and his gaze lingered on her stomach with a fond smile. He shoved a forkful of lasagne into his mouth and chewed it hurriedly. "So, I thought having your hair and nails done would take longer than that," he commented as he glanced at the time.

Rowan chuckled at his comment around a mouthful of food and took a drink of water before answering.

"I Rowan looked at the lasagne remaining in her container, she'd only eaten half. She prodded at it with her fork and sighed before putting the box on his desk. "I'll have to finish that when I get home."

She leaned back on the chair and settled herself comfortably, lacing her fingers together and resting her hands on her belly.

"So, did you talk to Mr. Hunt about the leave thing and when does it start? Since I'm not due till the end of October, I'd say the first of October is a good choice," she suggested. "I didn't want to wait for hours just to have my nails tidied up a bit. They're too long. So, I bought a nail file and I'll take care of them myself when I get home. I wasn't going to have them painted or anything. I work with food; the last thing you want taking the chance on bits of nail polish chipping off into the food," she explained and took another drink. "So, I just got my hair cut. I saw Alyssa though; she got there just as I was leaving. She looked so…radiant. Apparently they had a very good time."

Ray raised his eyebrows. "I'll bet they did," he agreed. His thoughts trailed back to their trip to America and everything they got up to and smile formed on his face. He grinned to himself as he turned his attention back to his food.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her as he swallowed down the last of his food. She'd only got through about half of what she'd bought with her, whereas he had wolfed down the whole thing. He shrugged, he'd been hungry. Breakfast had been a while ago, seeing as he had got up ridiculously early.

She saw the look she got from putting aside her food and shrugged. "I'll be hungry again in an hour or so. Then I'll eat the rest and in another hour or so be hungry again. It's slightly annoying to be honest," she told him.

Ray sighed. "Did you see the mood he's in?" he grumbled. "Haven't had a chance, he's been like this for a while now. He wants a case, fed up with paperwork," Ray chuckled. "Being Super he doesn't get to go out like we do, even to deal with the minor stuff, he wants something huge to go off," he sighed. "I've still got a few months, I'll wait until a day when he comes in feeling happy..." Ray trailed off and his eyes lit up. "Maybe I'll talk to Alex."

Rowan heard the tone of his voice on that comment and watched the expression on his face change. She knew immediately what he was thinking about and gave a low chuckle. She fondly remembered their trip, too. She bit her lip and considered the idea once again of handfasting with him. Would he do it? He knew her beliefs and though they didn't discuss it in depth, he had never said anything negative about it. She didn't need some formal, legal piece of paper, but handfasting would be nice, she thought.

She nodded. "I saw his mood and if it's all the same, I'd rather something huge not go off," she said and rubbed the place between her shoulder and collarbone where she'd been shot. "I could talk to him," she offered and watched his eyes light up as he had an idea.

"If it will calm Gene down then I'm all for something going off that he can get his teeth into, as long as it is well away from you and everyone else," he said with a small smile at her.

She chuckled. "Or you could talk to Alex, yes, but considering the way you treat her, would she help you?" she wanted to know. She saw he was finished with his food and got up and tossed his empty container into the bin and then looked at the clock. Plenty of time. She promptly sat sideways on his lap and leaned against his chest, her head tucked up underneath this neck and her arm resting around his side. She draped her other arm across her belly and gave a soft sigh as she reached for his hand and placed it on her belly.

Ray waited until she had settled on his lap and he wrapped his spare arm around her as he scoffed "I don't treat her badly!" he protested "You're making it sound like I'm some kind of monster!" he grouched "All I do is steal her pop tarts! And I'm telling you, when she throws pens, she throws them bloody hard" he grumbled and pressed a kiss to her head.

"Besides, me going on paternity leave would get me out of her hair for a few days" he said with a smile "I'm sure I can convince her with that, almost a whole month without me, she'll be in heaven" he chuckled.

"Well, to hear her tell it you are the most horrible person ever," she told him.

"Apparently Pop Tart thieves should be shot," she added with a chuckle.

Ray snorted. "Well, when it's her birthday she will discover that there are Pop Tart pixies as well as Pop Tart thieves," he said with a shrug.

"Aww, good," she said.

"I hope things are better now that you're here and she's way off over there," she said and waved her hand.

Ray shrugged again. "Less entertaining for me," he sighed. "But everyone is getting more work done, that lot in there have calmed down now Alex is with them," he said gesturing at the open office.

"I'm sorry work is so much less entertaining," she commiserated. She glanced over his desk. "Maybe you should have a picture of me on your desk," she mused as she noticed he didn't have one.

Ray glanced at her. "Picture of you on my desk would make me long to go home," he said and reached over to open a drawer. "Which is why I keep it in here," he picked the picture out of the drawer and showed her. It was one that Louisa had taken for them outside Rowan's old home. He showed it to her and then put it back in the drawer.

Rowan smiled at the picture and then at him.

"A whole month, huh? Just me and thee," she lifted her head and looked at him. "Shame it won't stay that way for long," she said, a tinge of regret to her tone and then raised her hand to slide it behind his neck and pull him to her for a kiss. She slid her fingers into the hair at the back of his neck and tightened her other arm around him.

Ray nodded at her. "One whole month," he agreed and held her closer as he kissed her back greedily.

Rowan's heart beat faster and felt a surge of lust rise up within her. Just the touch of his lips could drive her to a frenzy! Her other arm came up from where it was and she wound it around his neck with her other arm, she twisted her torso as best she was able pressed herself to him as close as she could.

She couldn't hold back the tiny moan that rose from her throat from the intensity of the kiss. She forced herself to pull her arms from around his neck and took his face in her hands and gently broke off the kiss.

"We have to stop, I'm losing control, acuisle," she panted, trying to get her breath back and force some semblance of control over her body. Her every nerve was on fire and she was aware, very aware, that the skirt on the thin summer dress she was wearing only went to her knees and had risen up from the way she was sitting. She suddenly felt very vulnerable and it hit her why she never wore clothes like this-she didn't like feeling that way. Her clothes were a protection of sorts. She trembled and swallowed hard.

She knew he would never hurt her, so she'd felt safe wearing the girly clothes. Now, she wasn't afraid of him, she was afraid of herself. She could feel how much he wanted her pressing against her leg, she wanted him just as badly. She closed her eyes and tried to focus.

"I should go," she breathed.

Ray ran his hand through her hair and looked on curiously as a mixture of emotions crossed her face. He pressed his lips to her forehead as she opened her eyes and frowned at her words. He hugged her closer, as much as he could with her still being comfortable and gazed at her. "I'd rather you didn't," he said.

Her lips parted as she looked back at him and tried to slow her breathing. She brushed her lips against his.

"Then, I should go back to my chair," she said with a quick gesture. "We can't...we can't do this here," she whispered. But she wanted to. She shifted in his arms in preparation to standing, not sure if her shaking legs would hold her. But she had to move.

Ray sighed and gave her small squeeze before letting her go. He raised his eyebrows at her as he rested his arms on the arms of his chair and waited patiently for her to get off him. He didn't want her to get off him but he wouldn't stop her if she felt that she wanted to.

Rowan put a hand on his desk and one on his shoulder and pushed herself to her feet. She didn't want to. She wanted him to stop her, to slide his hand up her skirt and make her unable to move. She moved back to the chair where she'd been sitting and dropped onto it with a heavy sigh.

She raised her eyebrow at him as she put her bare feet up on his leg again. "When you get home..." she said and trailed off. She gave him a look and then picked up her bottle of water and took a long drink.

Rowan looked at her food, then at the clock and then at Ray.

"How long can I hang around here without getting you in trouble?" she wanted to know. "I don't want to sit around by myself. Lunch is nearly over so they won't need me to help out at the register or anything," she sighed.

"Doing nothing is making me crazy," she confessed.

Ray looked at the clock. "Til the Guv and Alex get back, and even then you can probably hang around for a bit. Gene's super now, you only get in trouble on his say so," he grinned. "And he's wary of you anyway," he shrugged. "So, I reckon that you're okay to hang around for as long as you want. But I'm only going to be doing paperwork, so it'll be boring," he warned her.

"I don't think it will be boring. At least I won't be sitting around the house by myself," she said.

Ray looked in the bag that she had brought and frowned in disappointment. "No pudding?" he asked hopefully as he looked back at her.

Rowan smiled at his question and picked up another bag. She looked at him as she pulled a container out of the bag and placed it on the desk. She opened it to reveal a slice of chocolate cake.

"Of course there's pudding," she snorted.

"Well, you're not by yourself in the Restaurant either. There's Ffion and Trevor," he shrugged. "And Syed, you can boss them around if you're bored at home," he said and then smiled. "And Alyssa isn't working all the time anymore, so you can hang out with her if you want to be around someone," he grinned. "Not that I'm trying to get rid of you, I just don't want you getting bored here, too."

Ray grinned at her and looked at the cake, he frowned. One slice? "Are we sharing?" he asked as he licked his lips greedily.

She smiled at the undisguised greed in his tone.

"It's all yours," she told him. She was tempted to sit on his lap and share the cake with him, but she knew that would be a bad idea.

Ray grinned and pulled the slice towards him and took a huge bite, savouring for a moment before greedily taking another bite. "S'good," he told her through a mouthful of cake.

"Of course it's good, I made it," she said

Rowan shook her head. "Ffion and Syed spend all their time staring at Trevor. If he wasn't doing such a good job, I'd be forced to let him go," she told him, her tone slightly aggrieved.

"I'm not bored," she insisted. "Maybe I can help with paperwork or something?" she offered.

Ray raised his eyebrows. "And give away classified police secrets!" he gasped. "More than my life's worth, Ro," he sighed and prodded the stack of papers halfheartedly. "I'll get through it," he sighed. "I still need to ask Gene about paternity leave," he sighed. "Maybe he'll be in a good mood when he gets back. He likes food," he shrugged.

Rowan chuckled at him. "I guess I'll just have to watch you then," she remarked. "Considering how often you used to stare at me when I work it seems only fair."

"I could wolf whistle as you walk by, too, cause you're my sexy man," she smirked at him.

Ray shrugged. That seemed fair. He did used to watch her a lot when she was cooking, but only because it interested him how 'into' it she got.

Ray nodded with a grin at the wolf whistling idea. "That sounds good, I think that you should definitely do that!" he agreed with a grin at her as he finished the cake. He replaced the lid on the box and handed it back to her, smacking his lips as he did so.

"I'll ask him if you want, you know he won't say no to me," she chirped. She swung her feet to the floor and stood up and turned, startled at the commotion down the hall. She glanced at Ray and shoved her feet into her shoes and went to the door and into the hall to look out and see what was going on.

Ray snorted and sighed as he watched her go. He was tempted to join her, but the stack of work on his desk prevented him from doing so. She would be safe, she was surrounded by Police Officers, she couldn't get much safer.

Rowan grinned at him and winked. "Then I will."

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Whitney took the picture back from Sean and nodded to Gene and Alex as they came in. "You're welcome, um, excuse me a minute," she said to Sean and went to get Gene's pint before he sat down. She put it in front of him and glanced at Alex to see if she wanted anything.

Gene glanced at the man at the bar talking to Whitney. He looked like trouble. Gene watched him out of his eye as he smiled at Whitney as she put a pint on the bar for him. He looked at Alex. "You having a glass of red or are you still on duty?" he asked her. "We'll also have whatever Rowan might have cooked this morning."

Alex nodded, one glass wouldn't hurt, especially if she was eating too. She smiled at Whitney. "I'll have a glass of red wine, please," she said with a look at Gene. "I'm eating too, it's fine," she said with a shrug.

"She made the shepherd's pie," Whitney told Gene, glancing at him briefly before returning her attention to Alex.

Whitney was trying not to stare at Stacy's brother. He was kind of cute, she had to admit. But dating Stacy's brother would seem a bit odd, not to mention, she had Brett. She pushed aside the small voice that reminded her that Brett had cheated on her once. He might have, but he had been honest when she asked him about it and she had forgiven him.

She got Alex her drink and then went to let Tracey know the food order. She walked back over and looked at Sean.

Alex picked up her glass from the table and paid Whitney before leading Gene to one of the tables and sitting down.

"So, umm, anything else?" she asked him.

Sean watched Whitney wander off to her job and studied the two people that had entered the pub with an interest that he managed to make look idle. Still on duty? Doctors? No, they didn't look like the Doctoring type. Police officers? From the look of the bloke that seemed to fit. The woman he wasn't so sure about though

Sean shook his head at Whitney. "No, thanks," he said to her and gave her a brief smile before glancing once more at the two coppers and leaving the Pub.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Gene followed Alex to the table and took a sip of his pint.

"Ah, that hits the spot," he said contentedly and took another drink.

"So, what do you think is going on with Ray, he acts like he wants to talk to me, but hasn't said owt yet," he told her. He turned and narrowed his eyes at her. "You haven't done anything have you?"

Alex gaped at him. "And what am I supposed to have done!" she demanded. "You've separated us to stop all the 'problems' and now you're accusing me!" she pouted. "I'm not the one who goes around raiding other people's desks."

Alex shrugged. "Have you tried asking him what's up?" she asked as she reached for her wine glass and took a sip.

"Well, I don't know! But it just seemed the logical reason. Separation hasn't exactly stopped the pair of you from still winding each other up!" he argued.

He looked up as Tracy brought their food and dug in with a smile. He ate a mouthful and looked back at her.

"And no, I haven't, and I won't. If he has a problem, he needs to spell it out. I'm not his mother," he took a sip of his pint and chuckled. "Or Rowan for that matter. I don't get paid to babysit," he said with a tone of finality and went back to his food.

"I need to get someone to help me with the paperwork. I'm being buried," he muttered and then looked at her.

Alex sighed and dug into her food: he was never going to change! He wasn't even prepared to find out what the issue was with Ray!

Alex raised her eyebrows at him and folded her arms defiantly. "Don't look at me like that!" she protested. "I'm not doing it for you!" she said. "You took the job, you do the work," she said with a sigh. He knew when he took the role that Superintendent was more work than DCI, and seeing as though he didn't have a DCI he was stuck doing the work himself.

Gene frowned at her.

"You're helpful, aren't you?" he growled and turned his attention back to his food. "Maybe I should have refused and maybe they would have brought someone in that we couldn't work with," he told her before taking another bite of his food.

Alex nodded. "Yes, I'm known for being helpful," she snorted back. She rolled her eyes at him. Sarcasm. She sighed as she took another bite of her food. "Well, yes, maybe that would have happened but you had the foresight to predict it so took the job yourself, so man up and do your own paperwork," she said with a shrug and reached for her glass. She took a sip.

Gene glared at her. She could offer to help a bit. How did the Super manage to get it all done?

"You're all heart," he snorted.

Alex shrugged at him. "Of course, I am," she grinned. "You're perfectly capable of doing the paperwork you just don't want to do it," she told him.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Whitney nodded and watched Sean leave. She looked around the quiet pub and quickly fished her phone out of her bag and called Ryan.

She felt relief wash over her when Stacy answered the phone, just the person she needed.

"Hey, Stacey, umm, there's something you should know," Whitney began uncertainly.

"Well, spit it out Whit, I need to pick up Sean."

Whitney held back a bark of laughter at that. "Funny you should say that," Whitney remarked. "This guy was just here in the pub a few minutes ago, not just any guy, your brother, Sean."

"What?" Stacey shrieked causing Whitney to take the phone away from her ear. "But he's…."

"Peggy recognized him, she was really thrown. She said he was supposed to be dead. He disagreed with that assessment."

"It can't be him," Stacey breathed.

"It was him, Stacey, he wanted to know where you were, but I didn't tell him. And he went off on one at Peggy. Roxy's off on holiday with her man and he was not happy about hearing that."

Stacey breathed out a long breath. "Okay, Whit thanks for calling me. I have to go pick up the baby. I'll talk to Ryan. I think we may have to come for a visit."

"Sure, okay, bye," Whitney said and put her phone away.

Bradley held Ffion's hand as they walked back to the carlot after lunch. He saw Sean coming out of the pub and crossed the road casually to avoid encountering him. He carefully did not look in Sean's direction as they passed, although he kept watch out of the corner of his eye.

Ffion knew Bradley was bothered by Sean, though she wasn't sure why. Was it because he used to be married to Sean's sister? It wasn't Bradley's fault Stacy left him for another man. She matched Bradley's rapid pace as they walked to the carlot, but she couldn't help turning her head and glancing at Sean.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Sean aimed a glare at Bradley's back as he spotted him. The guy had never been good enough for Stacy in his opinion. He gave Ffion a smile as she turned to look at him. Interesting. Sean waved at her and smiled a friendly at her. It was forced but from that distance she shouldn't be able to tell.

Sean watched them go and found his gaze once again lingering on Ffion. If Bradley had hurt Stacy then Ffion could be a convenient way to get back at him. If Stacy hadn't been hurt by Bradley then Ffion was just a convenience. He smirked.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Stacy waited impatiently for Ryan. He was supposed to pick them up after Sean's appointment and she was getting restless. She needed to tell him, they had to go back to Walford.

She finally spotted him pulling into a parking space and went outside and waved at him. He smiled hugely at her and kissed her cheek.

"How is our little monster today?" he asked and tickled his son under the chin causing the baby to howl with laughter.

"He's fine. All caught up on his jabs now, arent' we?" she asked her son. "We need to get home, now Ryan. We need to talk and then we need to pack."

He looked up at her from buckling Sean into his carseat. "What? Why?" he wanted to know. He shut the car door.

"Look, I'll tell you when we get home. But we need to go to Walford."

"Stace, I don't..."

"No, Ryan, we have to. Let's go home and I'll tell you everything Whitney told me when she called."

Rhys sat back down at his desk and looked at Ginger, Shaz and Chris before snorting out a quiet laugh.

Ginger looked over at him. "What's so funny?"

"I just got back from the kitchen and when I was walking past the Guv's office, I saw Ray and Rowan snogging, I mean, reeaaalllly snogging," he told them. He looked over at the door.

"Do you think I should close that?" he asked them.

Shaz leaned back in her chair and watched Rowan climb off Ray. She grinned at Rhys and shook her head. "No need," she said with a shrug and a casual jerk of her head towards the smaller office.

Ginger grinned.

"Well, looks like they have better sense than Alex and the Guv," he remarked.

Chris chuckled. "Agreed."

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Sean sat on the bench and looked around him. Keeping his wits about him was something he did unconsciously now. He couldn't stand being vulnerable. He folded his arms and watched the people around him.

Sean grew tired of waiting. He didn't know what he was waiting for. So he stood. Sean glanced over at the Salon and spotted that flash of Blonde he had deliberately ignored earlier.

Sean grinned and moved towards the Salon with purposeful strides. He pushed the door open and looked at the pretty redhead at the counter. It seemed Walford had gathered some female potential since his departure. He leaned against the counter and offered a slightly forced smile

Alyssa looked up at the bloke with raised eyebrows. They rarely got any men coming into the Salon. In fact, she was willing to believe that the most regular male visitor was Jack, and he only ever came in to see her. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

Sean nodded. "Is Tanya about?" he asked and Alyssa nodded slowly. "Yeah, she's just."

"Here," Tanya announced coldly. "You're supposed to be dead, Sean," she said bitterly and Sean grinned. "Third person to say so today," he told her and Tanya frowned. "Then maybe you should start wondering why."

Sean glared at her. "Because my stupid wife seems to have spread it about," he snapped and Tanya shrugged. "Well, if you will go and drown yourself in a lake."

Sean banged his fist down on the counter. "Do I look liked I've drowned!" he growled at her. Alyssa took a step back from the counter uneasily and watched Sean cautiously as she moved her hand behind her and into her jacket pocket. She closed her hand around her phone And ran her finger over the keypad.

Tanya put her hands on her hips defiantly. "Id like you to leave my Salon," she told him calmly. Sean snarled. "Maybe I don't want to go, Tan."

Alyssa pulled her phone out and scrolled down to Alex's number. She knew where she was. Top of her contacts list. "I suggest you do as she asks," she told him.

Sean's gaze snapped to her. "Or what? You'll call the cops?" he laughed. "And what will they do? I haven't done anything to warrant arrest," he told her with a malicious grin.

Tanya caught Alyssa's glance and nodded at her phone. She knew what Sean was capable of. The guy had practically encouraged her to bury her husband alive. She didn't trust him one inch.

Alyssa pressed the call button on her phone and lifted the phone to her ear.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Alex dug in her bag as she heard her phone go off and smiled as she answered it. "Heya, Lyss, how was the honeymoon?"

Alyssa let a smile grace her face at the memories. "Good thanks, um, we've got an issue down at the Salon."

Sean snapped his attention to Alyssa. The woman knew cops? He cursed his bad fortune and turned his attention to Alyssa. "Hang up," he demanded. Alyssa raised her eyebrows and shook her head.

Sean snatched at Alyssa's phone and she took a swift step backwards out of his reach. Tanya pulled on Sean's shirt to pull him away from Alyssa and he brushed her off easily. "Sean!" she snapped at him. "Just go away!"

Alex frowned and looked at Gene. He had almost finished his food. "We can get down there in a bit," she said and gestured at Gene to hurry up eating. "There's something going on at the Salon," she told him.

Gene dropped his fork and stood up and walked out of the pub, not even bothering to glance back to make sure Alex was following him. He walked quickly down down the street to the salon, looking in the window as he walked to the door.

He yanked open the door and grabbed Sean from behind.

"All right, you, time to go," he said as he muscled the man out of the salon and pushed him against the wall.

"So, do I need to take you in?" Gene wanted to know.

Alex cursed as Gene dashed off and she quickly grabbed up her stuff and ran after him. She got there as Gene slammed the man up against the wall. He could handle that. Alex went into the Salon and looked from Tanya to Alyssa. "You two okay?" she asked and Alyssa nodded in reply. She turned to Tanya.

"What was that?" she wanted to know.

Alex nodded and smiled at her friend before heading back outside to where Gene was still holding Sean up against the wall. She folded her arms as she watched them.

Sean scowled at the big bloke that held onto him. "I did nuthin," he snapped as he scowled at Gene. "I just went in to say Hi," he clarified. "Put me down!"

Sean looked over Gene's shoulder at the woman that had appeared again and looked her up and down. He winked at her.

Alex kept her arms folded tighter as Sean raked his gaze over her and she scowled at him.

Tanya sighed as she looked at Alyssa. "Sean Slater," she said after a moment. "Roxy's husband. Technically she's Roxy Slater, but she went back to Mitchell after it was put about that Sean had drowned," she explained. "Before my divorce from Max we were separated, and I had a fling with Sean. He's..." she sighed. "He's a psycho," she said. "He can go from being all sweet and lovely to holding you up against the wall squeezing your throat," she said.

Alyssa looked over at where Alex was still visible, clearly watching Gene and Sean. "So, Roxy lied about him being dead," she said and Tanya nodded. "Looks that way, gave me such a fright this morning though when I saw him in the market."

Alyssa nodded. "I'll bet, blast from the past and everything," she suddenly bit her lip. "Does Roxy know he's back?"

Tanya shrugged. "No idea, but I'm betting that if Peggy knows, which she will, then Roxy will hear it from her."

"If you were just saying hi, then we wouldn't have been called for help," Gene snarled. Gene looked at Alex.

"Does she want to make a complaint?" he asked her as he held Sean against the wall. "If she does we're taking this loser right down to the station."

Tanya strode out and caught the end of Gene's sentence. "Yes, she would," she replied and glared at Sean as he scowled at her.

"I didn't do anything, you can't arrest me!"

Alex snorted. "In fact we can, we can do you for harassment," she replied and Sean glared at her. "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" he roared and squirmed in Gene's grasp.

"Call for back up, Bolly," Gene said over his shoulder, unable to keep the good cheer from his voice.

He grinned when a car finally arrived and took great pleasure in shoving Sean in the back of the car.

"Take him and get him banged up, I'll be right there," Gene said and closed the door. He waved and smiled at Sean smugly through the window as the car drove away.

He turned and looked at Tanya. "Well, if you don't mind coming down to the station to fill out the form, I'd be much obliged," he said.

Alex hid her smile at the glee in his voice. One measly arrest and he was right as rain again! She pulled her phone out and dialled the station.

Tanya nodded her agreement. "I'll just get my jacket," she said as she watched the car drive away with Sean inside. At least if he was locked up for a period of time, no matter how brief, it got him out of her hair. She dashed back into the Salon and glanced at Alyssa. "I'm off down the station to file this complaint," she said. "I'll be back soon."

Alyssa nodded. "No rush, we've only 3 appointments this afternoon," she smiled. Tanya nodded and hurried back out. She climbed into her car and looked at Alex. "I'll meet you down the station," she said before driving after the police car that had taken Sean.

Alex waited until Tanya had gone then looked at Gene. "You've perked up," she commented with a smile.

"Putting away a bit of trouble-making scum like that will always brighten my day," he grinned at her as he began to walk rapidly to the station.

He snaked an arm out and caught her around the waist and pulled her to him as they walked.

Alex smiled and slid her own arm around him as she found herself pulled against his side. She shouldn't be surprised that an arrest would change his mood. All he had done was taken the guy out of the Salon, slammed him against the wall and then proceeded to push him into a police car. Yet suddenly his bad mood was gone.

Alex spotted Tanya as the neared the station and let go of Gene to hurry towards her. She smiled as she passed and went directly to Adam

"Adam, we need a complaint form, harassment," she told him. Adam looked over at Tanya and spotted Gene appearing then complied and dug out the form for Alex. She thanked him and went back over to Tanya with a pen. "If you'd just fill this out for us," she asked.

Tanya took the pen and the form and sat down on one of the nearest chairs and filled out the form.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Stacy watched the scenery fly by as Ryan drove them to Walford.

"I don't like doing this, Stace," he said.

"I'm sorry, Ryan, you don't have to stay. But honestly, you're not afraid of Janine are you?"

"No, I'm not. But who knows what she might try to pull, there's the baby to think about."

"She'll learn very quick not to mess with me," Stacy snarled.

Ryan shook his head and laughed.

"So, do you really think this man is Sean?"

"Yeah, if Peggy says it is. Why would she make that up?"

Ryan shrugged.

Stacy began to fidget the closer they got to Walford.

"I can't believe he's back," she barely whispered and glanced back at her son.

Stacy felt a surge of relief as Ryan pulled onto the Square.

"Let's start at home," she told him. He nodded and drove to the Slater house and parked in front. Stacy climbed out and went to the door and had a few brief words with Charlie before coming back to the car.

"Charlie hasn't seen him yet," she told Ryan. Her attention was caught by the police car driving past. She pushed herself up in the seat and craned her neck as it went by.

"I think Sean was in there," she gasped. She looked at Ryan.

"Well, follow them!" she snapped. Ryan made a noise and then pulled away and turned to follow the police car.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Alex frowned at Sean as he struggled against the officers taking him down to put him in a cell. She sighed and then raised her eyebrows as she spotted Rowan. She made her way over. "You still here?" she teased and glanced over at Sean and then at Tanya. "We just picked him up at the Salon," she said. "He was harassing Tanya, so Lyss called me," she added.

Sean sat in the cell that he had been put in and let his anger out on the wall. He pulled away and sat on the ledge that was supposed to act as a bed. His hands were all bruised and his knuckles were scraped. He clenched his fists angrily. How dare they lock him up for no reason at all! Tanya and that stupid woman that she worked with. They had no reason to call the police! All he wanted was Roxy!

Sean beat his fists against the thick door in front of him.

"I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!" he roared. "LET ME OUT OF THIS SHITHOLE!" he continued as he rained his fists on the door with all his might. His hands were aching more than they should but he didn't care. He wasn't going to get locked up! He hadn't done anything.

The orderly that sat at the desk for the cell officers gulped. He didn't like the rowdy ones, and this guy seemed especially pissed off. He cringed at the way he was hammering on the door, there was no way that he was going in there without backup. He rose and climbed the steps and looked at Adam. "The new guy that just got brought in," he said and Adam nodded. "What about him?"

"He's not settling and looks as though the door won't hold him if he carries on like he is at the moment," he sighed.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Gene entered the station and watched for a moment as Tanya filled out the form. He'd pegged that scrote as a troublemaker from first sight. He strode down the hall and saw Alex talking with Rowan.

"You still here? Why don't you stop hanging around and harassing my officers?"

Rowan looked at him and stuck her tongue out at him. She looked back at Alex.

"Are they okay? He didn't hurt them or anything did he?"

Alex nodded. "They're fine," she said. "Tanya should tell us everything that happened, but as far as I could see he didn't physically hurt either of them," she assured Rowan.

Tanya stood up and handed the form to Alex. She scanned it over and smiled at Tanya before giving it to Adam to scan onto the system. She turned back to Tanya. "Are you okay to tell us what happened?" she asked and Tanya nodded readily. "Sure."

Alex gave Gene a look then lead Tanya to an empty interview room. They both sat down and Alex set the mic so it would record the conversation.

"Go ahead," she smiled.

Tanya nodded and launched into an explanation about how Sean was supposed to be dead and how seeing him this morning at the market was a shock. Then she went on to describe the events in the Salon up to the point when Alex and Gene had turned up. Alex smiled as Tanya finished.

"Interview terminated at 1:07pm," she said and switched the mic off. Tanya rose. "I can go?" she asked and Alex nodded.

"Well, that's a relief," Rowan said. She watched Alex lead Tanya away to an interview room and then went back to Ray. She walked over to Ray's desk and looked over into Gene's office.

Gene sat at his desk, looking quite content and cheerful, his feet up on the desk and his hands behind his head.

"He looks like he's in a really good mood," she remarked. "I'll go talk to him."

She put a hand on Ray's shoulder and pressed a lingering kiss on his lips before turning to go in and talk to Gene.

Gene shifted his gaze at Rowan as she walked into his office.

"You're not in here to ruin my good mood are you?" he asked her.

"I don't think so. I just need to make sure Ray can take leave starting October 1st, for a month or maybe six weeks," she told him.

"Why?"

Rowan folded her arms and looked at him. "I'm due at the end of October. I need help and I need to make sure he's around when I go into labor. So, you need to make sure he is able to do that."

"Are you telling me what to do?" he demanded.

"I'm requesting in a vehement and insistent manner," she grinned.

He gazed at her steadily for a moment. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Fine."

"Thank you," she said with a smile and left his office.

She went back over to Ray and stood next to his chair and leaned back against his desk. "You start leave October 1st," she informed him smugly.

"Now, I'm going to go ahead and go home," she leaned down, kissed him thoroughly and leaned her forehead against his as she broke it off. She put her lips to his ear.

"When you get home, I'm going to..." she began and proceeded to whisper in his ear.

Ray grinned at her as she came out. How was it that this woman had his boss wrapped around her little finger? His arm slid around her back as she stood near him and his hand fisted in the material of her dress as she murmured to him quietly. He let out a controlled breath as she moved away, let go of her dress and slid his hand up her back into her hair and pulled her head back down to his. He kissed her.

"I look forward to it," he murmured back as he eased his hand from her head. "Now you're going to have to go before I lose control," he said quietly and looked up as he heard Alex come back into the other office. He pulled Rowan's head back and kissed her again.

"Oh, I see, when it's me losing control, I should stay, but when it's you then I should go," she teased when he stopped kissing her.

Ray nodded with a grin. "Yes, that just about sums it up," he told her. "Besides, the Guv is back now and I don't want to get in trouble and have him deduct weeks or anything from my leave," he smiled at her.

She glanced over as Alex passed & let him pull her back for another kiss. She wound her arms around his neck as she deepened the kiss.

Gene came out of his office and snorted.

"I'll thank you to put my officer down, Miss Tremaine. You don't know where he's been."

Rowan reluctantly broke off the kiss and looked at Gene.

"I know exactly where he's been," she retorted with a smirk and straightened up. She gave Ray a small wave and winked at Gene before picking up her container and leaving.

Ray couldn't rid himself of the grin on his face as Rowan left and didn't even try to calm his expression as he glanced up at Gene. Ray chuckled to himself then returned to his work. His mind was full of the words that Rowan had whispered to him and he knew he would find it very difficult to concentrate this afternoon.

Ray snorted as Gene left. Funny business? A kiss was nothing compared with what Ray had been sorely tempted to do to Rowan. And now he had to wait, Ray glanced at his clock, 5 hours. 5 hours and dinner with Alyssa and Jack until he could do what he was dying to do.

Stacy hurried into the station and looked at Adam.

"Was my brother brought in here? Sean Slater?"

She looked at him as he stared at her, without speaking.

"Where is he? I want to see him now!" she demanded. She turned and caught sight of Tanya.

"Is Sean here? What the hell is going on, Tanya?" she snapped as she stalked over to the woman.

Tanya looked at Stacy and raised her eyebrows "You knew he wasn't dead?" she commented curiously as she eyed Stacy

"He came barging into the Salon and my deputy manager called the police. I believe he's down in the cells" she said as she grabbed up her stuff. She nodded at Stacy and left the station.

Alex came out of the office at the sound of someone yelling: was there ever any peace around here? She caught sight of the cause of the commotion and made her way towards Stace.y "Is everything alright?" she wanted to know.

"Whitney called me you dozy cow," she snapped.

She turned to Alex.

"Yeah, there's a problem. You've got my brother locked up. I want him out. This," she said with a gesture and a disgusted look, "has it in for him and is probably lying about whatever he did."

She looked at Alex, turning her back on Tanya.

"So what can I do to get him out?" she asked Alex, her expression pleading.

Alex sighed "I'm sorry but a formal complaint has been made against Mr Slater. There's really very little I can do for you" she explained and looked over her shoulder

"If you want to take this up with the Superintendent then by all means.." she said with a shrug. "But there really isn't a lot we can do for you until we get this complaint dealt with."

Alex smiled briefly at Rowan as she left and then turned back to Stacey.

Gene watched Rowan leave and then looked at Ray again. He took in the grin on his DI's face and frowned.

"You, no more funny business," he warned Ray before heading off down the hall to see what the problem was.

He heard the commotion down the hall and headed off to see what was going on.

"But that's not fair, she way lying, I'm sure she was," Stacy said. "She's always had it in for him."

Gene walked up and folded his arms as he looked at Alex and then Stacy.

"So, what's going on?"

"Are you the person I need to speak to about my brother? You need to let him go. That Tanya Branning, she'd say anything to get him into trouble. Can I see him? Please? If you won't let him go, and you really should, then let me talk to him."

Gene looked at her. "I don't know," he said hesitantly.

"Look, we thought he was dead. He's my brother. When can you let him out?"

Gene looked at Alex and then back at Stacy. Why did the troublemakers always have to have such great family?

/\\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\

Tanya strode back to her car brushing off Stacey's spiteful words and implications. She drove back to the Salon and smiled at Alyssa. "It's all sorted. He's in a cell," she said and Alyssa nodded. "Good," she said and tapped the appointment book with her pen.

"Your 1:30 is here," she said and gestures upstairs. "I believe Kim is 'chatting' to her now," she grinned and Tanya rolled her eyes. "I suppose Id better rescue her pretty sharpish then," she sighed before trudging upstairs.


	20. Chapter 20

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 20**

Alex shrugged at Gene. "Put her in one of the interview rooms with an officer and I'll see about getting her brother out of the cells to talk to her. If he promises to behave," she said and gave Stacy a brief smile before nodding at Adam.

Adam handed over the keys to the cells and Alex made her way down. She knew which cell Sean was in and she headed towards the one with the man inside roaring for his release. Alex smacked a hand on the metal door and heard the man stop his attack on the door.

"Mr Slater, your sister is here to see you, you will be escorted to talk to her so long as you promise to behave," she informed him in a 'no nonsense' tone.

Sean paused for a moment. He had done nothing wrong in the first place! Mind you, Stacy could probably get him out of this place. "Fine!" he called back and Alex nodded.

Two PCs escorted a reasonably calm Sean back upstairs and sat him opposite his sister in an interview room. Alex looked on as Sean was led inside then turned to Gene. "Dyou think we should be in there? Just in case?" she asked.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Rowan went home and busied herself on the phone and at the cash register at the restaurant, trying to keep her mind off Ray. Why had she got off his lap when she did? She shook her head at herself and got back to her paperwork.

"Thank you," Stacy said gratefully and went into the room to wait for her brother.

Her expression changed to one of shocked joy when he was led in to see her. She didn't even register Alex and Gene still being there. Sean was here!

She rushed to him and flung her arms around him.

"Sean," was all she was able to choke out.

Gene looked at Alex and pulled the door shut.

"No, we can just wait here. If anything happens, we'll hear it."

Ryan got tired of standing outside, got Sean out of the car and went inside to sit and wait for Stacy. He could only assume she was seeing her brother. They should go to the pub after this and see Whitney, he thought.

Sean held Stacy tightly in his arms and refused to let her go for a moment then pulled away but held onto her shoulders. His expression had softened considerably at the sight of his sister. "Heya Stace," he smiled at her.

"Heya, Sean," she said back.

Sean pulled his sister back into a gentler hug and rested his chin on the top of her head. "You gotta get me outta here Stace, I didn't do anything!" he said. He frowned. "Tanya is making a big deal out of nothing," he growled.

"I don't know how," she told him. "I talked to them two, but they weren't really listening."

She pulled away from him and looked at him miserably. "I'll see if I can get Tanya to drop the charges. "I know she's being a vindictive cow, and she probably started the whole thing anyway," Stacy huffed. She folded her arms and leaned on the table.

Sean let Stacy go and looked down at her. "So, I spoke to that Whitney, she said you were with some bloke called Ryan?" he asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Yeah, he's great. I mean, not that Bradley wasn't. But he got blamed for murdering Archie Mitchell, and so his Uncle Jack helped us run. We were in this horrible little village for what seemed like forever while I was pregnant. He was even willing to be the father, he didn't care, he loved me. But we grew apart while we were living there. Bradley started taking these long walks and thinking and…I don't know, he changed. Not in a bad way, just, he wasn't MY Bradley anymore, you know? Then, when Danny got sent down for the murder, we came back here. And I saw Ryan again. He's Sean's father. And things just sort of clicked between us."

She paused and picked at a hangnail before raising her head to look at him again.

"Janine started sticking her oar in, she was married to Ryan, but he just kept showing up around me and being charming and kind. He was there when I went into labor, Bradley and I had had this huge row and it was raining and I was walking and it just happened, and Ryan was there. So, I had the baby and then we ran off together. I was just so tired of everyone hanging over me, trying to sort Bradley and I out. I know I hurt him, but I couldn't help it."

She sniffed and blew out a long breath.

"So, that's me in a nutshell," she told him. "I won't ask what happened to you. But I'm glad to see you. I'll go talk to Tanya and see if I can't get her to change her mind."

Sean studied her with a half-smile as she spoke. He was glad to see his little sister and also very happy to hear her news. Bradley Branning had never been good enough for his little sister and he liked the look of Ryan from the picture he had seen. And Stacy looked happy, he was glad. All he needed now was Roxy.

"I never liked Bradley" he scowled at her "He's ginger" he added as his reasoning. Bradley was an idiot for leaving his little sister, but Bradley now had Ffion: he could work with that.

Stacy frowned at him.

"Sean, it still doesn't excuse the way I treated him, leaving him for another bloke. If Ryan hadn't been around I probably would have tried harder, but he was," she shrugged. "He was good to me and I owe him an apology. He came back from Canada for me, to help me when I got out of hospital. So be nice to him, Sean. He was there for me when a lot of people weren't. He believed me when I told him….well, never mind…but he was there."

"So, you named your kid after me?" he asked, smugness oozing through his voice as he grinned at her "Cheers."

"You're welcome. Course, I thought you were dead so, you know," she grinned and shrugged.

Sean nodded. "I met Janine earlier," he told her. "She seems...keen," he said with his eyes narrowed.

"Oh, Janine is one evil cow. If she finds out you're my brother she'll be trying to figure out some way to use you to get back at me for stealing her husband," she snorted.

Sean grinned at her and shrugged. "She did seem a bit too overly interested when she spotted me hanging around outside Charlie's," he said with a shrug. "Bradley Branning was never good enough for you Stace! He was a weedy piece of crap!" Sean told her decisively.

"Yeah, well he's not such a weedy piece of crap anymore. A lot of heavy lifting and hard graft and long walks saw to that," she told him.

Sean nodded. "I bumped into him earlier. Him and his new girlfriend..." Sean trailed off and ginned with glee at the look that had been on Bradley's face.

"He has a new girlfriend?" she asked curiously. "Hope she treats him better than I did."

Sean smirked. "She's very pretty."

"Why do you say it like that, Sean? I'm not going to get upset. I left him for another man. If he's found someone new then I can hardly blame him. I'm not going to expect him to sit around and pine for me," she said, her tone annoyed.

Sean snorted "I just said she's pretty, Stacey. Because she is, I met her earlier. She's verrry pretty!"

Stacy rolled her eyes and shook her head. She grabbed Sean into another hug and then opened the door to the interview room and walked out, closing it behind her. She walked over to Gene and Alex.

"That Tanya, she's a vindictive cow. You really shouldn't believe everything she says," Stacy told them. "Especially where Sean is concerned. Thank you for letting me see him."

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alex nodded and leaned back against the wall next to the door. She was listening carefully to the goings on inside the room but her gaze was fixed resolutely on Gene. She smiled at him for a moment then turned her head and looked at the door of the interview room, listening for any signs of a struggle or a fight.

Gene nodded and watched her walk away. He looked at Alex, the question evident on his face, before turning to gesture to the officers to take Sean back to his cell.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Stacy walked out and saw Ryan sitting there waiting for her.

"So?"

"They won't let him go. That bitch Tanya signed a complaint. So now, we need to go and talk to her."

Ryan nodded and handed the baby to her and walked with her out of the station.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alex looked up at Stacy as she came out and mirrored the look on Gene's face. She watched Sean get escorted back to the cells, a smug look plastered all over his face. She turned back to Gene with a sigh. "Looks like we're going to get a domestic on our hands soon enough," she sighed as she returned to the office.

Gene grunted in agreement and frowned before going back to his office.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ryan drove Stacy to the salon.

"Why don't you take Sean home, Charlie should still be there, or Mo, I'll be along after I talk with Miss Snooty-Pants," she told him.

"You sure you don't want me to stay?" he offered.

"Nah, I'll be fine. He needs a nap."

"Okay. I'll see you when you get there. Then maybe we can go out for a meal since we'll have a sitter here," he grinned.

"We have a sitter at home, too," she scolded him playfully.

"I know, but we have a sitter here, too," he said back and tapped her nose.

"Okay, I'll see you later then."

She watched Ryan drive away and then went into the salon.

She looked around. "I need to talk to Tanya, now, please," she requested, her tone dark.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alyssa looked up from the order book to look at the dark haired girl and she raised her eyebrows at the girls demanding tone of voice. It seemed it was all kicking off here today. She put down her pen and stood up straight.

"She's with a customer at the moment," she said. "Can I help?"

"I know you, I remember seeing you around the Square. You worked for Max, yeah? Look, I need to talk to Tanya and I need to talk to her now. She needs to tell the police to let my brother go. I know she's got it in for him and I know she's only done it because she's a spiteful bitch. So you tell her I'm waiting for her, please."

Stacy moved to sit down and then turned and looked back at Alyssa.

"I'm Stacey Slater, just so you know," she added and then sat down.

Alyssa nodded at Stacy. She was familiar. She vaguely remembered her being with Bradley and their home coming party.

Alyssa frowned. Slater? Related to Sean. "Sean came in earlier and started shouting his head off and threatening Tanya," she frowned.

Alyssa sighed. "Wait there, I'll go tell her you're here," she said as she left the desk and headed upstairs. She spotted Tanya at her usual station an went over.

"Tan, Stacy Slater's downstairs demanding to speak to you," she said with a small smile at the woman Tanya was tending to.

Tanya sighed. "I'll be down in a moment, I'll just finish here," she said as she turned back around and finished putting the rollers into the woman's hair.

She took off her apron and followed Alyssa back downstairs. Tanya strode over to Stacy and frowned "What do you want Stacy?"

"Look, you know you overdid it with signing out a complaint on my brother. Call it off, yeah," Stacy said as she walked over.

"You've always had it in for him, but you need to put your petty bitch self behind you. You call them down at the station and tell them you've changed your mind, that you overreacted," she insisted.

Tanya frowned. "I don't think I did overreact Stacy!" she retorted. "Your darling brother was in here mouthing off and being more psychotic than usual. I felt it was necessary to call the police!"

"Ask Alyssa! He practically leapt over the desk at her!" she glowered at Stacey.

"He was upset, Tanya, what do you expect? How would you like to come round some place that used to be your home only to have everyone saying 'thought you were dead', huh? How would that make you feel? To know the woman you love told everyone you were dead and is now off with some other man? He's gutted, Tanya. And you're such a bitch you can't even see it."

Stacy stalked over to stand right in front of Tanya.

"No wonder Max cheated on you with me, you're such a selfish cow he probably got sick of it. And I won't doubt you probably egged him on, said things to wind him up, because that's what you're good at, Tanya. Now, call them and tell them you changed your mind," Stacey insisted.

Tanya glared at Stacey. "Your brother isn't capable of emotion Stacey," she paused realising that that wasn't entirely true. "well, no emotions except rage and lust!"

Tanya slapped Stacy around the face as her eyes widened in anger. How dare she! "For your information!" she spat. "The only reason that Max cheated on me is because some cheap little tart was throwing herself at him! We both know that he's a weak man!" she glared at Stacey. "But you're the one that cheated on poor Bradley, with his own father!" she retaliated. "And on your wedding day, too!"

"You want me to change my mind? You're going the wrong way about convincing me!" she glowered at the younger woman.

Stacy pulled out her phone.

"Yes, hello, I need to make a complaint of assault," she said. "Yes, I've just been attacked at the salon. Thank you," Stacy said and flipped her phone shut.

She looked at Tanya. "So, the police are on their way and now you'll be locked up for assaulting me. I think that's much, much stronger than simple harassment. And your woman there saw the whole thing, how lucky is that?"

Stacy smirked as the police car pulled up outside.

Tanya gaped at Stacey. "You bitch!" she screeched and started towards Stacy when her gaze was pulled to the window by the police car as it pulled up outside. She glared at Stacy then turned to look at Alyssa pleadingly "You'll tell them I didn't do anything right?" she begged as her panicked gaze flashed back to the window. She would not go to prison again! No way!

Alyssa shook her head sadly "I'm sorry Tanya, I won't lie to the police" she said quietly

Tanya turned back to Stacy "Fine! I'll withdraw my complaint if you withdraw yours!" she said with another anxious glance outside. Who would look after Oscar if she got locked up? she wouldn't get to see her kids!

Stacey stood back, folded her arms across her chest and simply stared at Tanya.

"Oh, now you want to withdraw your complaint. I'll have to think about that Tanya," Stacy told her and began to give her statement to the nice PC.

Tanya gaped at Stacy. She glared at her back as the other PC came up to her and she went with him without making a fuss, she wasn't going to make this worse than it needed to be.

Jack drove up to the salon and looked at the two police cars in front, what was going on?

Alyssa spotted Jack and left Tanya and Stacy to sort themselves out as she went outside to meet him. "You would not believe the day we've had today!" she muttered as she hugged him. "How was school? As hectic as you anticipated?" she asked. Alyssa looked into the Salon and sighed at Tanya and Stacy, clearly they had history but she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

Jack shook his head.

"It wasn't too bad, actually," he told her. "Are you going to be able to leave?" he wanted to know as a PC came over to Alyssa.

Alyssa shrugged up at him. "No idea," she sighed.

"We'll need a witness statement from you, Miss," he said to her.

Alyssa nodded at the PC and then proceeded to tell him exactly what had just happened in the Salon. She smiled once she had finished and slid her hand into Jack's. "Anything else you need from me?" she asked.

Alyssa didn't wait for the police cars to leave before heading back inside. Now she had to sort this mess out that had got left behind. She ran upstairs and was relieved to find that Maddie had taken over on Tanya's client. She did a quick sweep round of the Shampoo bottles and checked the nail varnish too. She sighed as she came back downstairs and added some stock to the order forms then looked back up at Jack. "So, today, Tanya went down the station after we got threatened by Sean Slater, then his sister turns up and starts threatening Tanya, too," she sighed. "Now I've got to sort this place out before I can go. Luckily the woman upstairs is the only client left," she sighed.

Gene worked on his files for a bit and then slammed down his pen in frustration. He was going to need a secretary or something. He couldn't keep up.

"Ray," Gene said as he stood up from his desk and walked into the area where Ray's desk was. "Go and see if you can find that girl that was working as the Super's seccy. I forget her name, Debbie or something like that. Looks like I'm going to need her."

He gestured at Alex's empty desk.

"She can sit there, the computer and everything is still there. Now, go, find her and bring her here," Gene said with a sigh and went back to his desk.

Ray nodded. As far as he knew Debbie was a PC. So she should be working in the PC's office. He walked decisively down the corridor and went directly into the office. He read the name plates on the array of desks then moved towards the woman whose first name began with 'D'.

"Are you Debbie?" he asked. "The Super needs you," he continued.

Debbie looked up from her desk and brushed her dark hair from her eyes. Her brow furrowed as she looked up at the man...Ray, she thought his name was. He was a DI.

She stood up. The Super? What had she done wrong?

"What am I supposed to have done?" she wanted to know as she followed him.

Ray frowned at her. "Who said you did anything wrong? He wants you to be his secretary like you were for the Old Super," he said as he led her back down the corridor to the main office. He ignored Alex as she pulled a face at him and knocked on Genes office door.

"Guv," he said as he pushed the door and gestured to the woman behind him. "Debbie."

Ray smiled at her briefly before moving back to his desk.

"Oh, well that's a relief," she smiled briefly at him as she followed him to Gene's office.

"Hi," she said to Gene. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, I didn't know there would be this much paperwork. I thought the Super just had a secretary for appearance sake. So, starting now, I need you to work for me. You can sit at Alex's old desk. So, if you can get whatever you need shifted to this desk and get someone to set a computer up for you here.," he told her.

She nodded. "Okay, great, I'll get right on it, Guv," she said and turned to leave, flashing a smile and cheeky wink at Ray as she passed.

Ray smiled back at her once again before absorbing himself in his work. The way he figured it, the sooner he got all this done, the sooner he could go home. And home meant Rowan, who had plans. Good plans. He grinned to himself as he worked as quickly as he could.

Debbie came in and watched as the computer was finished being set up and then sat down and put her various office supplies away in the desk. She stood up, went into Gene's office and took a stack of files and then got to work processing her way through them.

She looked across at Ray and gave him a friendly smile.

"You're DI Ray Carling, right?" she asked. "I'm PC Debbie Allen, nice to meet you," she introduced.

Ray shook her hand with a smile. "You too, Debbie," he grinned as he let go of her hand.

"Since it looks like you're working in here now, there's some stuff you should know," he said and leaned closer with a wary look into the outer office "If Alex, DI Hunt, asks you who is stealing her Pop Tarts, it's not me," he said with a grin. "Also, if she comes in here when I'm not here and starts tidying my desk will you make sure she stops," he asked as he sat back down at his own desk with a grin.

"Oh really?" Debbie said with a sly grin. "And what do I get for backing up that story?" she asked, her tone slightly teasing. "You'll share the Pop Tarts you take with me, right?"

Ray grinned. "You and the rest of CID," he snorted. "When Alex goes out or isn't here we nick her stash and eat it, don't worry, you'll get included," he promised.

"Just make sure that I am and my lips are sealed," she told him. She glanced at the clock. "Oh, it's 5 already. I've got to run."

She got up, grabbed her bag from the desk drawer and hurried out.

Ray waved her off and then turned his attention back to his workload. He set about finishing it as quickly as he could so that he could go home.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Rowan set about getting dinner ready with Syed's help. He carried it upstairs for her so she could set it up on the dining table in the flat and then left.

She finished getting ready and looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. She couldn't wait until Ray got home.

Chris went in to Gene's office, nodding at the techie who was setting up a computer on the empty desk across from Ray.

"Sorry, Guv, there's been more trouble at the salon, thought you should know," he said and then turned and walked out.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Stacy watched them drive Tanya away and a ghost of a smile lingered on her face as she left and headed for the station to sign the paperwork. She'd let Tanya sweat it out a bit, then she'd tell her she had a deal.

She walked into the station and smiled at Gene, making sure he could see the livid mark on her face that Tanya's hand had made.

"So, back again, are we, only this time you're the injured party," he remarked.

"I'd like to talk to her, if I could, please. We might be able to work this out to everyone's benefit."

He looked her over and snorted. "I'll just bet."

He paused a moment. "Fine, you go in that interview room there, I'll have her brought," he said and made a gesture at Alex.

"Well, go and get her," he growled.

Jack looked at his watch.

"I'll just wait around here until you're done, if you don't mind," he said. "Then we can go to Rowan's straight from here. You might want to call her and tell her we'll be late."

Alyssa shook her head. "I don't mind," she smiled and tossed him her phone. "Will you call her?" she asked. "I've got to get through all of this before we can go," she said gesturing to the store room. She smiled at him then went in and gathered up the stock that needed replenishing.

Jack nodded and pulled out his phone to call Rowan.

Rowan sat on the couch, feeling the kicking as she rubbed her belly and staring at the TV. She heard the phone ring and quickly picked it up.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hey, Rowan, there was a bit of excitement here at the salon. Tanya had to go to the station so Lyss has to close up. We're going to be late," he explained.

"Okay, the food will keep fine," Rowan said. "I'll see you when you get here."

"Sure thing, bye," Jack said and flipped the phone shut.

"She says the food will keep fine and she'll see us when we get there," he told Alyssa.

Alyssa waved off the client and then made sure that both Maddie and Kim were sorted and then sighed when they had gone. She did a final sweep around then grabbed her keys from her bag and slid her jacket on. She led Jack outside and locked the Salon behind them. She grinned at him. "Come on, Rowan's been cooking," she licked her lips with a laugh.

"You really don't have to hurry me along," Jack teased as he opened the car door for her. "I've had to sit there and resist the urge to tell you to hurry."

He shut the car door, then walked around and climbed in himself.

Alyssa pulled a face at him. "I was hurrying," she exclaimed with a smile as she got in the car.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Tanya sat moodily in the back of the police car as she was driven to the Station for the second time that day. She kept her expression neutral as she sat there and gazed idly out of the window. Stupid Slaters! They always had to make everything into such a big deal!

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alex fought her impulse to roll her eyes and collected Tanya from the police car. "Ms Branning? Would you come with me, please," she instructed and she led Tanya down the corridor to the interview room where Stacy had been put. Tanya followed Alex to the interview room curiously. So they were actually going to listen to her side of the story?

Tanya raised her eyebrows as Alex left her in the interview room with Stacy and she took a seat at the table mutely and looked at Stacy questioningly.

"I've had a think, if you drop your complaint, I'll drop mine," she began. "But," she held up a hand, "there's one thing more. You have to apologize to Sean. He's just trying to figure out what's going on, Tan, he didn't need your bullshit on top of it," Stacy told her.

"And you stay away from him," she warned Tanya. "Just leave him alone."

Tanya folded her arms: dropping the complaint she could deal with, but apologizing? To Sean Slater? She rolled it over in her mind. If she apologized, then she would stay with her kids and wouldn't get charged for assault. But, that meant apologizing. She scowled at Stacy and nodded

"Fine, I'll drop my complaint," she agreed and then glared at her. "And I'll apologize to your psychopathic brother!"

"Trust me Stacy, I don't want to go anywhere near him!" she said. "Besides, it was him that sought me out!" she argued back. "Tell him to stay the hell away from me!"

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Rowan looked at the clock and sighed. It was after 5, where was Ray? She went into the kitchen and got the wine out for Alyssa and made sure there was beer in the fridge. She set the table and growled in frustration as she dropped two of the forks.

She quickly eased herself down and crawled under the table to get the forks.

Ray glanced at the clock. He had promised to be home for 6, it was coming up to that now. He glared at the paperwork on his desk then stood, grabbed his jacket and headed out. He always loved leaving the station after work, knowing that he was officially off duty was a good feeling. However, knowing that he could be called in at any time to deal with a case was always hanging over him. Which is why he loved spending time at home so much, if he spent more time at home and with his friends, then he didn't feel so bad about having to leave at a moments notice. Mind you, most of his friends were CID anyway, so they were all in the same boat.

Ray got into his car and drove home. He frowned as he noticed Jack's car wasn't there and glanced at his clock. Surely they should be here by now? He shrugged, maybe with everything going on today about the Salon they had got held up. He wouldn't be surprised. Ray dashed inside, sparing a wave at Trevor and Syed and hurried upstairs. He looked around as he shrugged off his coat and threw it into the bedroom so that it landed on the bed.

"Ro?" he called out as he headed through to the kitchen and pulled a beer from the fridge. He smiled as he spotted her.

"Oh, don't just stand there smiling at me," Rowan griped. "Help me up."

Ray took her hands and helped her to her feet then scanned the floor. He smiled again when he didn't see anything on the floor. He planted a kiss on her lips.

She reached her hand up and slapped the forks down on the table and then held her empty hands out to Ray.

"I don't know why I seem to drop more things now that it's so difficult to pick them up," she sighed. "Oh, and Jack and Lyss are running late. Seems there was some big drama at the salon and Tanya got taken in so Lyss had to close up for her."

"I know. That's why Gene was so happy when he got back, he'd just arrested Sean Slater. Then his sister turned up and claimed that Tanya had assaulted her at the Salon."

He checked his watch. "What time are they getting here?" he asked as he looked up at her.

"Jack just called a few minutes ago and said they were on their way," she told him. She smiled and slipped her arms around his waist.

"Shame it's not going to take them longer," she said regretfully.

Ray sighed and wrapped his arms around her to pulled her closer. He pressed his lips to hers. "We have when they leave," he assured her as he pulled away and hugged her.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Stacey opened the interview room door and looked out at Gene and Alex standing there.

"We've come to an understanding and we are going to drop our complaints, isn't that right, Tanya?" Stacey said and opened the door farther so they could see Tanya agree.

"So, I'd appreciate if you could release my brother and bring him here, Tanya also has something to say to him."

Gene narrowed his gaze at Stacy, but waited until he saw Tanya agree before he sent a PC to get Sean.

Tanya scowled at Stacy but nodded grudgingly at Gene.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Sean looked on curiously as he was taken from his cell. He was being let go? Good, he didn't do anything to deserve being locked up. He would have to thank Stacey. Sean followed the PC back to the lobby and looked on at Stacy and Tanya. He frowned at Tanya as she stepped forward. Stacy looked smug. Whatever Stacy had convinced Tanya to do, she clearly wasn't happy about it.

Tanya stepped forward to Sean with a glare fixed securely on her face. "I'm sorry," she mumbled and turned to glare at Stacey. "There!" she snapped and marched out of the Station.

Sean watched her go with a smirk and then went and caught his sister in a hug. "Cheers, Stace," he beamed.

"You're welcome," Stacy said and squeezed him back. "Now, let's go home and see about some food. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. And you can meet Ryan and the baby," she told him and gave Gene and Alex a wave as she led her brother from the station.

"Maybe after we can go to the pub after, if you can behave yourself," she teased.

Sean nodded. Ryan. He had better be better than Bradley Branning! And the baby. His nephew. He grinned.

Sean frowned at her as they walked. "I'm always behaved."

Stacy raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

"You know what I mean, Sean," she said in a serious tone as they headed for the house.

Sean shrugged at her. He was making no promises.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Tanya was angry. Stacy had tried to get her done for assault, she had to apologize to her idiot brother and now she had to walk back to the Salon! She looked up at the Salon as she reached it and sighed as she realised that Alyssa had locked up. She opened the door and went into the grab her bag and jacket. She closed up behind her and hurried home to relieve her child minder.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Jack pulled up in front of the restaurant and quickly got out of the car. He opened the door for Alyssa and walked with her to the side door and rang the bell.

Rowan huffed out a breath at the sound of the bell but reached up and pulled him down for a quick kiss. She let him go and picked up the handset.

"Come on up," she said and opened the door to the flat.

Jack grinned at Alyssa and opened the door.

"Is it just me or did she sound disappointed that we're here?"

Alyssa smiled at him as she took his hand. "We'll find out when we get up there won't we," she grinned as she led him upstairs and pushed open the door of Rowan's flat cautiously. She smiled at the sight of Rowan and Ray and went to hug her sister. "Hope we're not disturbing anything," she whispered as she let Rowan go with a grin.

Rowan grinned and let go of Ray as Alyssa and Jack walked in.

"Nope, just kissing my man hello," she chirped and hugged Alyssa back.

Ray looked on as Alyssa and Jack came in and got a beer from the fridge and passed it to Jack "So, good honeymoon?" he asked as he looked over at Rowan and Alyssa.

"Thanks, mate," Jack said and took the can and opened it.

"If you like skiing, then it was fantastic. We had a great time. Of course, there's also a lot to be said for a cozy chalet, a fire in the fireplace, a thick blanket and a bottle of wine," he chuckled and glanced over at Alyssa.

Rowan looked at Alyssa and chuckled at Jack's comment.

"Come on, you can help me put the food on the table so we can eat," she touched her belly. "Somebody's hungry from kicking today," she joked. She went to the counter and picked up two of the plates she'd loaded up while waiting for everyone to arrive.

Alyssa grinned at Jack and went to help Rowan. She made sure that everything that Rowan wanted on the table was there and then got herself a glass of wine before taking her seat. She looked at Rowan and Ray. "So, anything happen while we were away?" she asked as she made a start on the food.

Ray shrugged. "Not much, same old same old," he said as he turned his attention to his plate.

"Funny how today is about the first excitement in the Square for the past two weeks," Rowan chuckled. "Ummm, Whitney's working at the pub now."

She took a bite of chicken and chewed a moment. "Oh yeah," she grinned and glanced at Ray before looking back at Alyssa. "Ray won a certificate in class last night for answering all the coaching questions correctly," she reached over and patted his hand. "Now all the other mothers in class are very jealous of me," she smirked.

Alyssa laughed and grinned at Ray. "Awwwwwwwwww," she said.

Ray glared at her. "Quit taking the piss Alyssa!" he griped. "I wanna know exactly what to do and that's what we taught at these classes!" he frowned at her.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows at him. "Sorrrrryyy," she said.

"Ease up, Ray, she just said awwww," Rowan said and squeezed Ray's hand.

Jack reached over and gave Ray a congratulatory slap on the back.

"When we first went, all the other women just kept giving these looks, it was really annoying. Now they all look at their husbands like 'why can't you be more like him'. I love it," Rowan smirked and Jack chuckled.

"I had no idea you were so competitive," Jack said to her.

"It's not that so much as liking to see their smugness get shoved back in their snotty faces," she said with undisguised glee. "Next class we're doing bathing and changing diapers.

Ray snorted. "You're expecting me to change a nappy?" he asked in disbelief. "I'm not doing that!" he complained.

Rowan's eyebrows went up and she turned to look at Ray, her expression curious, but stony.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that?" Rowan said in a low, warning tone. "You won't…what? Not help me, after all your promises?"

Jack's eyes widened and he looked at Alyssa to keep himself from laughing. Clearly, Ray was not doing well at keeping himself from the receiving end of Rowan's temper.

"This chicken is amazing, Rowan," Jack complimented, trying to change the subject.

"You just rub the herbs in with a bit of butter and bake it, easy enough," Rowan said to Jack, her gaze still fixed on Ray.

Alyssa bit her lip and looked back at Jack. She smiled at his attempt to change the subject and joined in "What kind of herbs?"

Ray shifted under Rowan's obvious scrutiny and turned and looked at her. "I made no promises about changing dirty nappies Rowan! I said I'd help you and everything but there was nothing said about nappies!" he replied.

Rowan didn't even turn when Alyssa spoke. "I'll write the recipe down for you," she said.

"Ray, that's part of helping. I won't expect you to do all of them, but you have to do your fair share," she told him.

Good grief, how was she supposed to keep up with twins without his help in every department? She eyed him a moment longer and then turned her attention back to Jack and Alyssa.

Alyssa nodded and kept quiet when she noted that Rowan was still glaring at Ray

Ray looked at her "You never said anything about changing nappies!" he repeated. He knew that he would end up having to change a nappy.

"So, skiing, I've never been," Rowan said cheerfully.

"You should try it some time," Jack said, "it's fun. Considering where you're from, I'm surprised you've never been."

"I used to ice skate, and sledding, but not skiing, not like what you two did. I've been on skis though, sometimes in winter you had to get around on skis or snowshoes."

"Ahh," Jack said and nodded.

Alyssa grinned. "Did you strap tennis rackets to your shoes?" she asked. "I've always wondered if people actually do that," she smiled.

"Tennis rackets, really?" Rowan giggled. "I guess if anyone where I'm from knew how to play tennis or had a racket for some bizarre reason, they just might have. But no, we had properly made snowshoes."

Alyssa shrugged. "I've seen pictures of people wearing tennis rackets on their feet in the snow. I just wondered whether it actually happened or not," she replied. "Though in this country we never get enough snow to try it out," she added.

Rowan shook her head and giggled again as she focused on her food. "Tennis rackets."

"Well, it doesn't happen where I'm from, but that doesn't mean anything, small town," Rowan said.

Alyssa smiled at Rowan with a shrug. "Maybe you should suggest it," she smiled.

Rowan snorted. "I'd have to send tennis rackets to them."

"And how goes the war of harassment at the station?" Jack asked curiously. "You should know that although separating two people like that is how I would deal with it, I did not suggest it to Gene."

Ray snorted. "I'm betting that's where he got the idea though!" he grinned. "I think it's frustrating Alex more than me, I find it easier to nick her stuff now and she has to be more inventive about getting me back. Though we're all getting more work done," he shrugged.

"Though, Gene is now off-loading all his work onto his new secretary" he shrugged "So, seeing as Debbie gets Alex's old desk, I get myself a little spy in case DI Hunt tries anything," he grinned.

"And none of those people say anything to her that you're doing it?" Jack asked in disbelief. "I do know that he prefers the quiet without you two sniping at each other."

Ray grinned. "They side with me because I share out her stash of Pop Tarts between everyone. Besides, Alex knows it's me. No one else in the office has the guts to play pranks on her," he shrugged.

Jack took a drink of his beer. "I see," Jack said thoughtfully and nodded along. "That is a clever plan to get them on your side. No one else does it, really? I had heard that Rhys could prank for England and Wales."

"He gets that much work now as a DSI? I had no idea. I thought he was complaining about his paperwork as usual," Jack remarked. "A little spy huh? Is she pretty this little spy and sharer of your space?" Jack asked with a wicked grin.

Rowan's brow furrowed as she overheard Jack's question and turned to Ray, shifting her gaze between him and Jack.

"Is who pretty?" she wanted to know, keeping her tone neutral.

Ray's grin widened at Jack's question and he looked over at Rowan. "Debbie. The Guv's new secretary," Ray told her and then looked at back at Jack. "Yes, she is," he said.

"So, pretty and not hostile, should make things much nicer for you now," Jack chuckled.

Rowan blinked at Ray's response and swallowed. She quickly picked up her glass of water and took a drink to hide the small icy stab she had felt. Her hand traveled unconsciously to her belly. She was grateful for the distraction of a kick and grabbed Alyssa's hand so she could feel it, too.

Alyssa beamed as she flattened her hand against Rowan's belly. She laughed at the sensation. Even now she still found it odd to feel the babies kick like that. She could only imagine what it felt like for Rowan.

Rowan was surprised Alyssa hadn't taken Jack to task for asking about this secretary person. But then, Alyssa had no worries: apart from being completely stunning, she was also not beginning to resemble a small whale.

Rowan forced a smile on her face and pushed the thought of this "Debbie" out of her mind as she pushed her half-empty plate away.

Ray grinned. "Yeah, Rhys is quite the prankster, but, have you seen Alex when she's angry? Even Gene is wary of her. No one else has the balls to mess with her," he grinned smugly. "But she's so easy!" he chortled. "She gets wound up over the tiniest thing. It's brilliant!"

Ray grinned. "And as long as I share the Pop Tarts with her, too, then she won't blab to Alex."

"I find it hard to believe Rhys is intimidated by her. Maybe it's just because she's so easy to get. He doesn't consider her a challenge," Jack suggested. "Pop Tart bribery is always a good thing.

Ray snorted. "Have you ever seen Alex Hunt blow her top? She's scarier than Gene when she gets pissed off badly," he shrugged. "You're right though, Rhys doesn't go for the easy targets unless he's especially bored."

"Oh, come see the spare room now, we've done loads," Rowan insisted and stood up with Alyssa's hand still in hers to lead her down the hall to the room that would be the nursery. She'd had Ray move the bed into a corner so it was more out of the way. They might need the bed so she didn't want it up in the attic just yet. The crib that had belonged to Rowan and her sister, built by her father's hands, sat in the other corner. And on the wall by the door was a chest of drawers and a wardrobe. She'd had the walls painted a very pale violet and Rowan was putting up animal stencils. There was a large plush dark brown rug on the floor to complete it.

"So, what do you think?" she asked. There were also shelves on the wall already being filled with storybooks and a few toys and she showed Alyssa some of the clothes she'd bought as well.

Alyssa grinned at Rowan and pushed her empty plate away. She glanced at Jack and Ray briefly before following Rowan into the spare room. She gasped as she let go of Rowan's hand and went around, inspecting everything and smiling in delight.

"I love it," she grinned. "The purple's brilliant, a cross between blue and pink," she smiled. "Because you're having a girl and a boy!"

Rowan beamed at Alyssa's comments.

"And this particular shade of pale violet, it's almost lavender really, is actually the color of my aura, I thought it would help soothe them," Rowan told her. "It took a lot of mixing to get it just right. I think the people at the shop were going to boot me out, pregnant or not pregnant," she chuckled. "And the border along the ceiling, that blue-grey sort of shade, that's Ray's. Luckily, the colors don't clash."

"It gives me something to do. That and helping out at the pub while JT is gone," she quickly glanced at the door, "which Ray doesn't know about by the way, is the only thing keeping me sane. Apart from acting hostess downstairs when it's busy," she snorted.

"I thought they were more afraid of me than Ray, it seems I thought wrong," she sighed.

Alyssa grinned. "It's gorgeous!" she smiled as she trailed her fingers over the crib and looked around. She grinned at Rowan. "I promise not to breath a word to Ray about it," she agreed with a smile.

"To be fair Ro, Ray is a DI. He has to appear fairly frightening or he wouldn't be any good at his job," she smiled.

"I know he is, but it doesn't help me any."

"JTs back next week though isn't he? What are you going to do then? You'll go barmy if you sit around here with nothing to do," she sighed.

"Don't know, find something else to do. I clean almost constantly and I get so wound up about making big dinners for us and I've thought about taking up sewing again. I wasn't fabulous at it but I didn't suck either. The books say it's called 'nesting' so at least I know I'm normal," she laughed.

Alyssa snorted "Normal? Who wants to be normal? Oh! I've been meaning to ask!" she exclaimed "Have you had any odd cravings?" she asked curiously.

Rowan looked at her. "I don't think so, no." She folded her arms and considered for a moment.

"I have been eating an inordinate amount of sweet and sour chicken, though. Can't get enough of it. I suppose that counts?"

Alyssa shrugged. "I suppose so," she smiled. "There are weirder ones though, Mum craved strawberry custard when she was pregnant with Ben. I remember Dad stocking the cupboards full of it," she smiled. "It tastes awful."

Rowan chuckled at Alyssa's comment. "It sounds it."

Rowan ran her hands lovingly over the crib.

"My father made this. It was my sister's then it was mine. It's plenty big enough for two babies which is good."

Alyssa smiled as she ran a finger over the crib again. "It's beautiful, Rowan," she smiled. "I'd have loved to have met your parents," she said softly.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ray watched Rowan take Alyssa away and then glanced from Alyssa's empty plate to Rowan's half full one. He frowned as he gathered the empty plates and put them in the sink, then left Rowan's on the side in case she wanted it when she came back.

He pulled another can out of the fridge for Jack. "So, you're watching this Man U vs Man City match coming up in a few weeks then I take it?" he grinned.

Jack took the can off Ray with a nod.

"Are there plans to watch it at the pub?" Jack wanted to know. "I'm sure Gene will go for that."

He took a quick swig of his beer and wiped off the table after Ray had put the dishes in the sink.

Ray shook his head. "Not yet, but there will be soon enough," he grinned as he sat back down in his seat and glanced over at the spare room.

"Rowan's been decorating" he said as he gestured towards the door.

"Have you been helping at all?" Jack asked. "Although, it's probably good for her to have something to do. She's just pregnant, not an invalid and she'll go crazy with nothing to do," Jack reminded him.

Ray nodded. "Of course I've been helping! What do you take me for!" he frowned. "I'm not going to leave her to do this all on her own Jack. I've gone to all those classes, I've only missed a few of those doctors appointments. I pick things up that she drops, calm her down when she's upset or pissed off, and I've been learning how to cook," he answered defensively.

"Calm down, Ray, I wasn't having a go. And I'm sure she knows her limits of what she can handle," Jack said to Ray quietly.

"I know. She's always reminding me. But I can't help it. I don't want her overdoing it and getting herself or the baby hurt."

Jack looked at the clock as he finished his beer.

"I'll have a quick look and then we'll have to go. Up early to catch a flight and then long ride from the airport, I don't know about Alyssa, but I'm going to be dead on my feet soon."

Jack walked over and peered into the bedroom.

"It looks really amazing in here, Rowan," Jack told her.

"Thanks, Jack," Rowan told him, pleased at the compliment.

"Lyss, we should go. I'm not sure how long I'll be awake enough to drive," he told her.

Alyssa turned and looked at Jack. She nodded at him then folded Rowan into a hug. "I've got some afternoons off next week," she said. "I'll pop round and see if you if you like," she smiled as she walked over to Jack and walked past him with a smile to collect her jacket from her chair.

Ray looked up at Alyssa as she came back in. "You off?" he asked. She nodded. "Looks that way," she smiled and patted his head. "S'laters Ray," she grinned as she slid her jacket on and went back over to Jack and slid her hand into his.

"Oh, that would be great, Lyss," Rowan said gratefully as she hugged Alyssa back. She gave Jack a quick hug and followed them back into the front room to watch them go.

Jack gave a final quick wave before Alyssa claimed his hand and followed her down the stairs.

"Well, it's good to be home," he said to Alyssa as he opened her door. "And it's going to be even better getting into our nice, soft, comfy bed and sleeping for hours."

He closed the door, climbed in and drove them home. He parked the car just as a huge yawn cracked his jaws.

"So, what was it like feeling the baby kick?" Jack wanted to know, his tone tinged slightly with envy.

Alyssa furrowed her brow: half at his question and half at his tone. "It felt odd," she said. "I can't really explain it," she sighed as she looked over at him then clambered out of the car and pulled her house keys from her bag. She unlocked the door and looked back over at him. "Come on then sleepy head," she smiled as she went inside.

Jack nodded and followed her into the house.

"I had hoped to get a chance to feel the kicking myself," he told her as he shut the door and locked it behind him. "And no, I'm not hinting that I suddenly expect you to swell," he reassured her.

"Just wanted a chance to be in on the action," he finished. He changed into his pajamas and pulled the covers back on the bed with a great flourish.

"It awaits," he announced and then dropped onto the bed. "Come on, Mrs. Rimmer," he urged as he pulled the covers up.

Alyssa slipped into her pyjamas and looked at him there on the bed. His reassurance that he wasn't hinting that he wanted her to have a baby had calmed her. She had almost started to worry.

Alyssa made her way over and climbed into bed beside him. She curled into his side as she pulled the covers up over herself and slid her arm over his middle, then looked up at him happily. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder before snuggling down.

Jack wrapped his arms around Alyssa and held her tight.

"I love you, Mrs. Rimmer," he mumbled before drifting off to sleep.

Janine watched them pass and a smile flitted across her face. Shame he didn't seem a bit more keen though.

Stacey walked into the house and peeked into the front room. She smiled to see Ryan sitting on the couch, and her son on the floor playing with some of his toy cars. She swooped up her son and kissed his nose and then turned to her brother.

"Sean, this is Ryan," she introduced. Ryan stood up and held out his hand.

"How are ya?" he said with a smile.

"And," she said, drawing out the word as she walked over, giving her soon a little bounce as she walked to make him giggle. "This is your nephew."

Stacey looked at Ryan. "Sorry it took so long, had a bit of trouble with that cow Tanya Branning. It took every ounce of control I had to just let her slap me and get away with it so I could call the police on her."

"She hit you?" Ryan said and looked at her cheek worriedly.

"I'm fine, it was just a slap. But she got Sean arrested earlier just because he was in there asking questions. So I had to do something to get him out. I said some things to make her slap me and it worked like a charm."

She gave Ryan a quick kiss.

Sean shook Ryan's hand and watched the guy curiously. He was certainly better looking than Bradley, and seemed to care about Stacy. "Good," he replied with a small nod.

Sean looked at the tiny child in Stacy's arms and smiled at his sister. "Cute," he smiled at her.

Sean's attention snapped back to Stacy and he frowned as he looked at Stacey. "You didn't say that she slapped you!" he growled and looked at her face. "I hope you hit her back!" he said.

Stacey rolled her eyes.

"Sean, the whole point was to get her for assault. If I had hit her back it would have made the whole thing pointless," she snapped. "They wouldn't have done her for assault if I'd hit her back. And I had a witness, too. That's how I got you out, Sean. I told her I'd drop my complaint if she dropped hers. Now, say thank you." She glared at her brother as she waited. She passed the baby to Ryan and looked at her brother again.

Sean frowned at Stacey. "I already said thank you to you," he said.

"Well, I wanted to hear it again," she said flippantly as she left.

"I'm going to get the tea on," she said in a low tone and brushed past Sean to head for the kitchen.

Ryan looked at Sean and then sat down with the baby, letting his son slide off his lap and stand up next to the couch as she held the boy's hands. The boy then pulled his hands from Ryan's and crawled back to his toys.

"She's changed a lot while you were away," Ryan told him; omitting the fact that Sean was thought to be dead. "Especially after everything she went through, with being sectioned and then pregnant and then on the run with Bradley…." he trailed off.

Sean watched Stacy as she brushed past him and then looked at Ryan as he started to speak. "I can see that," he replied as he collapsed into one of the armchairs. He was assuming that he could stay here, it saved paying for the B&B. He didn't know when Roxy would get back but he hoped it would be soon.

"She got sectioned?" he asked as he peered around to see where Stacy went. He knew that their Mum had always believed Sean to be the one that inherited her Bipolar but unfortunately for Stacey, Jean had been wrong.

Sean nodded. "She always believed that I would inherit it," he said. "What about little Sean?" he asked.

Ryan shrugged. "No way of knowing. He's only a year old."

His respect for Ryan had gone up a level, the guy had to deal with Stacy when she didn't take her medication. He remembered having to look after Jean when she went into one of her highs or lows. Yeah, he respected the guy if he put up with that and was still prepared to be with his sister.

Ryan nodded. "She vanished for a while and when she came back, she was in a bad way. Turns out she's bipolar, like Jean. She spent a while in the hospital. It was pretty ugly, but she's doing much better. She takes her medication and we're both doing really well," Ryan told him.

"Food's ready," Stacey called out as she came back into the front room. She picked up Sean Jr. from the floor and carried him into the kitchen, then looked at Ryan and Sean. She had a feeling they were talking about her, but chose not to say anything. She was sure she knew what they were talking about and was just as happy not to have to say it.

"Well, come on, you two, it's not getting any warmer," she pushed and turned on her heel to go back to the kitchen.

"I think those two were talking about your mummy, Sean, what do you think?" she asked her son who just looked at her. She put him in his high chair and sat down next to it and started feeding him, taking bites of her own food between times.

Ryan looked guiltily at Sean. "Oops," he said and quickly stood up to follow Stacy to the kitchen. He sat down and filled his plate with the spaghetti she had made and began to eat.

Sean followed Ryan into the kitchen and took his seat. Whatever Stacy had made beat 'Sausage Surprise' by a long shot. He filled his plate and dug into the food, listening to the conversation as he ate. The pub. Good. the more time he spent there the better in his opinion. The more time he spent there the more chance he had of bumping into Roxy when she returned.

"I was thinking maybe we could go to the pub after dinner. Charlie won't mind watching little Sean for me. But you will have to keep your temper. Tanya knew just how to push your buttons, and she got you wound up. I don't want to have to try and get you out of there again," she told her brother. "It's a good think I know how to push her buttons and that other lady was there to witness Tanya slapping me."

"I still can't believe you did that, Stace," Ryan said.

"Yeah, well, who else was gonna do it?" she said rhetorically and continued to feed her son.

Sean looked up. "Tanya always makes a big deal out of nothing," he grumbled. "That's what she does!"

He looked up at her. "Your face is alright isn't it?" he asked.

"Yes, I know that's what she does, but your reaction didn't help. That Hunt is a lot different from Marsden Sean, a lot," she told him and continued to feed her son.

Sean nodded sourly. A new copper was all he needed. With a new team. He hadn't recognised some of those cops in the station.

He looked at her and nodded. She didn't look as though it hurt.

She nodded. "My face is fine. I've had worse, believe me," she said with a wry laugh.

Charlie returned just as they finished eating and Stacy fixed him a plate.

"We're off to the pub now, Uncle Charlie. You sure you don't mind watching him for me? He'll be falling asleep in about an hour or so," Stacy confirmed.

"No trouble, Stace, looking forward to spending time with this little man," he told her and smiled before setting to his food.

Stacy nodded and then took Ryan's hand as they left for the pub.

"I hope Whit's working tonight," Ryan commented. "I'd like to see her while we're here."

Sean followed Stacy and Ryan out of the house without a word to Charlie. Stacy was the only member of his family that he like. The rest of them were all two-faced and judgmental. But not Stacey. She was always there for him, no matter what he'd done.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ffion followed Bradley into the pub; glad he was already in the door and didn't see what she had: that Sean fellow heading towards the pub with Stacy and Ryan. She carefully did not look in their direction, but hurried inside. Bradley gestured her towards a table and got their drinks from Tracey and brought them over.

"So, how do you think the night dispatcher and the other driver are working out?" he asked as he handed her a vodka tonic.

"All right, I think," she replied. "They seem nice enough."

Bradley nodded.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Whitney smiled hugely and restrained herself from jumping over the bar and running to her brother when she saw him come in with Stacy and Sean.

"Hey, Whit," he greeted her.

"It's good to see you," she said back and quickly poured him a drink. Ryan glanced around the pub before turning back to Whitney.

"Janine's not here, if that's who you're looking for," she told him.

"Good," he said in a relieved tone and picked up his drink and took a sip.

She got Stacy a glass of wine and then looked at Sean.

"Oh, Ryan, I'm going to go talk to Bradley, just for a minute okay?"

"Sure, probably a good idea," he agreed. Stacy smiled and kissed him before heading across the pub.

"Hiya, Bradley," she greeted him.

"Stace," he said back.

"Look, can I talk to you outside for a minute," she asked and then looked at Ffion. "I promise I'll bring him back as soon as."

Ffion nodded. "Go on," she said and gave Bradley a smile.

He gave Ffion a kiss and followed Stacey outside. Ffion gave a small sigh and took another drink of her vodka tonic.

Sean followed Stacy into the pub and looked around as he did. It was a lot more full now.

"Pint, please," he said to Whitney as he noticed her questioning glance

Sean watched Stacey take Bradley outside and his gaze then fell on Ffion. He smirked and thanked Whitney for his pint before heading over to her and taking Bradley's vacated seat

"So, you're with Bradley Branning," he stated as he sat back and looked at her.

Ryan sat at the bar and talked to his sister, noting that Sean was going over and sitting with Ffion. He wondered what that was about, or if it was just that she was pretty.

Ffion looked up at Sean.

"Yes, I am. We've been together since Christmas," she told him. And it was strange to her, being with only one man. Rhys' unintentional influence, she wasn't one to settle down. But now she had.

She glanced towards the door where Bradley had gone. "And yes, I know he has a past with that girl and no, I'm not jealous," she added, and looked back at him. He was cute.

Sean smirked. "That girl is my little sister," he said with a small shrug. "So, since Christmas?" he questioned. So, Stacy and Bradley hadn't been together for quite a while. He couldn't see Bradley hooking up with someone new the minute he and Stacy split.

He studied Ffion over the rim of his pint glass. How had Bradley Branning managed to bag himself someone so pretty? Stacy had always had some odd infatuation with the guy that Sean could never really understand. There was nothing remarkable about him.

Ffion nodded. "Yes, though Stacy left way before that. He and I got close because Janine got it in her head to try and take out her husband leaving with Stacy on Bradley. She got me unwittingly involved. But he and I became friends and well…it went from there," she shrugged. "He's a wonderful person."

Sean frowned. Bradley Branning: a wonderful man. He held back the snort. Bradley Branning had plenty of flaws. He had made Stacy abort a child. That was a pretty big flaw. He glanced over at the door.

"Seems everybody thinks that," he said, trying to keep his tone friendly and the bitterness he felt towards Bradley out of his voice.

"Okay, granted I've not known him as long as some. But he treats me very well. I was seeing someone else before Bradley and I started dating properly. But Bradley was the one who took me out places…not just to some room at the B&B all the time," she said, not bothering to keep the annoyance from her tone.

She crossed her legs and took a sip of her drink. "I didn't need to be with someone who was ashamed of me, ashamed to be seen with me."

Sean frowned. That was incomprehensible. "Why would anyone be ashamed to be seen with you?" he frowned. "That's stupid, why would anyone not want to be seen with a pretty girl on their arm," he grumbled. "Guy was clearly a fool," he added.

Ffion blushed at the compliment and looked down.

"Well, he was, um, older, and he was here visiting his daughter and well, you know," she shrugged it off and heaved a deep breath.

This Sean was lush, but she worried about when Bradley came back. She truly had feelings for him, but it was so very hard not to flirt with this bloke. For the first time since she'd moved in with Bradley, she found herself wishing she was single again.

"Thank you. He was a bit of a fool I suppose. I was a bit of a fool too, if I'm being honest. I thought I loved him, you see."

Sean raised his eyebrows at her and couldn't hold back the smirk. She was even prettier when she blushed.

His gaze wandered to the bar and Peggy serving over the other side of the pub. He wondered whether he should fell guilty about chatting up Ffion when he was married to Roxy. He didn't feel guilty. However, Roxy was also off with some other man, she didn't feel guilty so why should h

Sean's fists clenched in anger at her flouncing around with someone else. Roxy Mitchell was his. Hell! She wasn't even Roxy Mitchell! She was Roxy Slater!

Sean took several inaudible breaths and forced his face into a smile. "So, only two relationships?" he pressed.

"Um, well, Gerald was an affair, not a proper relationship. Bradley is my first proper, serious relationship if I'm honest."

She shrugged and took another sip of her drink. "I'm a lot like my brother I guess in that regard. Rhys doesn't do serious relationships either, not really," she chuckled and shook her head.

"This isn't really a good topic of conversation," she told him. "And I should go and see if Bradley's ready to go. We've not had our tea yet, and I'm starving."

She didn't want to go, but it was getting harder and harder not to flirt with this man, and, if she was honest, do more than flirt. It wasn't just the attention, there was a certain thrill in pulling that she reveled in.

Sean didn't even bother to try to keep the disappointment from his face. If Ffion went then he would have to talk to Stacy and Ryan. Not that he wasn't fond of his little sister, but Ryan was right: Stacy had changed.

Ffion saw the disappointment on Sean's face. She should go, she should not sit here and continue with him. She glanced over at the bar. Ryan was still talking with his sister. She bit her lip and looked at the door and made her mind up.

She stood up, slowly, taking great care to smooth her dress in a very enticing manner. She looked down at him, smiled and tossed her hair.

"I'll see you around," she said playfully and walked towards the door, knowing he was watching her walk away.

She smiled as she left the pub, making sure not to look back.

Sean kept his eyes fixed on Ffion as she walked away. Interesting. Dating Bradley yet openly flirting with him. And now walking like that deliberately. Also, her first proper relationship. He grinned. Clearly she wasn't one for commitment. He sipped his pint to hide his smirk. It would be easy to break Bradley and Ffion up. He didn't want Ffion permanently, but a one night thing would certainly be worth while.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Rhys hurried to the salon, relieved to see that Tanya was still there. He knocked on the door and waved at her to let him in.

Tanya looked up from the desk at the knock at the window and smiled at Rhys. She hurried over to the door and unlocked it. She smiled at him as she shut the door behind him and locked it.

"Hiya," Rhys said. "Are you all right?" he asked as he pulled her into his arms.

"I heard what was going on, but I was in the middle of something with Chris and couldn't come see if you were okay.

Tanya wrapped her arms around Rhys. "I'm fine. Just pissed off that Stacy tried to get me arrested. As if I haven't spent enough time in prison already!" she snorted.

"As long as you're okay. Let me take you out for a slap up meal okay?" Rhys offered. "You look like you need cheering up."

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Jane ran into Max as she came out of the chippy.

"I was just coming to see if you wanted to come for dinner. Abi and Lauren made steak and kidney pie and wanted me to invite you round," he told her.

Jane smiled and nodded. "Sure," she agreed and began to walk along with him, talking idly about the day. As they got ready to pass the community center, Max suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into the shadows of an alcove.

Jane gasped and then giggled as he pressed her against the wall and wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her.

Max finally broke off the kiss and smiled at Jane.

"We should go," she said. "They'll be waiting that food for us."

Max grinned. "Yes, boss," he teased and led her down the street.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Tanya smiled up at him and nodded. She let go of him and grabbed her jacket from the hanger and locked up behind them as they left the Salon.

A familiar giggling caught Tanya's attention as she linked her arm through Rhys'. She turned her head to look at the community centre and smiled as she spotted Jane locked in an embrace with a man. A very familiar looking man.

Tanya frowned as she realised that the man holding Jane against the Community Centre was Max. She held her tongue and kept walking with Rhys, resolutely deciding to talk to Jane about it soon. She wasn't sure how she felt about it.

Rhys noticed Tanya's gaze and glanced over.

"Is that Jane?" he asked in a low whisper when they'd passed the Community Center. "That was Jane and Max Branning wasn't it? My, my," he added and gave a low whistle.

"How do you feel about Fargos?" he asked curiously. "Think I'm in the mood to splash out."

Tanya nodded as she tore her gaze away from Jane and Max. She wasn't sure how to feel; her husband and her best friend. She didn't feel anything for Max. Not anymore. He was just the father of her children. But Jane she cared about. She knew what Max was like and so did Jane.

Tanya looked up at Rhys and smiled at him with a nod. "If you like," she agreed.

"Great," Rhys said and hurried her along to the restaurant.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Bradley smiled as Ffion came out.

"Hi," he said to her.

"Sorry, I'm too hungry to sit there any longer," Ffion told him and then smiled at Stacy.

"This is Stacy," Bradley introduced. Ffion smiled and held her hand out to Stacy, who smiled back and shook it.

"Nice to meet you," Ffion said.

"You too," Stacy nodded. "I'm going in. But I'm glad we got to talk. We really needed to clear stuff up."

"Have a good night, Stace," Bradley told her and then took Ffion's arm as they left. Stacy watched them walk away and then went back into the pub. She dropped down next to Sean with a sigh.

"Well, that's sorted," she remarked. "I could do with a drink now, why don't you get your favorite sister a glass of white wine?" she asked him and grinned.

Sean looked at Stacey. "My favourite sister?" he repeated with a small frown. He drained his pint then stood and ambled over to the bar and got himself a new pint and Stacy her wine.

He brought them back over and looked at Stacy curiously. "What were you talking about out there?" he wanted to know.

"Things I needed to say. Apologies and that. None of your business really," she told him shortly and took a drink of her wine.

"I met Ffion, she seems nice."

She took another drink of her wine and looked around with a sigh. She smiled as Ryan finally came back over.

"Nice talk with Whitney?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he replied. "Forget how much I missed her."

Sean nodded slowly. "Yeah, she does," he agreed and looked up at Ryan disinterestedly as he came back over and then lost himself in his own thoughts.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Rowan sighed and went into the kitchen. She quickly filled the sink with hot, soapy water to wash the dishes. The thoughts were back now that she didn't have Alyssa to distract her. A pretty secretary, at Alex's old desk, directly across from him, in his line of sight all day.

She slowly wiped the washcloth over a plate as she stared at the bubbles blankly.

Alex was pretty, yes. But Alex was safe. This Debbie person, she didn't know. Rowan slowly rinsed the plate and put it in the drainer before picking up the next plate to wash it with the same deliberate slowness.

Why couldn't Gene have a male PC or whatever be his secretary? Why did it have to be some body pretty? Rowan thought she heard Ray speaking, but it didn't register. She didn't want some pretty secretary sitting across from her Ray.

Ray frowned as Rowan ignored him. He made sure the door was shut and locked behind Jack and Alyssa and went over to Rowan. What was she thinking about that had her so lost in thought?

Ray came up behind her and slid his arms around her, pressing himself into her back. He rested his chin on the top of her head and looked down at the dishes she was washing. His slid his hands down her arms and pulled her hands out of the soapy water. "Washing up can wait, Rowan," he murmured as he turned her to face him. He pressed his lips to hers gently as he pulled her to him.

Rowan shivered as she felt Ray pressed against her back. What would she do without him? No one else could make her heart race like he did. She felt her knees weaken at his kiss.

"Do you remember what you were saying at the station earlier?" he asked with a smile.

She smiled at his question and bit her lip as she thought over what he'd asked, making sure to put an overly thoughtful expression on her face.

"No, I don't think I do," she finally said. "It's gone straight out of my head," she added and then lifted her still bubble-covered hand and giggled as she wiped the bubbles onto his face.

Ray raised his eyebrows at her.

"Oh really?" he said with a small frown. He pulled away from her hands as she smeared bubbles on him then grinned at her before rubbing his face over hers to get her covered in them too. He kissed her nose as he lifted her gently off the floor and carried her easily into the bedroom. He dropped on the bed and smiled.

"Maybe I need to remind you what you promised?" he said with a grin before sliding his hands under her dress and lifting it off over her head.

Rowan giggled as he pressed his face to hers and she quickly raised her hands to wipe away the bubbles.

She shrieked with laughter as he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, Debbie completely wiped from her mind at the look on Ray's face as he touched her.


	21. Chapter 21

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 22**

Ray reluctantly let go of Rowan as the sunlight streaming through the window woke him. He glanced at the time and grumbled to himself as he climbed out of bed and left Rowan sleeping. He showered quickly and smiled at the sight of Rowan asleep on the bed as he came out of the bathroom. He rarely got to watch her when she was asleep, she always woke so much earlier than him. Ray tore his gaze away from her and pawed through his wardrobe until he found something to wear to work. He dressed himself quickly and made sure that Rowan was still asleep as he left the bedroom.

Ray dug in the fridge and found some bacon and set it in the pan to cook as he made a cup of coffee for Rowan and a mug of tea for himself. He finished with the bacon and set out some bread with it on a tray and set the coffee on it too. He left his stuff in the kitchen as he walked back to bedroom carefully, so as not to spill the coffee. He sat on the edge of the bed quietly for a moment and laid the tray on the floor near his feet as he watched her sleeping. She looked so beautifully peaceful when she was asleep. He sighed and tapped her shoulder to try to wake her.

"Ro," he murmured. "Rowan," he said more insistently as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Rowan drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes to smile up at Ray. She rubbed at her eyes, surprised to see him awake and obviously ready for the day.

"Morning," she yawned and shifted until she was sitting up. She leaned against him and slipped an arm around him, closing her eyes in contentment. She sniffed experimentally and smelled coffee…and bacon? She opened her eyes and peered over the edge of the bed and then looked at Ray.

"Is that breakfast in bed….for me?" she asked with a widening smile.

"I love you," she squealed and launched herself awkwardly forward to shove him onto his back on the bed. She leaned on her hands on his shoulders and looked down at him. "Thank you," she breathed and plastered her lips to his. She kissed him thoroughly and then lifted her head to smile at him.

"I love you, too, and you're welcome," he smiled up at her and reached up to thread his hand into her hair and pull her lips back down to his. Ray broke the kiss and looked up at her face.

"I like you spoiling me," she told him and gazed into his eyes.

Ray grinned as he looked up at her. "I like spoiling you, it's not often I'm awake before you," he smiled as he eased her off him and reached down to grab up the tray. "Wasn't sure what you'd want so did your coffee and made bacon" he smiled as he planted the tray on her lap and slid his arm around her shoulders. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head as he let go of her and wandered back into the kitchen.

Ray rescued his mug of tea from the counter and then brought it back into the bedroom and settled back down next to her and it.

"Though, the reason I made bacon is because if you didn't want it then I could eat it," he grinned at her and chuckled lightly.

"I know, you must have worn me out last night," she chuckled. She quickly put together a bacon sandwich and then took a sip of her coffee. She watched him come back in over the rim of her mug.

"I'm happy to share, you know that," she scolded him playfully and picked up one of the slices of bacon that was still on the plate and held it up to his mouth.

She waited until he bit into it and then let it go to pick up her sandwich and take a bite. She pointed at the rest of the bacon and put her hand in front of her mouth, she hated to talk with her mouth full. "Go on, you can have the rest," she told him around her mouthful. She finished chewing and took a drink of her coffee to wash it down and looked at him.

Ray ate the bacon with a grin and beamed at her happily as she gave him the rest of her breakfast. Then frowned once he had started eating it.

"You're alright aren't you, Ro?" he asked "You hardly ate anything at dinner last night and you've not eaten all this breakfast this morning," he sighed as he took another mouthful. Granted it was only a few measly slices of bacon that she had let him eat but still, he was allowed to worry about her.

Rowan furrowed her brow and looked at him. "I'm eating this whole entire bacon sandwich with…" she lifted the bread to check, "five slices of bacon in it. That's hardly nothing."

She took a drink of her coffee. "It's hard to eat much at one time," she told him and patted her belly. "I'll eat this now and in an hour or so I'll nibble on something else. I'll no doubt finish what I didn't eat last night sometime this morning when I've finished cleaning house."

Ray studied her and nodded. "Make sure you do Ro, I don't want you not eating," he said as he squeezed her shoulder gently.

Ray chuckled and he pressed a kiss to her cheek as he finished his bacon and dropped the plate onto the floor next to his side of the bed. He turned back to her and looked down at her happily.

She ate the last bite of her sandwich and shifted around to lean against him.

"So, I was thinking of bringing you lunch again today. I like getting out and walking and it's good for me. I could have Trevor do up a Philly steak?" she suggested.

Ray grinned at her. "I don't mind you bringing me lunch Rowan, as long as you stay with me for a bit once you've brought it," he smiled. "You must be really bored if you want to come to work with me again," He smiled at her and nodded. "Philly steak is good," he agreed with a grin.

"Of course I'll stay to eat with you," she gasped at him. "And being at work with you is not boring. I just get tired of being stuck in here. I miss you and coming to see you at lunch gets me out of the house and it also means I don't have to worry about you being late to eat lunch here," she told him. "Waiting for you to show up sometimes is tough and I get impatient."

She put her coffee cup on the bedside table and put the tray aside.

"Now," she informed him as she wound her arms around his neck and fell to her back, pulling him with her. "I think I need some quality kissing before you leave for work."

Ray steadied himself above her and grinned as his hand cupped her cheek. "Quality kissing?" he said with a raised eyebrow before pressing his lips to hers.

"I am, I promise," Rowan told him.

He nodded at her. "Good," he said.

"I didn't say moody, thank you very much, just impatient. And of course you're loved. I could never love anyone else," she assured him and traced a finger down his cheek.

Ray shrugged at her indifferently. "Moody, impatient, there's not all that much difference," he told her and his gaze softened at her words. "I'm glad that the feeling is mutual," he smiled. "I love you, too."

Rowan kissed him back enthusiastically. She wished he had the day off and stopped herself. Soon enough he would be here all the time. But now, he was going to work…and sitting across from Debbie. The name made her want to growl. She deepened the kiss instead. She wanted to be foremost in his thoughts when he left. She also thought perhaps, just perhaps, it was time for that photo to be on the desk inside of in the drawer. She didn't like the idea that she was in a drawer, not with that Debbie there.

Ray was hers. End of. This Debbie person would learn that soon enough. Rowan would make sure of that.

Ray was almost surprised at the intensity of the kiss, but enjoyed it nonetheless. He slid an arm around her back to press her closer to him and wished that he had woken up earlier. He would have to set his alarm to go off earlier in the mornings, especially if she was going to kiss him like this. He groaned into her mouth and pulled back from her lips, his breathing harsh.

"Jeez Ro, you're getting breakfast in bed everyday if I get kisses like that!" he said as he gazed down at her and pressed his lips to hers once more, in a softer kiss.

"Now I've got to go to work" he sighed regretfully as he heaved himself off her and grabbed up the empty breakfast things. He smiled at her from the doorway. "See you at lunch time," he smiled at her and waved before dumping the stuff in the kitchen and shoving on his shoes.

"That's not just for breakfast in bed," she told him.

Ray paused at the front door and smiled as he looked towards the bedroom door. "Love you, Ro," he called out before leaving the flat. Lunchtime couldn't come soon enough.

She stayed where she was, flat on her back on the bed, tilting her head and watching him upside down. She smiled and waved back at him and sighed.

"Love you an all," she called back, imitating his accent and wrapped her arms around herself as the door shut. She gazed up at the ceiling and ran her hands over her belly.

"Your daddy is a really amazing man. I can't wait until you meet him," she said to the babies. She idly bounced her feet on the bed and hummed tunelessly to herself. She turned her head and looked at the clock. She could shower, get dressed, go do some food at the pub, come back, make sure she looked as pretty as she could make herself and then take Ray his lunch and have a look at this Debbie while she was at it.

She swung herself around and got busy. She showered, put on the barest dusting of makeup, a bit of mascara and lipstick and slipped on a dark purple and blue maternity dress that had become her favorite. Ray never seemed able to take his eyes off the slightly plunging neckline. She took the time to curl her hair and then sloppily pulled some of it up into a hair claw. She studied herself in the mirror and decided she looked okay. She shoved her feet into comfortable shoes, went carefully down the stairs and out the side door. She slung her bag over her shoulder and drew in a deep breath before heading to the pub.

Ray got to work just on time and grinned at Adam as he passed on his way through to his office. His gaze landed on Alex's empty desk and grinned. Her day off today. He'd have to have some fun with that to annoy her when she got back tomorrow. He smiled warmly at Debbie as he sat down at his desk and switched on his monitor.

"Morning, Debbie," he smiled as he reached for the file he had abandoned yesterday.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\

Sean left the house silently early in the morning. He set about jogging around the square. He'd picked up this habit of jogging in the mornings: it cleared his head and gave him time to think. He passed the pub and increased his pace. He still had a week until Roxy got back from wherever she'd disappeared to. He couldn't help the possessiveness he felt over her. She was his wife! She shouldn't be going off to other countries with different men! He make sure that she knew that when she got back and he'd make sure that this guy she'd gone off with knew that Roxy wasn't his! Roxy was a Slater. That made Amy Sean's daughter too! His family! No one was taking that away from him. No one!

Sean pondered what her new man was like as he ran, taking his anger out on the pavement beneath his feet and paying no attention to the people around him. Tall or short? Good looking, well, it was Roxy: the guy had to be good looking. He scowled and a dark mood settled over him as he ran.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alex climbed out of the bed as she heard Sam crying. He was sleeping though the night much better now and sometimes was still asleep when the childminder arrived. Though he had developed a habit of sleep-crying. She liked to check anyway, just to make sure. She opened the bedroom door carefully and peered inside to see Sam clutching at his bed and crying. She reached over and cradled her wailing son to her chest as she rocked him gently and calmed him down. She dressed him and set him in his playpen as she went to get a shower. She came out wrapped in a towel and sighed at Gene still asleep. She nudged his shoulder as she passed his side of the bed.

"Gene, you've got work," she told him as she secured her towel around her and pulled out a top and pair of jeans. Today was one of her days off and she needed to go to the shops. They were running dangerously low on food.

Gene grumbled and climbed out of bed. He noticed the way she was dressing and sighed.

"Day off then," he muttered. "Nice for some."

He got up and stretched as he walked to the shower.

"You could make us a tea since you're not in any hurry," he called over his shoulder to her and stepped into the hot water with a sigh.

Alex smiled as she finished dressing and knocked on Molly's door as she passed it. "Up Molls," she called and got a muffled grunt in reply. Alex sighed and made her way into the kitchen and put together breakfast for Sam as she waited for the kettle to boil. She made Gene's tea and left it out on the side for him when he was ready then picked up Sam and placed him on his chair. She set his breakfast in front of him and secured a bib around his neck then left him to it as she went to see if Molly was up

Alex stood in the doorway, hands on hips, at the sight of her daughter's figure umoving on the bed "Molly Drake, you get yourself out of that pit right now," she ordered and caught the pillow that was thrown at her.

Molly grumbled and sat up only to be hit by the pillow she had just thrown. "I'm up Mum," she said and sighed heavily when Alex just stood and stared. Molly pulled herself out of her bed and stood up. Alex nodded and left to go and check on Sam.

Gene got dressed and went into the kitchen, chuckling at Alex throwing a pillow at Molly.

"I got wise yesterday and got that PC that used to be the Super's secretary to come in and be mine. We've put her in your old desk. Since no one else was willing to help me with the paperwork, I've got it taken care of now. Which means, I might actually not have to work late anymore," he called to Alex as he picked up his tea and took a sip.

Alex looked over at him and beamed. "That's good news," she smiled at him as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "It also means you might be in better spirits when you do get home," she teased as she pulled out the bread and made a start on toast.

"Yeah, well, no thanks to you. You're my wife, I thought you would at least try to help me out," he growled at her and took a drink of his tea.

Alex snorted. "I'm also a Detective Inspector and have my own paper work to plow through without the addition of yours on top of what I've already got to do!" she told him. "I don't like doing paperwork either and having both me and you being moody when we get home from work isn't good for Molly and Sam," she chastised him.

"Oh, I'm going to pop down to the supermarket today. Is there anything in particular that you want me to get?" she asked.

"Yeah!"

Alex looked over at the bedroom door as she heard Molly yell. "I wasn't talking to you Molly."

Molly's head appeared around her bedroom door. "Even so, can you get some of that dried mango? Because!" she continued quickly before Alex could protest. "If you get dried mango it means I'll be snacking on healthy stuff rather than biscuits and crisps," she smiled and Alex sighed. "Fine, I'll get your dried mango."

"Thanks, mum," Molly called as she shut her bedroom door again.

Alex looked back at Gene with raised eyebrows. "Anything?" she smiled as she took Sam's breakfast bowl away and deposited it into the sink then got a towel and gently wiped Sam's breakfast off his face.

He shrugged at her question. "I can't think of anything. You know what I like, so just get what you think."

He glanced at the clock. "I better go or I'm going to be late," he told her with a sigh and pulled her around to kiss her. He patted her roughly on the behind and grinned at her before spinning his keys around his finger and heading out the door.

Alex nodded and made a mental note to restock the beer in the fridge. Running out was not an option.

Alex sighed as he left and watched him until the door had slammed behind him then turned around. "Molly Drake, if you want a lift to Albert Square then you'd better hurry up!" she called out as she picked Sam out of his seat and pulled the bib off from around his neck. She cleaned up the kitchen and looked around to see Molly emerging from her bedroom. "Come on then slow poke," she said as she grabbed her purse and shoved it into her bag before ushering her daughter out of the house.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ffion headed off towards work, a spring in her step. She loved going in this early and learning how to do the baking. Bradley was enjoying it, too. She was taking what she learned and baking for him at home. She wondered if she would still get to do this when JT got back. She might. Rowan was less in the kitchen, mostly because her normal take-over tendencies seemed to be magnified by the pregnancy. So she had had to promise not to come into the kitchen as often and help, unless she kept herself under control. Ffion giggled to herself and pulled out her phone to text Syed that she was on her way.

Sean caught sight of a familiar figure ahead of him and his lips curved in a grin. Pretty little Ffion. His dark mood, leaving as thoughts of getting to Bradley took over. Sure Stacy had said that she had been the one to leave Bradley, but Bradley had hurt Stacy in the past. Bradley deserved to feel some pain. Sean smirked as he slowed his pace gradually until he caught up with her. He slowed to a stroll and smoothed his face into a smile.

"You look happy," he said.

"Alright?" Ffion greeted him and nodded at his question. "Yes, I am. I get to go in early and learn to do the baking at work, which I'm really enjoying. It also means I get out of work earlier in the day," she told him. "Result all around I'd say."

She walked along for a few minutes, still surprised, but happy to see Sean again.

"And even better, I'll no doubt get to keep doing it after JT comes back from holiday because Rowan's putting in less time in the kitchen," Ffion continued finally.

"She's having twins so she's gotten massive," she added and made a large belly gesture with her hands.

"Yes, she is and she's lush," Ffion replied enthusiastically. "She's an amazing cook, I love that I get to eat there for free. She's very nice, I couldn't ask for a nicer boss," she told him. "Her partner is a bit scary though, but he's nice enough as well."

She swung her arms and spun on her toe before answering him.

"JT works there, too. He cooks. He's from the same place in America as Rowan, I think they're sort of related," she shrugged. "He cooks at the pub for Roxy, too. He's great fun and a good cook. She's really lucky she got to him first. A lot of the women around here wanted him. He's tall, he's fit," she stuck her arms out as if she was hugely muscular, "he's completely lush if I'm being honest."

Sean held in a frustrated sigh as she continued to babble on. He wasn't interested in whatever she was talking about. Bradley had a hell of a lot of patience if he was able to put up with her chatter all the time. Sean couldn't stand it. He clenched and unclenched his fists and forced himself to listen.

Sean's fists clenched again as she reached the subject he was interested in: JT. Of course the guy would be a heart throb. This was Roxy they were talking about. But now he had a brief description: Tall, good looking, and from Ffion's demonstration, the guy had some serious muscles. Now he knew who to look out for.

Sean checked his watch and made his eyes widen. "It's been great Ffion but I've really got to go. Got plans," he told her and grinned. "See you round," he added before running ahead and turning the next corner.

Ffion stopped short as Sean stopped their conversation and hurried off.

She gave him a wave and continued walking to the restaurant, eager to get busy.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Janine watched Sean catch up to and start talking to Ffion. She glared at the pair of them. What was he doing with that idiotic little tramp when he could have her…Janine? She snorted out a breath. Stupid Welsh tart. She needed to be taught a lesson.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Jane reluctantly crawled from Max's arms and quickly got ready for work. She glanced at her watch again. She wasn't going to have time to go home! Fortunately she'd had the foresight to stash a clean top in her bag along with her toothbrush. She never knew when she might stay over with Max and so tried to be prepared.

She glanced over at his sleeping form and pulled the clean top on over her head and hurried from the house. She wasn't sure if the girls knew what was going on, though they probably did. Just as clearly, they didn't mind, but Jane still liked to be out of the house before they woke up.

She strode quickly across the Square towards the café, a slight smile on her face, and quickly unlocked the door to get ready for the day's business.

Tanya gathered up Oscar into his stroller ready to go to nursery. She had found it was better than a childminder and cheaper too for those days when both she and Max were working. They had finally worked out a system to suit them both. Her interest was piqued by the sight of Jane hurrying across the square. From Max's house. Tanya shook her head and hoped that Jane wouldn't get hurt. She checked her watch, she had time before she had to drop Oscar off and get to the Salon so she made her way over to the Cafe and knocked on the window to get Jane's attention.

Jane looked up from filling the baked goods display and beamed at Tanya. She hurried over to the door and let her in.

"Hey, how are you? I don't usually see you this early. Are you doing the cake run?" Jane asked. "Since you're my best friend I could be persuaded to give you one of these lovely treats on the house," she said with a gesture at the case.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Stacy stood at the end of the street and watched her brother catch up to the woman she recognized as Bradley's girlfriend. What was he doing? She frowned, folded her arms and watched them growing smaller before bending down to pick up the milk and heading back inside.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Tanya shook her head. "Morning," she replied brightly. "Not the cake run no, Kim's turn today," she said and gestured at her son. "Oscar starts nursery today," she smiled as she stepped inside.

"Oh, how exciting. You looking forward to that, Oscar? Loads of other kids to play with?" Jane asked the little boy and handed him a biscuit.

Tanya set Oscar's buggy aside and grinned at Jane. "I'll take one of those cakes now, though," she beamed. "And a coffee, please," she smiled.

She looked at Tanya. "Okay, well pick out what you want while I get your coffee."

Tanya studied Jane for a moment. "So, what's going on between you and Max?" she asked conversationally.

She turned to pour the coffee and nearly dropped the pot at Tanya's question. She put the pot down and then placed the paper cup in front of Tanya, with the lid next to it. She nervously cleared her throat.

"I don't know what you mean," Jane replied. "We're friends, I go over there for dinner once or twice a week if he's not seeing anyone," she added, speaking slightly quickly. "That's it." she finished with a shrug and smiled weakly at Tanya. She cleared her throat again. "That's a weird sort of question to ask."

Tanya picked a small cake out of the display and popped it onto a plate for herself and watched Jane intently as she stumbled over what she was doing.

She took the lid and secured it onto the cup after blowing on the coffee for a moment.

Tanya looked on in minor amusement, but kept the smile from her face as she nodded slowly "So...friends sneak down alleyways and snog each others faces off then do they?" she asked interestedly.

Jane cleared her throat again and looked at her best friend in confusion. She wished Tanya would leave; she wasn't sure how long she could keep up the façade.

"I don't know what you mean," Jane huffed. "I don't sneak down alleyways," she insisted and it finally hit her that Tanya had seen her and Max yesterday, when he'd pushed her into that little alcove near the community center. Not a proper alleyway, but near enough. Why hadn't he kept to the rules about public displays? A little nook like that was hardly private.

Jane looked down and tried hard not to blush as she began to wipe the counter with feverish intensity.

Tanya's eyes widened at Jane's defiance. Surely she had worked out that she had seen her and Max? The blush that Jane was trying to hide behind her hair told Tanya that she had worked it out.

"So, it wasn't you that Max had pressed against the wall outside the Community Centre yesterday then?" she pressed. "Because I could have sworn that it was your giggle that I could hear, and I knew it was Max," she sighed.

Tanya stopped Jane wiping the tables by placing her hand on top of Jane's. "What did you think Jane? That I would go nuclear on you? You know as well as I do what Max is like!" she sighed. "It's not like you don't know what you're getting yourself into, just..." she sighed and shook her head again. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!" she said as she looked back at Jane.

Jane looked up at Tanya and then back down at the counter she'd been wiping. She let out a weak chuckle.

"I didn't know how to tell you. We were just friends, at first, but then he had problems with this woman called Vanessa and then Davina. I didn't expect it. I don't think he did either. We were just all having dinner one night and the girls went to bed and Max and I decided it was late and I was helping him clean up and we both reached for the same napkin on the table," she shrugged and cleared her throat. "And I stayed over that night. I don't…I don't know if…well…how serious we are, really. We've not said 'I love you' or anything. We haven't even really talked about it at all. I'm not expecting anything from him and I don't think he's expecting anything from me."

She sighed and poured herself a cup of tea.

"I'm sorry I didn't say, but, well, you might well have gone nuclear on me. I couldn't be sure. Actually, nobody really knows," Jane admitted. "The girls have probably guessed, but we don't get affectionate in public. Yesterday was the first time anything like that had happened in public."

Tanya nodded slowly and smiled weakly. "Just be careful Jane, don't get in too deep. We both know what Max is like and I don't want you getting hurt. Especially not because of Max. The last thing I need is another reason to hate him," she said sincerely.

Tanya mulled it over in her mind. It might not be such a bad thing if Jane and Max were together. But then it wasn't a bad thing if it was just a fling. She smiled up at her best friend. "Besides, the girls like you at any rate, that's better than him bringing home another Davina that the girls hate," she smiled and gave Jane a one-armed hug over the counter.

"Just watch yourself, okay."

"No, I nearly went there when he met Davina and now, I'm being cool about it," she assured Tanya. "Don't worry about me at all."

Tanya nodded and smiled at Jane. "Just as long as you're careful Jane. This is Max that we're talking about," she sighed before finishing off her cake and handing Jane back the plate. She looked over at Oscar and his now soggy biscuit and smiled as she picked up her coffee from its place on the counter.

"We've got to go, can't have him being late on his first day," she grinned and hugged Jane over the counter again before grabbing hold of Oscar's pushchair and wheeling him out with another wave at Jane.

"Yes, I am fully aware of what Max is like," Jane nodded.

She took Tanya's empty dishes and put them next to the sink.

"Okay, pop in for lunch later if you can. Have fun Oscar, bye!" Jane said and waved Tanya off.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Gene strode into the office.

"Morning, Debbie," he greeted her, barely looking at her as he looked over the newspaper.

"Morning, Guv," she said. "Your morning tea and a plate of Garibaldis are on your desk."

He stopped and looked at her. "Ta, love."

Debbie beamed at him. "Well, you're welcome of course. Your messages are also on your desk and I'm about halfway through getting the files caught up."

"Good work."

Debbie nodded back at him shortly and dropped back into her seat and went back to her work. She glanced over and watched Gene walk into his office with a small sigh. She really liked her new boss.

Debbie smiled cheerfully at Ray as he came in.

"Morning," she greeted as he sat down. She stood up and walked over to him and made a soft tutting noise as she stood next to his desk.

"What have you done to your collar?" she asked him in an amused tone and reached over and fixed it to make it lay properly. She went to the door. "I'm going to make tea, anybody?" she looked at Ray and then glanced over at Gene.

"I'm fine, ta," Gene called over to her. She looked back at Ray and raised her eyebrows.

"Ummm..." he trailed off and let Debbie sort out his collar feeling a bit baffled. "Thanks," he told her with a small smile.

"No problem, it looked a bit funny," she told him.

Rowan was the only one who ever sorted out his clothes. Mind you, it had probably been Rowan that had messed up his collar in the first place. That Good Morning kiss. How was he supposed to make it through the day with that playing on his mind?

Ray swallowed as she spoke and brought himself back to earth. He nodded at her. "Milk and three sugars, please," he smiled at her.

He couldn't remember the last time someone had made tea for him at work. Alex certainly hadn't. It would've been back at Fenchurch when Shaz grudgingly did the Tea run. He smiled. He quite like this new secretary.

"Milk, three sugars," she echoed and left to go and fix the tea. She came back and put the mug on his desk and a plate with a foil packet of Pop Tarts on it.

She chuckled and winked at him before going back to her desk with her own tea. She picked up her own packet of Pop Tarts and opened it and broke off a piece and nibbled at it as she stared at her computer screen.

Ray looked up at Debbie as she gave him Pop Tarts too. He nodded at her and smiled before opening the packet and pulling one out .

"Cheers," he smiled at her before taking a large bite of the tart and setting his tea on the other side of his desk where he liked to keep it. He wondered idly where she had got the Pop Tarts from. He hadn't raided Alex's draw in a while so he knew that her stash was still intact. He frowned slightly at Debbie before brushing it off and enjoying the Pop Tarts that she had brought him. He definitely liked this new secretary. She was far more pleasant to have around compare to how Alex used to be. She never brought him Pop Tarts or made him tea.

Gene came back from smoking and looked at Ray.

"Is your Rowan bringing you lunch today by any chance?" Gene asked him. "Would she bring something for me and all?"

"I could get you something, Guv, when I go out to get mine," Debbie offered.

"You're alright, love, let me check first," he told her and looked back at Ray.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ryan looked at Stacy as they sat on the couch and stared at the TV. Sean had been out prowling around most of the day, but he didn't seem to be bothering anyone, there hadn't been any police calls at any rate.

"So, how long do you think we should stay?" Ryan asked her curiously.

"I know you're keen to avoid Janine, but I think we should stay at least until Roxy gets back. I have to watch him. He can get out of control so easily."

Ryan nodded his understanding and slipped his arm around her shoulders.

Rowan greeted Peggy and Whitney cheerfully as she came into the pub. She went into the kitchen, Whitney hot on her heels, and started making some simple things that could be quickly thrown in the oven or reheated easily. Whitney happily fetching and carrying for her.

"There, all pretty easy to go from there," she told Whitney once everything was ready and the large pan with steak and kidney pie in it was in the oven.

"Just call me if you have any questions," she said and Whitney nodded.

"You're sorted for lunch today, Peggy," Rowan told the woman as she came out. "Can I have an orange juice, please, I'm really thirsty."

Peggy nodded and poured it for her as Rowan levered herself up onto a stool. She sighed and looked at Peggy.

"I don't suppose October came while I wasn't looking?" she asked hopefully.

Peggy laughed. "Afraid not, darlin'," she told Rowan and went to unlock the door to let the punters in.

Rowan watched her go and pulled out her phone and texted Syed to see that a Philly steak sandwich with chips and a chicken salad sandwich were ready when she got there for her to take and have lunch with Ray. Syed texted her back he would get right on it.

Sean sat on his own on a park bench. He was going to have to find something to do, he couldn't stay around here all day doing absolutely nothing. His gaze fell onto the Garage, he saw Ricky working there and made his way over, he was good with cars. He wouldn't go to Peggy and ask for a bar job because he knew that she wouldn't give him one. Though a bar job would be convenient for when Roxy got back. There was always the club, but Ronnie hated him too, so that wouldn't work. He wondered where Ronnie was, he hadn't seen her around at all within the past two days. It was odd to say the least. No one had mentioned her going away with Roxy and JT.

Sean leaned against the side of the Garage as he watched Ricky work and cleared his throat to get his attention.

Ricky looked up from the work he was doing and his jaw dropped, along with the rag he was using to wipe his hands on. He quickly picked it back up and looked at Sean.

"Can I help you?" Ricky asked curiously, from Whitney's description he thought this was probably Sean Slater.

Sean nodded at Ricky. "Yeah, you can," he replied shortly. "Does Phil Mitchell still own this place?" he asked as he looked around the garage curiously. It hadn't changed much at all. In fact it was almost exactly the same.

"No, mate, Pat does, but I run it for her," Ricky replied. "What do you need?"

Sean studied the bloke. He seemed far too pleasant and amiable.

"I was wondering if you've got any jobs going? I've worked in a garage before," he added.

"No, I don't, sorry, mate. There's barely enough work to keep me and Minty busy," Ricky told him. "But look, leave your number yeah, and if something comes up I'll let you know."

Ricky wiped off the screwdriver he'd been using.

"You know, if you're not picky, I think R&R is hiring. One of the lads working there left to work full time at his other job. Peggy's running it while Roxy's away, so you could talk to her about it," he suggested. "Can't think of anywhere else," he shrugged.

Janine walked up to the garage, she had been a little surprised to see Sean go there. She smirked as she overheard him asking Ricky for a job.

"Hi, Ricky," she greeted and then looked at Sean and smiled at him. "Aww, is he asking you for a job?"

"Alright, Janine," Ricky said. "Yes, he is."

"You should know, dear brother mine," she began and shot a snide look at Sean, "that that is Sean Slater, brother to Stacy, the woman who ran off with my husband," she stated.

Ricky looked at her. "Well, it doesn't matter Janine, cause I've got no jobs going anyway." He looked at Sean and spread his hands helplessly.

"Run along now," Janine chirped and waved her hands at Sean.

Ricky sighed and rolled his eyes and went to rummage in his tool box again.

Sean nodded and scowled. Roxy owned the Club? Since when? He gave the guy a half smile and reached for the pen that lay on the side. He wrote his number on a scrap of paper and left it there

Sean's scowl darkened at Janine and he glared at her. What was this woman's problem! Stacy had Ryan! Big deal! From what Stacy had said she and Ryan had been together for a while now. Janine really needed to start getting over it. He half-snarled at her patronising tone and glared at her before stalking away.

"I've heard things about him Ricky," she told her brother quietly. "You should avoid him."

Ricky looked at his sister, huffed out a breath, but nodded. Janine smirked at Ricky's back and left the garage.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ray looked up at Gene and shrugged. "I'm sure she won't mind," he replied as he pulled out his phone and dialled Rowan's mobile number. "Hang on, I'll ask her," he smiled as he held the phone to his ear and listened to it ring.

Rowan pulled her phone out of her bag and smiled to see Ray was calling.

"Hello?" she answered. "Is that the sexiest man in the world calling me?" she asked cheekily as she walked into the restaurant.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alex brought Sam into the house first and left him in his playpen while she went and collected the shopping bags out of the car. She dumped them in the kitchen and started unpacking them methodically as she switched the radio on. She laughed as she heard Sam gurgling along with the music. She loved her days off, though found them more enjoyable when Gene was off work with her.

Tanya took Oscar along to nursery and left him in the capable hands of the people there before hurrying to open the Salon.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Jane left Bianca in charge when she came in at lunchtime and went to the car lot.

"Alright, Jane? What can I do for you?" Max asked.

"Can I have a word, in private?" she asked. Bradley looked from Jane to his father, sighed and nodded. He got up and went outside the office, making sure to shut the door behind him.

"So, what's the matter?"

"Tanya knows. Apparently when you decided to have your little fun by the community center, she saw us. She's not mad, though. She just told me to be careful," Jane chuckled.

Max felt his heart stop at her words and slowly relaxed as finished talking.

"Well, I suppose I should be relieved that she knows," he remarked. He put a hand on her cheek and kissed her.

"You can be as careful as you want. But I have no intention of hurting you," he told her seriously. Jane smiled.

"Thanks, I'll see you later. I left Bianca on her own, at lunch."

Max nodded and watched her leave. No, he had no intention of hurting Jane, she was amazing.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Sean waited in the shadows near the community centre for Janine. Someone really needed to teach her how to treat other people. For some reason the woman got him agitated and he didn't like it one bit.

His arm flew out and caught hold of her as she passed and he pulled her until her back hit the wall. He glowered down at her

"You've really got some issues" he growled "We're going to fix them!"

Janine stifled a scream as she felt herself jerked into the shadows. She found herself being slammed against the wall and then face to face with Sean.

Her lips curved into a wicked smile at his words.

"Oh, are we?" she purred and her hands snaked out and pulled his hips to press tight against her. "I suppose I have been a very…bad…girl," she said slowly, her tone provocative as she moved her face close to his.

Sean was a little taken aback at her reaction but he scowled down at her and pushed at her shoulders to move her away as he took a step back from her with a disgusted look before slamming her harder into the wall.

"You need to stay well away from my sister and Ryan," he growled at her.

His eyes ran down over her as he spoke. She wasn't so bad looking, and clearly desperate. He mentally berated himself. She was trash! He shouldn't be looking at her in that way!

Janine bit back a yelp as he slammed her harder against the wall. She looked at Sean and smiled.

"Oooh, so forceful," she breathed and smirked at him.

Sean snarled at her. "Whatever," he ground out as he let go of her.

"Just stay away from them," he told her.

"I haven't gone near them since they got back. She wants Ryan, she can have him. He was useless in bed anyway. He couldn't satisfy me," she said regretfully. "I've never had a shortage of offers anyway."

Janine snorted. "Well, you don't seem to want the same thing I do, shame really," she told him and trailed the tip of her tongue over her lips. "I'm very good."

She looked him up and down. "Come to think of it, you might not be worth it," she sniffed arrogantly and turned to walk away.

Sean stared after her. The woman was presumptuous! Not worth it! He sniffed haughtily. He leaned against the wall as he watched her walk a few paces.

"Then again, I might be worth it" he said just loud enough for her to hear as he folded his arms to watch her.

Janine stopped and slowly looked over her shoulder at him. She put her hands on her hips and bit her lip as she looked him over.

"If I do something for you will you do something for me?" she asked in a teasing tone and ran a finger down his chest.

Sean grabbed her hand with a growl and pulled it away from his chest.

"No," he said and stared at her curiously. Then rethought his answer.

"Depends what you want" he added.

"Maybe next time," she said and tilted her head at him before turning back around and continuing on her way, a self-satisfied look on her face.

Sean frowned after her and waited until she had vanished before heading back to the house.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ray grinned as Rowan picked up and raised his eyebrows at her question.

"That depends. You might think so," he grinned down the phone. He hadn't realised that just the sound of her voice had brought his face into a happy grin.

"Ro, the Guv wants to know if you can bring him something to eat when you pop in later?" he asked.

"I definitely think so," Rowan told him and rolled her eyes at the faces Syed was pulling at her.

"Of course I can, I was just getting ready to leave actually. What does he want?"

Ray shrugged. "Dunno, hang on," he pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at Gene. "She wants to know what you want," he told him. "She's about to make her way over now," he added.

Gene shrugged. "I don't know, I'll have whatever you're having," he replied with a gesture at Ray.

"There, see darlin', sorted. You just have to know people," he teased Debbie and flashed her a grin.

Debbie chuckled and looked back at her computer.

Rowan giggled as she heard Gene on the other end of the phone. Ray nodded at Gene and made to relay the information to Rowan when she started talking.

"I heard that, Ray, same thing you're having," she gestured at Trevor to get it going and he nodded. "It's started now and I'll leave when it's ready. Shouldn't take too long. I'll see you soon," she told Ray and flipped her phone shut. While the food was cooking she went into the bathroom to make sure her hair was still the nice, artfully messy curls it had been when she'd left. She gave her make up a quick once over and smiled. Soon she would get to see who this Debbie person was.

She went back to the kitchen and picked up the bag that Trevor had packed the food in and headed out of the restaurant.

She nodded at Adam as she passed and went straight to Gene's office, pulling out the container with Gene's food in it as she went. She stopped short at the sight of Debbie and quickly hid her dismay. The woman was very pretty. Rowan felt her heart sink like a stone. She quickly looked at Ray and smiled at him before taking Gene his food. She glanced over at Debbie again who seemed to be deep into whatever she was working on and walked over to Ray.

Ray smiled as he spotted Rowan. He had noticed recently how much being pregnant seemed to suit her. As much as she got moody and impatient, she also seemed to glow. He leant back in his chair and took her in as he passed him to see Gene. She had curled her hair again, he noted with a small smile and his eyes skimmed down her back. And that dress. He grinned broadly as she turned and made her way over.

"Hello, acuisle," she greeted Ray and put the bag on his desk.

"Hello," he smiled.

She leaned over to kiss him and then put her lips next to his ear. "Shall we go somewhere private to eat?" she asked him and straightened up.

Ray grinned up at Rowan happily and sighed once she broke the kiss. He stood and slid his arm around her shoulders. He dipped his head "Where would you suggest?" he murmured quietly

"Well, I don't know, is there somewhere in the building? Your old office maybe?" she wondered. She glanced over at Gene and looked back at Ray. "I don't want to upset 'the Guv'," she told him quietly and huffed a quiet laugh.

Debbie looked up and saw the pretty pregnant woman talking to Ray. She stood up and stepped around her desk.

"You must be Rowan, hi, I'm PC Debbie Allen, DSI Hunt's secretary," she said with a smile.

Rowan stiffened, but turned to Debbie and forced a smile.

"Hi, yes, I suppose I must be," she replied, trying to sound friendly, but knew her words sounded clipped. She shook Debbie's offered hand.

"You're just as pretty as Ray said you were," Debbie told her after shaking Rowan's hand.

"Oh, thank you," Rowan replied, her accent starting to thicken. She inwardly cursed herself; it was the one thing she couldn't control. "So are you," she added, feeling the words like poison in her mouth. She tightened her grip on Ray's waist possessively, her hand unconsciously fisting in his shirt.

"Well, look at me, keeping the pair of you from enjoying your lunch," Debbie said.

"Yes, look at you," Rowan echoed, her accent thickening further. "We do need to go, my time with him is a-wasting."

Rowan smiled, trying hard to keep it from being a grimace. She held the bag tight in one hand and Ray's shirt in the other and urged him out the door.

Ray looked at Rowan with a small frown as she led him away. Why had she started to get angry? He thought carefully and worked out that it had started when Debbie had introduced herself. What was wrong with Debbie? She was perfectly lovely, making cups of tea and giving him Pop Tarts, too. He waited until they were in his old office and the door was shut then rounded to face her. He gave her a searching and reproachful look

"What was that?" he demanded to know as he looked over her "What's wrong?"

Rowan's eyes widened and then narrowed.

"What, Ray, she's….she's…pretty," Rowan said helplessly. "She's going to be sitting across from you all day, how am I supposed to feel when I look like this?" she gestured at herself.

"Sitting there with her thin, perfect figure…and she's obviously single. I brought you lunch today just so I could see who you said was so pretty last night."

She hated how she sounded, but she couldn't help it.

"If she lays one hand on you, I will make sure she doesn't do it again," she continued, feeling her temper rise again.

"You are mine, Ray Carling," she said as she pushed him against the wall, her hands fisted in his shirt. "And she is not getting her grubby little paws on you."

Ray slid his arms around her. She had only brought him lunch because she wanted to spy on his colleagues? He felt a little disappointed. He thought it was because she wanted to spend time with him.

He pulled her away so he could look at her. "Firstly, I wouldn't want her anyway, as nice as she is, she's not you. How could you even think that I would want anyone else Rowan? And yes she's pretty, but so are you Rowan, but you're more than that, you're radiant," he smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Because I'm huge and my hormones are making me crazy," she sighed.

Ray sighed. "You're not huge, Rowan, you're beautifully pregnant," he smiled at her. "Besides, she's not interested in me Ro, she's been drooling over Gene all morning," he chuckled.

She bit back a laugh at his remark. "Well, she clearly has no taste then," Rowan sniffed haughtily and then smiled at him.

Ray pulled her close to him again and pressed his lips to hers. His grip on her was tight and he switched their positions so that she was the one pressed up against the wall. "I don't want her, Rowan," he murmured as he pressed kisses to her neck.

Rowan felt her knees weaken as he kissed her. She slid a hand up around his neck and found herself gasping for breath as he broke off the kiss. She slid her fingers into his hair as she felt his lips on her neck.

"Glad to hear it," she moaned and reached her other hand down to grab his hand. "Oh, Ray, always wanting your pudding before the meal," she breathed and put his hand on her leg and slid it up under her skirt.

"I'm not wearing anything under this dress," she panted. "Never doubt that I was here 99.9% to see you."

She knew her belly made against the wall impossible, but there was a table handy. She slid his hand up farther, over her behind, so he would have no doubt about what she wasn't wearing.

Ray groaned at the feel of her bare flesh beneath his hands. He stroked his way up her leg as he continued his kisses along her neck.

Rowan shivered at his groan.

"Pudding is more enjoyable than the meal," he breathed as he moved his lips back to her own.

Ray moved her away from the wall and backed her against the table. He smiled down at her. "I'm glad you're here to see me, I'd get jealous otherwise," he grinned at her as he lifted her easily and sat her on the table. He slid his hand back down her legs and looked at her questioningly. "So, for what purpose are you not wearing any underwear?" he asked with a smile.

Rowan raised her eyebrows at Ray's question and trailed her fingers down his chest until she reached his waist. "You're a DI, I'm sure you can figure it out," she replied tartly.

Ray curled his hand into the hem of her dress and eased the material up then slid his hands over her bare hips and further up her back. "Well, seeing as I'm a DI, and part of my job is to look for clues..." he trailed off as he pulled on the material again, easing it gently over her tummy. "And seeing as it looks as though I'm supposed to figure it out on my own, I'm going to have to search for clues aren't I?" he replied as he lifted the dress over her head and leant her back onto the table.

Ray took her in, a hungry expression on his face before kissing a line down her neck, he paused as he reached her breasts. "Now, something is definitely amiss here," he said with a small frown. "I'm going to have to investigate," he said before dropping his lips onto her flesh once more.

Rowan couldn't hold back her moan at his lips on her skin.

She was dimly aware that she was naked…in the police station. 'Was the door locked?' briefly crossed her mind, but she was too wrapped up in the fire Ray's hands and lips were igniting in her to care. Her fingers twined into his hair.

"Oh, Officer, do you think you can help me?" she gasped. She could play, too. She stretched an arm out and trailed her fingers up the inside of his thigh and then pressed her hand between his legs. "You have such a big gun, Officer; I'd do anything if you'd help me."

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Rhys and Ginger walked down the hall. Rhys suddenly stopped at a strange noise coming from behind one of the closed doors. He put his ear to the door and looked at Ginger as he put a finger across his lips. His eyes widened and he covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. He pointed at his ear then the door and ran down the hall. He stopped when he reached the end of the hall, watching Ginger as he shook with silent laughter.

Ginger looked at Rhys curiously, but did as Rhys suggested. His eyes widened, too and he bolted down the hall after Rhys. The pair of them hurried outside and once they reached the bottom of the steps, collapsed into hysterical laughter.

"I can't believe he's doing that in the station!" Ginger remarked.

"Do you think the door is locked?" Rhys wondered.

"You!" Ginger said and walloped Rhys on the back of the head as they began to walk towards the café.

"I didn't mean it that way. I just meant, I hope they don't get walked in on," Rhys retorted defensively. "Besides, we know the Guv was doing it with the missus."

"True," Ginger conceded. They both shook their heads and laughed again before continuing on.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ray groaned at the feel of her hand and stopped what he was doing to look up at her. "I think I can help you, yes," he gasped out before pressing his lips to hers again as his hands left her to push his trousers down. He looked at her again and ran his hands up her sides as he kissed her.

"We are here to help after all," he mumbled, "in the job description," he added as he cupped her face and moved her legs to wrap around his waist.

"Then you better hurry, Officer," Rowan moaned and used her bare feet to help him push his trousers down.

The feel of him between her legs was more than she could bear. What was he waiting for? "Because I'm not sure I can wait."

She wrapped her hand around the one he had cupped against her face and pressed her lips to the palm of his hand and then slowly drew one of his fingers into her mouth and slid it out again very slowly. She fixed her eyes on his face, wishing she could hold him tight.

She tightened one of her legs around him to urge him to get on with it. She wanted the feel of him inside her.

"You're so close to solving the case, Officer" she said thickly. "So close. It's right there," she gasped out and nudged him with her foot with every word. Did he want her to beg? She would beg.

"Oh, please Officer," she pleaded.

Ray shut her up by pressing his lips to hers, his hands holding onto her thighs as he finally thrust into her and moaned as he broke away from the kiss.

Rowan had been jealous of Debbie? He could see why but that didn't mean he understood. Sure Debbie was pretty and everything but he had no interest in her at all. Not when he had Rowan.

Rowan's body arched and she couldn't hold back. She cried out as he thrust into her.

"Oh, yessss," she gasped out. Glorious perfection. She wondered if it was this amazing for every pregnant woman. She shifted her leg so that her ankle rested on his shoulder, while her other was slightly looped around his waist. She gazed up at him, wishing she could kiss him but the reach was too difficult, and at the same time, drowning in the sheer pleasure of him moving inside her.

Ray groaned as he moved inside her. She was completely amazing, he didn't think he would ever stop wanting her. Her possessiveness over him had both shocked him and delighted him: he was glad that she felt exactly the way he did when she was around other men.

His hands held onto her thighs and stroked up and down her legs as he moved.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Gene noticed his tea mug was empty and looked up from his desk. Debbie wasn't there. She must have gone to fetch her lunch. He huffed out a breath and got up. He headed down the hall and paused outside the kitchen. He thought for a moment and then decided to have a smoke first.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Shaz had had enough of work. Her stomach was grumbling and she was fed up. She glanced over at Chris and then looked over at the clock. She nodded resolutely as she stood and made her way over to her husband. Shaz perched on the end of Chris' desk and watched him work for a moment. She smiled at him when he looked up and blushed as her stomach chose that particular moment to grumble again

"You ready for lunch yet?" she asked "I'm wasting away" she grinned as she covered her stomach with her hand. She really shouldn't have skipped breakfast.

"Yeah, I could definitely do with some food," he agreed and got up. He spotted Gene heading towards the door that led to the back where they could smoke.

He looked at Shaz. "Just one fag," he promised. "Come with and you can make sure," he urged and dragged her down the hall after Gene.

He nearly ran into Gene as the man stopped short at the sound of a loud cry from behind one of the closed doors.

"What is it?" Chris asked. Gene held up his hand. He heard another noise, that door...there.

He looked at Chris and Shaz and put his finger over his lips to indicate silence and then reached out for the doorknob. He turned it slowly, quietly. It wasn't locked, it turned easily under his hand. He looked at Shaz and Chris again and heard another softer cry from inside the room and pushed open the door and took a step in...and immediately wished he hadn't.

"Jesus Bloody Christ!" he bellowed at the sight of Rowan on her back and naked on that table. Ray still had his shirt on at least and from this angle, the table and Rowan's body blocked anything else. But still.

Rowan gasped in shock at Gene's shout and hurriedly wrapped her arms over her chest. She caught the barest sight of Chris and Shaz and felt her face burn.

Gene quickly turned his back, looked up and down the hall and then staggered away.

Chris stood and openly gaped. He'd almost forgotten Rowan's nice pair-sonality and her flexibility. He reminded himself that Shaz was there and quickly turned his back.

"Sorry," he hurriedly muttered and pulled Shaz away from the door, shutting it behind him.

He looked at Shaz. "Oops."

He quickly turned to hide his body's reaction and tried to think horrible thoughts to make it go away quickly before she saw.

Rowan lay frozen, her body shivering slightly from the tension, her eyes squeezed shut as she heard Chris say sorry and heard the door shut. She was terrified, and embarrassed, humiliated, horrified, but she was still overwhelmed with wanting Ray.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Ray. Just another minute and she'd have been there,and not perched on the edge like she was now.

Gene slammed outside and angrily pulled out a smoke and lit it, drawing a deep long drag into his lungs. He wanted to berate Ray, but did he really have the moral high ground. He'd certainly had Alex a number of times in his office, but at least he'd had the foresight to lock the door.

He paced across the small patio and took another drag. He also hadn't stripped Alex down to the skin. Yes, Rowan was admittedly a cracking bird, very pretty, nice curves, but he'd never really wanted to see her naked. Only Alex. He squeezed his eyes shut and leaned against the wall, hoping the images would soon leave his brain.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Shaz sighed, but allowed Chris to drag her behind him. Why he couldn't snake and walk to the Cafe she didn't know. Her stomach growled and she shushed it in frustration

Shaz peered over Chris' shoulder to see what had made Gene swear and immediately regretted it. She bit back a laugh and pulled Chris away. She hid her face in his chest as she fought her laughter and then tugged on his hand.

"You think they'd have the foresight to lock the door!" she gasped and tugged his hand again. "C'mon, I'm starving, you can smoke as we walk to the Cafe," she smiled and let out a small chuckle.

Chris took a deep breath, grateful his body's reaction had subsided and he gave Shaz a shamefaced smile.

He nodded at her suggestion.

"Probably a good idea," he muttered and hurried along to the cafe with her.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ray gaped down at Rowan, his eyes still wide. He swallowed and leaned down to press a kiss to her belly. He rested his forehead there for a moment the raised his head up to look at her. He was very aware that neither of them had finished and he reached over to take her hand.

Carefully he thrust into her once more and a groan left him and he squeezed her hand before releasing it and moving again at a slightly slower pace

"Should've locked the door," he muttered.

"I thought you had."

Rowan let her shock fall away as Ray was moving inside her again. She squeezed his hand back and let her mouth fall open as her breathing began to come in great whining gasps.

She began to mutter softly as she felt herself moving closer to the edge, his slower pace exquisite torture.

His name was torn from her in a long, low moan as the force of her orgasm made her body shake. She snapped her teeth together to bite off a scream and slammed her hand over her mouth when she realized she couldn't stop it as she had a second and a third. He always drove her to this, not that she was complaining.

And his always set her off. She loved going with him. It was always the best and last.

Ray shook his head in answer to her comment and gasped out her name as his grip on her thighs tightened and his whole body went taught as his release finally came. He moaned his way through it with his eyes closed. She was incredible, he couldn't put it into words.

Ray looked at her as he panted for breath and eased her up. He held her shoulders as he helped her back onto the floor and smiled at her.

Ray grinned as he passed her her clothes back and pulled his trousers back up.

She slowly calmed her breathing as she gazed at him. She felt completely drained and spent. She gazed up at him, wanting to sit up, but at the same time wanting to be lying next to him, being held tightly in his arms.

Rowan gratefully took back her dress and pulled it on over her head.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to show my face around here," she admitted and finally raised herself up on her elbows.

"But then who is going to brighten my day?" he asked and his gaze fell on the bag of food she had brought with her. "Besides, it's not like Gene and Alex haven't done it at work," he shrugged and kissed her with a smile.

"Oh, all right then. But we can't do this again. Yes, I know they have, you've told me enough times, but, I'm so embarrassed now," she told him and put her forehead against his chest.

She lifted her head and pointed at the desk in the corner.

"Can we eat now? I'm suddenly ravenous," he smiled.

"Yes, but let's eat over there. And what do you mean suddenly? You're always ravenous," she teased.

Ray shrugged. "More ravenous than I already was then," he replied as he led her over to the smaller desk and grabbed up the chairs. He took his seat and dragged the bag of food towards him.

Ray peered inside and pulled out his lunch and licked his lips as he opened the container and grabbed the cutlery that Rowan had brought with her. He looked up at her once more and grinned before tucking in.

"I hope the bread on the sandwich isn't soggy now," Rowan said ruefully. She pulled a pair of clean knickers out of her bag, she hadn't intended to go commando all day, only for Ray, and then sat down.

She grabbed her small container of chicken salad out and a fork and began to eat.

"I imagine they'll all think you're quite the stud now," she said. "I can't get angry about it, but, I'm sure Chris and Shaz won't keep it to themselves," she mused. "And there was me, so shamelessly and obviously enjoying myself."

She glanced at him from under her lashes. "Of course, I can't help it. It's what you do to me."

Ray bit into his sandwich and shrugged at her. "Don't worry Ro, something else will have happened soon enough and it'll be forgotten," he assured her.

He grinned at her and swallowed his mouthful before leaning over and kissing her cheek. He moved his lips to her ear. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he murmured before pulling back and grinning and taking another bite of his sandwich.

Rowan looked at him and smiled. "I hope you're right, and like I said, how could I not?"

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Gene finally finished chain smoking and calmed down enough to walk back towards his office. He stopped and looked at the door. He could hear the murmur of conversation and tried the door again. Still unlocked. He opened it slightly and then all the way. He stuck his head in, was relieved to see they were finished and dressed and walked inside.

He looked at them both.

"Now, I have no place to judge what you just did in here, apart from being really bloody upset you did not even think to lock the door. But I'll tell you now, it doesn't happen again. I'm DSI now, I have to make sure this place has a decent reputation. I don't do it here, and I expect the same out of you."

He leveled his finger at them.

Rowan hung her head. "Sorry," she whispered.

"Don't apologize, just don't let it happen again."

He turned and left the room and headed back to his office, nearly knocking Debbie down in the process.

"Sorry, love," he said gruffly.

"What's the matter?" she asked curiously, her tone slightly worried.

"Oh, nothing, just walked in on my DI shagging his girlfriend, partner, whatever...in one of the interview rooms," he growled.

Debbie's eyes widened.

"You mean...Ray? And..umm..Rowan?" she gasped.

"Well I could hardly mean my wife," he snapped. He saw her face fall and sighed. "Sorry, I just...I think Rowan is a sweet bird and that's just not how I ever wanted to see her...like she was in there...without a stitch on."

"Oh," Debbie said, her tone implying "awkward" and she sat down at her desk.

"Yes, well, I'm going to finish my lunch if I can," he informed her and went into the office, closing the door behind him. Debbie watched him and sighed.

Lucky Rowan! That Ray was a pretty well set up man and he looked the lusty sort. But if he couldn't keep his hands off her even when she was so hugely pregnant, Debbie knew she shouldn't bother. Her eyes drifted towards Gene's office again. Besides, Gene was so...she shrugged to herself. He just had something.

She turned back to her computer.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Rowan finished her lunch when he did and gathered up the containers and put them back in the bag.

"I should let you get back to work," she told him with a sigh. "I don't want you getting in trouble for anything else, especially don't want it to be my fault."

She got up and sat down sideways on his lap and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I'll be expecting more of that tonight, I think," she whispered in his ear and gave him a long, slow kiss. She reluctantly broke off the kiss and stood up.

Ray sighed and slid his arms around her, holding her against him. He hated letting her go. If it was up to him, she would never leave him! Though, sometimes it was good that they weren't always together, as much as he enjoyed her company, he still had other friends to mingle with. If they were together all the time then they would get sick of each other. At least, that's what he told himself.

"Walk me to the door?" she asked and headed out of the interview room.

He nodded. "Come on then," he smiled and patted her hip as she slid off his lap. He took her hand with a smile and opened the door to his old office, half expecting an audience. He felt more relaxed when he realised there wasn't one there. He squeezed her hand and walked her down the corridors until he reached the lobby. He glanced outside then turned her and kissed her once more before pulling away with a smile.

"I'll be home around 5," he informed her.

She pulled Ray down for another kiss at the door and then stroked his cheek briefly before heading outside. She looked back and waved and walked off.

/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\/\

Ffion crossed the Square and saw her brother and Ginger laughing hysterically as they made their way to the cafe. She bounded over and thumped them both on the back of the head before dancing around in front of them and grinning.

"What are you two laughing at?" she demanded to know as she walked backwards in front of them.

"Sorry, can't tell you," Rhys told her.

"Nope, you are too young," Ginger agreed and they both chuckled.

"Oh, come on. I'm not, you know I'm not. Why do you never tell me anything?" she complained.

Rhys grabbed her arms and turned her and pushed her to make her walk into the cafe.

"Maybe later, if you behave."

"Yes, you would have to be a very, very good girl," Ginger agreed.

Ffion snorted and folded her arms.

"And what does that entail exactly?" she asked, her tone petulant.

"You could buy us lunch for a start," Rhys suggested. He looked at Ginger who nodded back agreeably.

"Yes, you buy us lunch and we'll tell you."

Ffion studied the pair of them a moment. "All right, but nothing too expensive, I don't have a lot of money on me."

"Deal," Rhys said and quickly squeezed her hand to seal the deal and stepped up to the counter. Ginger grinned and grabbed her hand, too.

"Cheeseburger and chips?" Rhys looked at Ginger.

"Oh yes," Ginger agreed.

Jane wrote their order down and looked at Ffion.

"I'll just have chips and a coke, please," she ordered, she'd eaten a lovely breakfast earlier at work and wasn't quite hungry yet.

"I'll bring that out when it's ready," Jane told them and handed them their drinks.

Ffion huffed behind them as her brother and Ginger slowly chose a table and sat down. Ffion sat, looked around and then speared the pair of them with her gaze.

"Now, tell me," she insisted.

Shaz smiled at Chris as she dragged him with her to the Cafe. The sooner she ate the sooner her stomach would stop making such embarrassing sounds. She smiled as they reached it and let go of Chris' hand to push the door open and go inside.

She smiled at Jane as she went in.

"Heya Jane" she grinned as she glanced at the menu briefly "Can I have, some of the quiche please? And a cup of tea?"

"I'll have lasagne, cheer," Chris ordered. He saw Rhys and Ginger sitting with Ffion over in the corner, giggling like madmen. He looked at Shaz then got his tea and walked over to them.

"What's so funny?" he asked them.

The three of them looked up.

"I overheard Ray and Rowan having it off in the interview room that used to be Ray's office," Rhys told him in a low tone and then snorted.

"Me an all," Ginger agreed.

Chris quickly sat down. "Yeah, well, the Guv walked in on it, Shaz and I were there, we saw, too," Chris told them.

"No you did not," Rhys gasped. Chris nodded.

"Oh yeah, it were dead embarrassing. Rowan didn't have a stitch on. I think the Guv nearly had a heart attack," Chris told them.

Rhys and Ginger looked at each other and began to laugh again.

"I can't believe it," Ffion gaped.

"Well, we didn't get that, but we heard what they were saying to each other," Rhys chuckled.

Ginger nodded. "Copper and victim roleplay," he squeaked and then burst into laughter.

Shaz stared at Ginger and Rhys incredulously and then burst into laughter. "You're joking!" she gasped out as she held a hand to her stomach in an attempt to stop herself.

"Ohmigod!" she managed to say between giggles "Poor Rowan, Ray will just take this in his stride but Ro isn't going to be able to look any of us in the eye now!" she chortled.

She raised her eyebrows as a thought occurred to her "Why were you two listening at the door anyway?" she accused with a small grin.

"I'm not joking," Ginger assured her.

"Wish we were," Rhys added. Rhys put on a high voice and attempted a bad imitation of Rowan's voice. "Oh, officer can you help me?"

Ginger snickered and deepened his voice to try and match Ray's tone. "We are here to help after all, in the job description."

Rhys and Ginger both went into peals of laughter again.

"I can't even imagine what you saw," Rhys said, trying to calm his laughter. He glanced around again. "But Rowan's got nice...well..." he said and then cupped his hands in front of his chest.

Chris blushed, glanced at Shaz and cleared his throat. "I uh...suppose you could say that," he said and took a drink of his tea.

Ffion shook her head at them.

"You are just terrible," she scolded and frowned as she set about eating her chips.

Shaz choked as she tried unsuccessfully to hold back her laughter. She noticed Chris' blush and raised her eyebrows skeptically. She shrugged it off and looked up as her food arrived. She eyed it and smiled at Jane gratefully before waiting until she left.

Shaz looked down at the plate and then sighed as she looked back at the three men. "My stomach says eat but my head says no," she grumbled "I've got that image locked in my brain!"

"Oh, go on and eat," Rhys said. "You don't want your stomach growling. Besides, we have to think best how we can utilize this knowledge."

Shaz nodded with a smile and tucked into her lunch eagerly, pushing images of what she had seen over Chris' shoulder out of her mind.

Rhys looked at Ginger and their faces both sported identical smirks.

"How do you mean, use it?" Chris wanted to know.

"Well...for one thing, Alex would love this. You know they have that whole thing going on. I think she'd love this," Rhys said.

Shaz frowned, surely Alex couldn't use this against Ray? They all knew that Gene and Alex had done it in his office on multiple occasions, Ray never took the piss about that. Neither of them had the moral high ground so surely Alex couldn't...Shaz sighed, this was Alex and Ray, any tiny little thing and they would tease each other. She kept her mouth shut and carried on eating her lunch as she listened to the plotting going on around her.

Shaz looked up and gave Chris a worried look. She agreed with him about Rowan; she didn't mind Ray getting bullied, but didn't want Rowan to feel that she was being targeted too. She was probably embarrassed enough already.

Ginger nodded. "And we can use it ourselves, somehow, surely."

Chris looked at them. "I don't think he'll mind to be honest," he ventured and glanced at Shaz. "I mean, look how long we've known him, he's always bragged on women he's shagged, or not shagged but said he had. And now, he's been caught, walked in on, while he's in the middle of and well..." he looked at Shaz again.

"She looked to me like she were enjoying it, so I don't think he'll care."

"But he never talks about her, that's the thing," Rhys said. "So, wouldn't that mean he might just be bothered if we have a go at him about it?"

"I'm thinking not," Chris replied. "But, you know, anything's possible."

"You should also think of Rowan though, if you start going on about her, is it going to upset her?" Chris reminded them.

"Oh, yeah," Ginger breathed.

"No, I still want to have a go at Ray," Rhys decided.

Chris scratched the side of his nose. "Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

Ginger and Rhys finished their lunch in relative silence.

"Right, we're going back now? You coming?" Rhys wanted to know.

"I'm done yeah, Shaz, you ready?" he asked as he stood up.

Shaz nodded at them with a smile. "All full and ready to go," she said with a smile and grabbed the rest of the used plates and cups from the table and carried them back to Jane.

Ginger carried his and Rhys' plates to the counter and headed out the door, Rhys right behind him.

Ffion waved and headed off towards the car lot.

Rowan headed toward the cafe, glad Ray hadn't gotten too much into the bag and seen the container of muffins and chocolate cake Jane had called and asked her to drop off.

She saw Ginger and Rhys heading her way, but blanched slightly at the sight of Chris and Shaz farther behind them. She could feel her cheeks burning and nearly looked at the ground.

"Well, hello, Rowan, how are you?" Rhys said pleasantly.

"Um, I'm fine, Rhys, how are you?" Rowan replied uncertainly.

"So, you don't need help with anything, because you know, we are police officers," Ginger began, a sly smile on his face.

"And you know, that's in the job description,"Rhys said and put a hand on Rowan's shoulder. "So, if you need, anything," he told her.

Rowan gasped and looked at him. "You what?"

She realized then that although Chris and Shaz had seen, Rhys and Ginger must have heard them earlier. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at Rhys.

"I'm sorry, do I not have enough clues to solve the case?" he asked, and grinned.

Rowan made a noise low in her throat and her fist flew out of its own accord and she punched Rhys.

"Don't even think it's okay to speak to me like that. Maybe we weren't in private," she snapped as Rhys bent over and groaned.

"But that's no reason to talk to me like that."

"Rowan, ease up, he was only teasing," Ginger urged.

"I don't care. I'm sure you have laughed about it amongst yourselves, but don't...don't put it in my face."

She looked at Chris and Shaz, then back at Ginger.

"Seems they got an eyeful and you got an earful," she said, her voice getting close to tears.

"You keep him in line," she said to Ginger and pointed at Rhys.

"And you, watch how you talk to me," she said to Rhys.

She stepped past them to continue on and then stopped and glared at Chris.

"And you stop looking at my tits," she growled and stomped off to take Jane her things.

Chris blushed and glanced at Shaz before going over to Rhys to see if he was okay.

"I won't lie to you, she sure can punch," Rhys groaned. "Let's get back so I can get something to put on it."

"Better hide it from Ray, or he'll go spare,"Ginger warned him.

Rhys nodded. "I think that would be a wise idea," he agreed.

Shaz gave Rowan an apologetic look then glared after Chris as he ran over to Rhys. She stalked over and looked unsympathetically at Rhys

"It serves you right Rhys, you shouldn't tease her." she said before walking back to the station briskly on her own.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ray walked back through the station and sat back down at his desk with a small smile playing around his lips as he pulled his file back towards him. He smiled briefly at Debbie before throwing his attention into what he was doing. He had a feeling that Rowan's jealousy for Debbie was half the reason why what happened in the office, happened. He liked Debbie, especially since she as part of the cause of his lunchtime surprise. But he also liked her because she brought him Pop Tarts and cups of tea.

"I forgot how temperamental Rowan might be, what with the whole being pregnant thing," Rhys confessed. He put his hand up to his face and continued walking to the station. Ginger trailed along behind, chortling to himself.

He followed Rhys down the hall quietly when they got back to the station, but as they neared where Ray's desk was, he couldn't help himself.

"Shall I get you some ice for that black eye, Rhys?" he asked.

Rhys whipped his head around and glared at his best friend before hurrying past the room where Ray was and heading to the end of the hall to get to his desk.

Chris gave Ginger a look and followed after him. Ginger snorted a laugh and went to the kitchen to get some ice.

Chris went in and sat down next to Shaz.

"Shaz, I'm sorry," he said to her and put his hand on hers.

Shaz glanced down at his hand that covered hers and then slowly moved her eyes to his face. She stared at him for a few moments then took her hand out from underneath his and folded her arms.

"What are you sorry for Chris?" she wanted to know.

"Just for, you know, this stuff," he answered lamely. "I don't want you upset with me as well as them."

Shaz stared at him incredulously. "This stuff?" she repeated slowly and glared at him before turning to her computer and consequently ignoring him.

Chris moved his chair closer to Shaz and put a hand on her arm.

"Shaz, give over, this isn't all my fault. You heard me tell him not to," Chris implored. He sat and gazed at her, a pleading expression on his face. He leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"I'm also sorry for staring at Rowan," he added and looked around. "Look, before you and I got back together, well, I met Rowan and we...ummm...but it was just the one time. Next thing I know, she's giving me your phone number and to be honest, after that I couldn't think of anyone but you. I was so happy when she gave me that piece of paper, Shaz."

He took her hand and squeezed it. "She helped me get back with the woman I love."

Shaz looked over at him and felt herself soften, one thing she hated was that she could never stay mad at him. One look at his unhappy face and she melted.

Shaz squeezed his hand back and then wound her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I love you, too," she whispered.

Shaz pulled back from him and raised her eyebrow. "So why didn't you tell me earlier that you slept with one of my friends?" she asked curiously.

"Because it was just an hour or so one off and it was before we got back together. I didn't think it was important to be honest. It's not like we've talked about it, her and I. It's just something that happened and it really wasn't a bit deal," he explained.

"I hadn't even really thought of it until...well...today," he admitted, glancing over to make sure Ray was well away. He breathed an almost audible sigh of relief as he watched Ray leave.

Shaz glanced over at Ray to and an amused bubble of laughter escaped her. "I take it Ray hasn't got a clue?" she smiled as she tracked their DI with her eyes. She would imagine Ray not being quite so friendly with Chris if she knew that he had been with Rowan, however briefly. She returned her gaze to Chris. "About you and Rowan?" she continued and then pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I've not said anything. If Rowan has, she's made certain that he's not worried about it," he told her.

He looked at her curiously as she began to speak again. His eyes widened at her request.

"I won't. I don't normally, it just was...reflex I guess after what we saw. It won't happen again, I swear, either in front of you or not in front of you."

"Just don't go staring at her _chest _Chris," she pleaded with a frown. "At least not in front of me."

He leaned over and tapped her nose. "I only want to stare at yours," he said and wriggled his eyebrows at her.

Shaz raised her eyebrows and leaned closer. "You can do more than just look at them, Chris," she murmured with a smile before kissing his cheek and pulling away. She smiled at him before glancing around the office. She pulled a face at Ginger then looked back at Chris with another smile.

"I think we'd best start getting on with some work," she sighed.

Chris grinned at her. Now he couldn't wait until it was time to go home. Chris glanced over at Ginger who pointedly looked away.

"Sooner we get done, sooner we can go home," he murmured at her.

Shaz nodded at him with a smile and wheeled her chair away from him a bit so that she could get back to her work.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Debbie gave Ray a quick smile back as he sat down across from her. He looked a bit...smug...and...she couldn't put her finger on it.

She glanced up at the office door when she heard the commotion of Rhys and the others passing. She frowned as she heard part of their conversation...what would Rhys need ice for? She got up and went into the hall and caught Ginger's arm as he was passing.

"Why would Rhys need ice?" she wanted to know.

Ginger chuckled. "He got blindsided," he told her.

"What?" she gasped and looked around. "Well, where's the person who did it? If someone assaulted him, they should be arrested."

"Calm down, Debs, not gonna happen. He brought it on himself from not being able to keep his mouth shut," Ginger explained. He looked around and noticed they were too close to the office door and that Ray would likely be able to hear. He pulled Debbie further down the hall and into the kitchen.

"He mouthed off at Rowan, teasing her about well..." he paused and glanced out the kitchen to make sure no one was around. "Rowan and Ray were shagging in what used to be Ray's office. Rhys and I overheard them, but we assumed the door was locked and didn't try it."

He glanced out again. "But Chris and Shaz told us at the cafe, that Gene walked in. Seems they didn't lock the door. Chris and Shaz saw everything, too. But when we were coming back from lunch, we ran into Rowan and Rhys started repeating some of the things he and I had overheard. She just lashed out and punched him one," he finished and chuckled again.

Debbie looked at him, torn between shock and laughter. Laughter won out. "So, he sort of deserved it. Well, she still shouldn't have done it, no doubt she's short-tempered from being pregnant."

She joined him in making cups of tea. "But Ray getting up to that, here at work, no wonder he looks like he looks, so smug and all," she remarked and picked up the tea. Ginger picked up the towel he'd filled with ice and headed back down the hall with her.


	22. Chapter 22

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 22**

Debbie went back into the office and strode to Gene's door and put one of the cups of tea on his desk, then put one on Ray's before sitting back down at her desk and taking a sip of her own. Her eyes darted over to glance at Ray and she nearly chuckled before turning them back to her monitor. A thought of what it might have been like to see Ray in that...position...crossed her mind, to be replaced by seeing Gene.

"So, had a good lunch break then?" she asked casually, keeping her face and eyes focused on her computer while keeping an iron grip on her laughter.

Ray looked up as he heard the rest of the team come back into the office and half-nodded to himself. No comments was good. He noticed Debbie getting up and left her to it.

Ray smiled at Debbie as she came back with a mug of tea for him and he picked it up immediately and took a sip. He smiled. He had to hand it to her, the woman made a decent mug of tea.

Ray smiled to himself at her question and kept his eyes on his work. "Yeah, was good," he said. "Ro's a brilliant cook so whatever she brings me is always bound to be delicious," he smiled then looked over at her and saw the look on her face.

"Oh, for Gods sake!" he grumbled to himself. Debbie knew, Chris and Shaz knew, the Guv knew. Ray felt an uncomfortable feeling settle over him. That many people knowing meant soon the whole of CID would know. Not that he minded that, or really cared as long as they didn't start on Rowan, she wasn't in a good state to be teased. Especially over something she was embarrassed about. But, the reason for the uncomfortable feeling was that soon, Alex would know. Ray almost groaned when he realised he had supplied her with the perfect ammunition to get him back for everything he did to her. He could only hope that she didn't get wind of it. But that was unlikely, she lived with the Super who had walked in on him!

"I'll be it was," Debbie couldn't help commenting and snorted out a small laugh.

She glanced over at Ray and couldn't help the few giggles that escaped her. She glanced over at Gene's closed door and then back at Ray. She knew if she was going to get anywhere, she would need Ray on her side.

"I should tell you that Rhys and Ginger know. They apparently overheard," she said. "And well...that's not all," she continued reluctantly.

She glanced down at her desk and then at Ray again. "It seems they ran into Rowan on their way back. Rhys...said some things...repeating some of what he'd overheard and well...Rowan punched him."

Ray's head snapped up to look at her. "He did bloody what!" he growled and stood up from his desk. He nodded at Debbie briefly in thanks as he stalked past into the open office. He could take the jibes and the jokes, Rowan was pregnant! She was in a fragile emotional state! Rhys should know better than to tangle with her. He couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips. Rowan had punched him. Good.

Debbie watched him go and turned back to her computer. She wouldn't tell Gene. She wanted Ray on her side. She would have to be careful that nothing she did could be considered flirting. It had been obvious Rowan didn't like her at all. She would have to tread lightly in getting Ray on her side.

Ray stood in front of Rhys' desk and felt a wave of satisfaction pass over him at the sight of the ice over his eye. He folded his arms and stared down at Rhys with stoney expression.

"You can take the piss out of me all you like," he informed them all. "But you all leave Rowan alone!" he warned them. "You're not going to go around upsetting her," he continued.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Rowan dropped the baked goods off with Jane.

Jane could see Rowan was upset. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Rowan just blindly nodded, took the money and waved back at her absently.

She left the cafe, Jane staring after her in worry, and headed across the Square towards the salon. She went inside and gave Alyssa a small smile.

"Any chance you can have a quick break?" Rowan asked.

Alyssa looked up with a smile at Rowan's voice and then her brow furrowed at the sight of her sisters face. She checked the appointment book and nodded then called Maddie over to take charge of the Desk while Tanya was still upstairs. She took Rowan's hand and led her through to the Staffroom at the back and sat her on one of the comfy chairs. Alyssa sat down next to her and frowned slightly. "Whats wrong?" she asked softly.

"I don't think I've ever been so humiliated," Rowan told her. "It's our own fault, but still."

Rowan sighed. "I went to take Ray lunch at the station and eat with him, and see this new secretary of Gene's that he said was so pretty. Well, we went to Ray's old office to have privacy and um...I sort of told him about something I wasn't wearing...and we...ummm...well...you know..." Rowan trailed off.

"The trouble is, Ray didn't lock the door. Gene, Chris and Shaz walked in on us. It might not have been so bad if I wasn't stretched out on this table, completely naked," Rowan whined and put her face in her hands.

"That's not all," Rowan ventured. "On the way to the cafe, I ran into Chris and Shaz and Ginger and Rhys. It seems Rhys and Ginger overheard mine and Ray's," she paused and cleared her throat, "conversation, you know the sort of talk leading up to certain things. Rhys started teasing me and before I know it, my vision just went red. I punched Rhys."

Alyssa's jaw dropped and she wrapped her arm around Rowan. "Not wearing anything at all?" she gasped. "Oh, Ro," she commiserated and pressed a kiss to Rowan's temple. She and Jack had done it in his office before, but they had never been completely undressed. Though granted, the door had been unlocked that once. She pulled back a moment and stared down at Rowan.

Rowan pressed her face into Alyssa's shoulder and shook her head. She sat up and sniffed.

"No, not a stitch and I was all..." she broke off and mimed her arms being splayed out, "in the throes so to speak. I was completely horrified."

"Did you not think to lock the door?" she asked curiously.

She sighed and put her face in her hands. She looked up at Alyssa's question.

"I thought Ray had locked the door," she said in a small voice. "And once Ray started kissing me, I couldn't really think of anything else."

Alyssa nodded and bit her lip to hold back her smile. "Oh, Rowan," she sighed and then smiled.

"Mind you, I see what you're like when Ray just looks at you sometimes, I'm not all that surprised that he gets that reaction when he kisses you," she teased. "Just make sure next time you do it somewhere public that the door is locked," she smiled.

Rowan blushed. "Yeah, I clearly can't trust that Ray may have done it," she admitted.

Alyssa couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry Ro, but the image of Rhys getting punched and having a black eye ruining his pretty face is brilliant," she said and forced her laughter to stop. "He should have known better than to tease you though," she added. "We all saw what you did to Gene at his engagement party," she continued with a small smile.

"I know, but I feel awful about it. What if he files a complaint or something? I'll have gotten Ray into even more trouble then."

Alyssa nodded with a small shrug. "Why would it get Ray in trouble? Rhys was taunting you, he brought it on himself. There's no reason for Ray to get in trouble over it," she said with a little smile at Rowan.

She rubbed her forehead and looked at Alyssa miserably.

"I'm not sure I'll ever be able to show my face around there."

She gazed at the floor for a few moments and then heaved a great sigh.

"I met that Debbie, She's very pretty. I'll admit, a small part of the reason I started what we were doing was because I was jealous of her. Ray's think she's fancies Gene, though." She shrugged.

Alyssa sighed. "You had every reason to be jealous Ro, a pretty woman opposite Ray every day..." she trailed off with a grin. "Though you should know better than to worry, Ray hasn't got eyes for anyone but you, you doughnut," she said with a playful nudge. She paused thoughtfully. "Does Alex know that Ray thinks Debbie likes Gene? Or is he keeping it from her because of their little feud?" she asked.

"I know he does, but I feel so huge and ugly right now that sometimes I just can't help but worry, especially when he flat out says she's pretty."

Alyssa snorted. "Huge and ugly?" she repeated incredulously.

"I'll never understand why pregnant women believe that they're ugly when they're pregnant," she sighed as she eyed Rowan's tummy. "Because you're not, you know," she added.

"I know, Ray keeps saying the same thing. It's just you're so big and you feel so unwieldy and awkward it's hard not to feel huge and ugly," she explained.

"Well, when he finds out he's likely to go off on Rhys, and really, I'm the one who punched. He could get in trouble from not doing anything about what I did couldn't he?" she wondered. "Or I guess if they choose to ignore it it's fine, too."

She shrugged and shook her head. "It's Alex's day off today, so I doubt it. I don't know which way he'd go with it. He doesn't sound that sure anyway. He talks like she's just overly friendly, so it may just be that. I haven't seen myself so I can't say."

"I'll just have to tell Ray to start coming home again for lunch. I can't go back there, not for awhile yet, anyway."

She paused and yawned. The strain of the day had worn her out.

"I'm sure it will take him a couple of days to decide which will be the most 'fun' so to speak for their little feud. He'll probably put off telling her until he knows for sure."

Alyssa smiled. "To be fair, Jack didn't that one time in his office," she smiled and looked at Rowan with a small grin. "The careers fair? Do you remember?" she smiled. "I'm sure you knew what we were doing," she chuckled.

"Yes, I did, and I stopped you from being walked in on," she grinned at Alyssa. "Wish I'd had someone to do that for me."

She paused to stretch carefully and stood up.

"I should go. You need to get back to work and I need to go take a nap."

She leaned over and gave Alyssa a hug. "Thanks, I'm glad I could get that off my chest."

Alyssa nodded with a sigh and hugged Rowan back with a small sigh and then watched her sister leave. She looked over at Maddie once Rowan had vanished and smiled at her as the girl sidled away from the front desk with a small smile and hurried back upstairs. Alyssa glanced at the small jumble of papers on the desk and chuckled before setting back to work.

She gave Alyssa another squeeze and then a quick wave as she headed out.

Ginger handed Rhys the ice. Rhys thanked him and immediately placed the towel gingerly over his face.

"I'll say this, she sure can pack a wallop," Rhys remarked.

Ginger and Rhys both blanched as they saw Ray stalking into the room. He must have heard. Rhys looked up at Ray with his one eye, a hangdog expression on his face. He put the towel on his desk.

"Ray, I'm so sorry. I didn't...I wasn't thinking," Rhys tried to apologize.

"Chris warned him not to," Ginger put in.

"I'll apologize to her as soon as I get the chance," Rhys promised.

Ray glared at the pair of them and nodded at them before giving them another hard look

"Make sure you do" he growled out before stalking back into the office. He glanced briefly at Debbie then sat down at his desk once more.

He was angry that they had thought to target Rowan about this instead of him. Rhys had deserved that punch to the face. He knew that Rowan could punch. A small grin graced his face.

"So, is everyone then duly chastised?" Debbie asked in a slightly teasing tone.

Gene opened the door and came out of his office just as she finished speaking.

"Chastised about what?" he wanted to know.

"Oh, Ginger and Rhys were just making a fuss as usual, Guv," Debbie replied dismissively.

Gene grunted and then headed out of the room, Debbie watching with half an eye. When he was gone, she turned her attention to Ray.

"So, it's sorted then?"

Ray looked back up at Debbie and then moved his gaze to follow Gene as he passed them. He waited until Gene was out of sight then turned back to Debbie.

"Yup, sorted," he said with a nod. "If any of them say anything like that to Ro again it won't be just her that punches them," he said with a glare at the open office once more. "I'm not having them upsetting her like that, she's already embarrassed enough about it," he continued.

"I can well imagine. I've never had anything like that happen to me, but I'm sure I'd be pretty embarrassed if it did," she admitted. She looked at him moment, took a sip of her tea and then chuckled.

"Well, maybe not that embarrassed. I'm a little on the shameless side," she snickered.

Ray grinned over at her. "Really?" he asked. "I'd never have guessed that," he smiled at her.

Peggy was just walking out of the pub as Rowan passed and caught her.

"Rowan, do you think you could possibly bring some pasties tomorrow? If it's not too much trouble."

"Sure, Peggy, I'm happy to do it. Keeps me from going slowly insane," she laughed. Peggy nodded and waved Rowan off.

Rowan smiled and waved back and continued on home. She let herself in the side door to avoid the restaurant and stumped up the stairs. She went to the bedroom and yawned hugely as she pulled back the covers on the bed. She pulled the dress off over her head, tossed it towards the laundry basket and flopped gratefully onto the bed, barely pulling the covers over herself before falling fast asleep.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ffion and Bradley finished eating the fish and chips Max had brought them and then looked at the clock.

"So, do you mind if I go over now and I'll see you when you're finished?" Ffion asked him.

"I don't mind at all. I shouldn't be too long," he told her and pulled her close. Ffion smiled and slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly.

"I'll see you at the club soon, then," she insisted and with a quick, flirtatious smile, she headed out the door.

She hurried over to the club and waved at Sarah as she sat down and ordered a vodka tonic and began to idly chat with Sarah since the place wasn't very busy yet.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ryan and Stacey looked at each other. Stacey finally shrugged after a few minutes.

"Sure, we could go out. Sounds like a good idea," she agreed. Ryan nodded.

"Where though? Pub or R&R or get a cab into town? Charlie might be willing to drive us," Ryan suggested. "We could ask him when he gets back."

"I'll go for that," Stacey said. She looked at Sean. "So, where should we go?"

Sean looked at Stacy and Ryan and little Sean. He frowned from his spot at the kitchen table and drummed his fingers on the surface. He had Janine chasing after him if this mornings encounter was anything to go by and she seemed the sort who like to play games. He frowned. He wasn't all that into games if he wasn't in control of them.

But messing around with Janine would do him no good at all. Ffion on the other hand. Ffion would serve to hurt Bradley Branning. And she was pretty. Bonus for him.

He raised his eyebrows at the pair. "Are we going to hang around here all day?" he grunted as he stood from the table and looked at the clock. "Why not go out tonight?" he continued with a look at his sister. "Charlie can babysit."

Sean shrugged. "Anywhere," he answered shortly.

He just didn't want to spend another night inside. He wanted to go out, get drunk, get lost maybe. Though with Stacy and Ryan there he doubted that he would be able to get lost. Even if he did he would wind up back in this house. Everyone always ended up in this house.

"Just out," he shrugged. "Somewhere, I really don't care where."

"Fine, then, let's go over to R&R. Ryan, will you wait for Charlie? He should be back any minute and then head over?"

"Sure, I'll make sure he's fed and nearly asleep for Charlie."

"Thanks," she said to him and pressed herself close as she kissed him. She gave him a look full of promise and he grinned at her.

She reached out a hand and grabbed her brother's arm. "Let's go," she said and dragged him from the house and led him towards the club. She glanced around as they entered. She waved at Sarah and headed for the bar.

"Glad to see this place hasn't changed," she said. Sarah grinned.

"Nah, why would it," she chuckled. "What you having?"

"White wine," Stacey replied and looked at Sean expectantly.

Sean followed Stacy into the club. Here, again. He would have preferred to go out of Walford but somewhere with booze, was somewhere with booze. He wouldn't complain. He took his place at the bar next to Stacy and nodded at the new girl behind the bar. So many things about this place had changed.

"Pint," he told her and then cast his eyes over the club. The interior was still pretty much the same, though the place wasn't that full yet. But it was early.

Sean smiled schematically as he spotted Ffion sitting on her own and took his pint from the woman behind the bar before making his way over to the bit of the bar that was nearer to her

Sean watched Ffion dancing with Christian and smirked to himself. Bradley did not deserve someone like Ffion, Bradley deserved to be unhappy. Sean could take care of that, no matter what Stacy said.

Stacey watched Sean move away and look at the people dancing. She walked over to him.

"When Ryan gets here, we can go somewhere else if you want," she offered. "I just thought this would be a good place to start."

She gave him a smile and then went back over to talk to Sarah some more.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ffion finished her drink and got up and started dancing with Christian. She wondered what was taking Bradley so long. He must have got busy at work.

Gene looked at the clock, sighing when it finally read time to go. He got up and strode out with a quick wave at Ray and Debbie.

"Is it that time already? I've got to run!" Debbie gasped and hurried out. She climbed into her car and growled in disgust when it wouldn't start. She got out and lifted the hood and started looking over the engine, to see if she could figure out what was wrong.

Gene glanced over and saw her and walked over to her.

"Alright, love?" he asked.

"Yeah, car won't start. I really don't need this now," she sighed.

Gene looked over her engine, but couldn't see anything wrong.

"I could go and get Ricky from the garage for you," he offered.

Debbie hid her disappointment. "Um, no, I'll call one of my mates to come pick me up and see about getting this round to the garage tomorrow."

"Right, then," Gene said and walked back to his car. Debbie waited until he was gone and climbed back into her car, started it and drove home.

Gene walked into the flat.

"Hello the house," he announced as he pulled a beer out of the fridge and opened it.

Alex looked up and moved her attention away from Sam in the middle of the rug with his toys as she twisted her body to face Gene. She smiled at him and stood up from her kneeling position on the floor. She glanced at her son as she stood then moved over to Gene. She cupped his face as she kissed his cheek then glanced over at Sam to make sure he wasn't getting into mischief then turned back to Gene.

"How's everything at the station?" she asked as she moved around him to get at the stove and heat the oven. She checked the time and then sighed. "Molly's at Peter's," she told him over her shoulder as she started to dig in the freezer.

"Well, I get out on time now that I've got someone helping with the paperwork. I'm getting used to having this Debbie around," Gene told her. He followed her into the kitchen and let out a long breath.

"I should tell you this now, because when you come back tomorrow I'm sure it will still be the topic of conversation. I….well…it wasn't just me, Chris and Shaz were right behind me….but um," he blew out another breath before continuing. "We walked in on Ray and Rowan in one of the interview rooms."

He threw his hands up in the air in annoyance. "How was I to know? I heard someone cry out and thought they were hurt."

He groaned. "I'm not sure I'll ever get that image out of my head."

Alex burst into laughter and clutched at her sides. "Oh," she managed to say. "Poor Rowan," she continued with another small bubble of laughter accompanying her words. "Though, serves Ray right. He should learn to lock doors," she added then turned to Gene and took in the expression on his face.

Alex wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek again. "So, how do you plan on losing this terrible image that you have stuck in your head?" she asked as she pulled away and let another laugh escape. Oh, poor Ray, she would so hold this against him.

Gene sighed. "I have no idea. That's just not how you want to see someone." He gave her a sidelong glance. "You can stop laughing about it."

"No, I'd imagine not," she laughed and bit her lip to try to hold it in at the look on his face. "I'm sorry, I'll stop," she promised.

He growled and rubbed at his face. "I gave Ray a talking to. Now that I'm Super I can't have that sort of thing going on."

He glanced over at Alex. "That means us and all."

Alex sighed. She liked it when Gene locked her in his office. She looked back over her shoulder at him. "Well, we'll have to find somewhere else then," she told him with a shrug as she sorted the food onto a baking tray and set it in the oven to cook. She dusted her hands and set the timer then looked back over at Sam. He seemed content with his toys.

"We can always just come home for lunch," he told her and brushed a quick kiss against her cheek. He ran his free hand through his hair and headed into the front room and dropped onto the couch. He sighed and grabbed up the remote and began to flip through the channels as he took another long drink of his beer.

"Something else is going on, but I don't know what," he told her. "Everyone was acting strange when they came back from lunch. I didn't bother to ask. Really wasn't in the mood," he added.

Alex listened as she cooked and kept half of her attention on her husband and son and the rest on the food in the oven.

"Well, If I hear anything about it tomorrow then I'll make sure to let you know," she told him.

Alex plated up the food and left a plate for Molly in the oven so that it would stay warm then took Gene's over to him and sat down next to him with her food on her lap. She glanced at Sam once more and kept her gaze on him as she ate.

"Ta, love," Gene said and gratefully took the plate she handed him. He glanced over at Sam.

"Is he not eating or are you going to feed him when you're finished?" he wanted to know and then took a large bite of his food.

Alex looked back at Gene. "I've already fed him, I'm just waiting for him to tire himself out so I can put him to bed. He sleeps better if he's tired before he goes to bed," she smiled.

Alex turned her head as she heard a key in the lock and she smiled at Molly as she came in. "Hey Molls," she greeted.

Molly smiled at her Mum and Gene and then looked down at her little brother. She dropped to her knees next to him and kissed the top of his head before setting about playing with him. She looked over at Alex as she did so. "Heya," she grinned.

Alex raised her eyebrows. "What's got you in such a good mood?" she asked curiously as she studied Molly's expression.

Molly shrugged. "Am I not allowed to be happy?" she responded tartly and Alex raised her eyebrows. "I didn't say that, it's actually a refreshing change from your moods," she retorted and Molly narrowed her eyes before going back to Sam. Alex watched them for a moment before speaking again.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Molly sighed and looked up again in annoyance

"Whats got you in such a good mood?"

"Why does there have to be something? Why can't I just be feeling happy?" Molly replied defensively and then returned to playing with her brother, moving so that her back was facing her mother.

Alex sighed and left Molly to it, clearly she wasn't going to get anything out of her daughter. She shrugged at Gene and started back on her food again then looked over at Molly. "Dinner's in the oven" she called.

Molly nodded but didn't look round as she played with her brother. "Thanks."

Gene looked up as Molly came in.

"Molly," he greeted her shortly and went back to his food.

He glanced over at Alex and Molly and frowned at their discussion. Molly did seem in an extremely good mood. The sort of mood that normally had a reason. He frowned. He knew what one of those reasons usually was.

He leaned over at Alex. "You don't think she's, well, with Peter?" he asked her softly, keeping his mouth near her ear. "She is 16 after all," he added and then leaned back and gave Alex a worried look as ways to maim Peter Beale flashed through his head. He put his plate down and went outside to smoke. If Alex decided to ask Molly, he didn't want to be around when it happened.

He'd been put off enough for the day.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ffion saw Sean and Stacey come in and felt a chill up her spine. She quickly turned her attention back to Christian and kept on dancing, forcing herself not to look at the bar and wondering once again where the hell Bradley was.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Bradley sighed and put his face in his hands as yet another call came through. He didn't think he was ever going to get out of here. Why couldn't people let you know they were going to be late so it could be planned for? He took a moment to fish out his phone and sent off a text to Ffion telling her what was going on.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Syed finished putting Rowan's dinner order on plates and then carried it upstairs. He knocked on the door, but there was no answer. He tried the door, but it was locked. He shrugged. Maybe she was asleep. He put the tray down to one side of the landing by the door so it would be seen and not stepped on. Ray would no doubt be home soon and could take the food in. Syed went back downstairs to help Trevor with the last of the carry out orders.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ray watched Debbie chase ahead of Gene and then looked down at his stack of work. He grunted and shoved it all in a drawer before grabbing up his coat and making his way outside too. He waved briefly at the rest of them in the office and gave a satisfied nod at the sight of the night team beginning to arrive.

Ray managed to beat the rush hour traffic home and pulled up outside the Restaurant. He waved at Syed in the kitchen and made his way up to the flat. Ray dumped his shoes and his coat in the bedroom then grabbed a beer from the fridge then put it down once it was open and went back outside. He smiled at the sight of the tray, he was sure he could smell food when he went into the flat. Ray grabbed up the tray and shut the door behind him then lay the tray on the coffee table and went back and grabbed his beer, then took his place on the sofa and let out a satisfied sigh.

The thump of footsteps, then the sound of shoes being tossed to the floor, then the smell of food dragged Rowan from her nap. Was it that late already? She sat up and listened to someone she was sure was Ray moving around. She yawned and rubbed her face and stood up. She grabbed her oversized shirt and leggings from the foot of the bed and pulled them on before going into the front room.

She allowed herself a small smile at the sight of him and walked over to drop onto the couch next to him.

"Didn't realize it was so late," she said as she leaned against him. She gave a small sigh. She was going to have to tell Ray what happened. She lifted her head and looked at him.

"I owe someone an apology," she began. She bit her lip, looked down and took a deep breath before continuing. "I punched Rhys," she admitted.

Ray slid his arm around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he made room for her against him. He let out a low rumbling chuckle at her words.

"I know, he'll be sporting a lovely black eye tomorrow," he grinned and kissed the top of her head again. "I spoke to him, no one is going to tease you about what happened today," he assured her. "Partially because of how you reacted when Rhys did, and partially because I've effectively threatened to rip their bollocks off," he added.

Ray leaned over and grabbed the tray from the table and set it on her lap. "Here, found this outside the flat, I'm assuming it's for you," he said.

Rowan shook her head.

"You didn't have to do that, but thank you," she told him and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "My knight in slightly tarnished armor," she teased.

Ray frowned down at her as he took his plate. "Slightly tarnished," he repeated indignantly. "I'll have you know Rowan Tremaine, that my armor is all shiny and that!" he said decisively and picked up his fork.

"Thank you," she said as she took the tray. She picked up one of the plates and handed it to him and then took the other for herself and put the tray back on the coffee table. "I asked Syed to bring some dinner up before he left. I must have slept right through him knocking. I suppose I could have left the door unlocked, but I prefer not to."

"Am I going to get into trouble for what I did?" she asked him as she drew designs in her mashed potatoes with her fork. "I mean, Rhys is a police officer whatever else and no matter how he provoked me, what I did was basically wrong."

Ray sighed and shook his head. "I doubt it Ro, he provoked you. Besides, you floored Gene and didn't get in trouble," he told her reassuringly. "We all know what you're capable of Ro, I doubt Rhys will hold this against you, even he has some sort of moral fiber somewhere in him," he shrugged and kissed her temple. "It'll be fine Ro, don't worry. Rhys deserved it. End of."

She picked up her fork and began to pick idly at her food.

Ray took a forkful of food and ate it with relish before taking another mouthful. He looked at her. "As pretty as mash is when it's got patterns in Ro, it's gonna get all jumbled up in your stomach anyway," he smiled at her. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" he teased her with a smile.

Rowan smirked at Ray's indignation. She slid a hand slowly up his thigh.

"I like your armor being slightly tarnished," she said, a naughty edge to her tone and flashed him a wicked grin. She pulled her hand away and went back to toying with her dinner.

"Yeah, but that thing with Gene was totally different. It was at a party and he dared me, he didn't think I could do it. I knew I wouldn't get in trouble for that. He asked for it."

"Rhys asked for it too, just not in the same way as Gene," Ray protested. "It'll be fine Rowan, you won't get in trouble for it," he promised her.

"I hope you're right," she sighed. "All the same, I would prefer it if you came home for lunch tomorrow, or is tomorrow your day off? I can never keep track," she groaned in annoyance.

Ray sighed. "We really need to start writing this stuff on the calendar," he sighed as he glanced at her. He sighed. "No, unfortunately I'm not off work tomorrow, however, I will come home for lunch," he agreed.

"I do write it on the calendar," Rowan protested. "It's just that you swap shifts so often that I can't keep up," she sighed in exasperation.

She looked over at him and chuckled. "Yes, in fact she told me that all the time. I used to have a real issue about my food touching, too," she confessed and took a bite of her potatoes.

Ray watched her eat curiously. She used to have problems with her food touching? He would never have guessed that. Ra shrugged. "You odd little person," he mumbled before setting his mind back on his own food.

She finished her food and put her plate on the tray. She raised her eyebrow at Ray.

"But you love this odd little person," she said and nudged him playfully. She shoved herself up, picked up her plate and carried it to the kitchen and began to wash up the few dishes in the kitchen.

Ray grinned. "I know, Rowan, I'm teasing, you daft mare," he smiled at her affectionately and grinned a bit more for good measure.

Rowan rolled her eyes at him and snorted a laugh.

She hoped Ray was right, but she still wondered if she shouldn't apologize to Rhys. What he'd said hadn't been that bad, she'd overreacted. She put the dishes on the drainer to dry and looked at the clock. She really should go downstairs and do the books.

She walked over to Ray, took his face in her hands and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on his lips.

Ray watched her leave then finished his own food and carried his empty plate back into the kitchen. He washed the plate and rinsed the bubbles away before dumping the plate on the draining rack.

"I'm going to do the daily paperwork," she told him.

She went downstairs, counted the till, wrote up the deposit and then grabbed all the receipts, the register tape and the laptop. She put everything in the laptop bag and headed back upstairs.

"Can you drop me off at the bank in the morning on your way to work?" she asked. "Well, I know it's not quite on your way, but, I need to make the deposit," she told him as she set the laptop up on the kitchen table and pulled all the paperwork out of the bag.

Ray looked up as she came back in and nodded at her. "Sure, like you said, it's not so far out of my way," he grinned as he pulled her to lean against him and dropped a kiss on her lips.

He got a new can, returned to the sofa and switched the TV on. Ray settled back into the sofa with a sigh.

"Thanks, acuisle, I mean I like walking, but that's a bit more than I'm up for," she said.

Rowan sifted through the paperwork, rapidly typing up the spreadsheets and making sure everything reconciled. She smiled and sighed when she finished. She quickly wrote up a deposit slip for the bank, stuck it in the lock bag with the money and then shoved it in her bag.

She stretched and yawned and glanced at Ray.

"I'm going to bed," she announced and looked Ray up and down before heading to the bedroom. She pulled off her leggings; they were too hot to wear to bed, and climbed under the covers, waiting for Ray to join her so she could snuggle up.

Ray watched her leave the room and then glanced at the TV with little interest. There was nothing on anyway. He drained his can and tossed it into the bin before making his way to the bedroom. Ray shed his clothes and dumped them in the wash basket. He glanced at Rowan curled up under the covers before joining her and pulling her to him under the duvet. He breathed in the smell of her hair and then tightened his arms around her slightly before relaxing.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ffion laughed at a joke Christian told her as they finished dancing and then went to sit down. She dropped onto her chair with a sigh and took a long drink from her glass of water before realizing her phone was beeping. She quickly pulled it from her pocket and looked at Bradley's message.

She rolled her eyes. Of course it would be when they had plans to actually go out and do something that people had to turn up late or not at all. She grabbed her vodka tonic and leaned over it to take a sip and then began to contemplatively chew on the straw as she texted Bradley back. She wondered if she shouldn't just go ahead and go home.

Sean nodded at Stacy silently and moved his gaze from Ffion for a moment to look at his sister. "Fine" he said and then grabbed his pint and looked back over at Ffion. He raised his eyebrows as he watched her sit down. He smirked at the expression on her face as she put her phone away and moved over to sit next to her.

"So, stood you up has he?" he asked casually as he took the seat and leaned against the bar.

"No, just stuck at work. Had a no call, no show," she shrugged. "And it's busy."

She bent her head and took and sip of her drink and leaned on the glass as she chewed the straw and looked at him.

"I'll probably go to the chippy and get some food soon, he'll be hungry," she mused and turned her eyes to the dance floor. She twitched her nose and sat up.

"So, what are you up to this fine evening?"

Sean shrugged. "Haven't decided yet," he said and watched her look at the dance floor. He narrowed his eyes at her for a moment then drained his pint.

"You wanna dance?" he asked as he stood up.

Ffion's eyes widened in surprise when he asked her to dance. She took another sip from her drink, chewing the straw as she contemplated.

One dance. No big deal surely. Just a dance. She drained her drink and stood up.

"Okay," she said and followed him to the dance floor.

Sean smirked as he led her away from the bar then turned around, the club was beginning to fill up quite nicely now. He stopped in a space he found in the mist of people and waited for her to catch up with him. He smiled at her and began to dance.

Ffion smiled back at Sean as she began to dance. She kept her moves fairly tame and avoided touching him, though. When the song had finished, she pulled out her phone and looked at the time.

"I should go," she said, smiling and out of breath from dancing. "I need to get something to eat. Thank you for the dance, though," she added.

Sean nodded at her and then grabbed her arm and took a calculating chance. He pulled Ffion towards him and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss before pulling away and heading back to the bar.

Ffion was stunned at the feel of Sean's lips on hers. She'd never expected that. She put a hand on his shoulder and had started to respond when she felt him pull away. She stood there in surprise a moment, gaping after him. She quickly shook her head, blinked and began to walk out of the club, glancing back at Sean as she left. She walked slowly to the chippy and stopped a moment at the door to touch her lips. She wasn't even aware of the half-smiled that curved her lips for the rest of the evening.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Alex watched Gene wander off and frowned slightly at his words. She sighed, finished her dinner then picked up Sam from the floor. Molly waved to Sam as Alex took him into his bedroom and then wandered over to the oven and got her plate of food out and sat at the table to eat it.

Alex closed the door behind her and set about changing Sammy into his pyjamas.

"What am I going to do about your big sister, hey?" she asked him as he reached for her hair. She leaned down so that he could grasp it. "Do you think your Daddy's right Sam?" she asked and then grimaced as he put her hair in his mouth. She pulled away and scooped her hair behind her ear. "No, Sammy, we don't eat Mummy's hair," she frowned then blew a raspberry on his tummy until he gurgled. She pulled away and laid him down in his bed, then set his CD running to calm him down.

Alex left Sam's room silently and cast her gaze over Molly at the kitchen table. She made her way over and took the seat opposite, watching her daughter. Molly looked up, swallowed and raised an eyebrow. "What?" she wanted to know.

"I just want to know whats got you in such a good mood Molls" she said again

Molly sighed in frustration. "Why does it even matter Mum? I mean really, I'm happy, you're happy, Sam's happy, Gene's...well, Gene is Gene," she shrugged. "Why do you have to have a reason?" she said again.

"What don't you want to tell me Molly?" Alex pressed. When Molly didn't reply Alex sighed. "Look Molls," she said hesitantly. "I know you and Peter have been going out for some time now..." she said and Molly looked up sharply, her eyes wide. Alex continued, feeling uncomfortable. "And you're both going to want to..um..."

Molly choked. "Mum! I'm trying to eat here!" she gasped out.

Alex shut her mouth and continued to stare at Molly.

"Will you stop it Mum please, staring at me, it's unnerving," Molly said suddenly as she stood up and put her plate in the sink. She turned before going into her bedroom. "And no," she said as she went to go into her room. "We haven't, just so you know," she said and then shut her bedroom door with a snap.

Alex exhaled as she sank back into the chair. She tore her gaze from Molly's bedroom door and got herself a glass of red wine. She hated those kind of talks with Molly, they made both of them incredibly uncomfortable.

Gene finished smoking finally and hoped enough time had passed. He didn't want to go back in when there was some huge conversation going on. His solution was simple. Beat Peter Beale. Alex always wanted to talk about everything. He sighed and cracked open the door. No voices. He opened the door wider and went back inside. He glanced at Alex, trying to gauge her mood.

"So, anything I should know about?" he asked cautiously.

Alex turned in her seat and looked at him. She rose from her chair and rinsed Molly's plate that had got left in the sink.

"She still won't tell me why she's in a good mood, but you don't have to decimate Peter, not according to Molly anyway," she assured him and put the clean plate back in the cupboard.

Alex watched him go with a smile. When she first met him, seeing him as an overprotective father had not been the first thing in her head. But she was glad he had turned out that way, it meant he cared, and that was all she asked.

Alex knocked gently on Molly's door and pushed it open to see her daughter on her bed with her laptop in front of her. "Bed time, please, Molls," she said gently and Molly nodded. Alex waited a moment, her eyebrows raised expectantly. Molly looked up again questioningly then playfully threw a pillow at Alex. Alex caught it. "I do believe I just told you to go to bed Molly," she said with a hint of a grin.

Molly smirked cheekily. "Mum, I am in bed. You really need to see someone about these hallucinations you keep having," she replied tartly.

Alex threw the pillow back. "Bed, Molly," she said with a tone of finality before shutting the door and heading to her own room. Alex stripped off and dressed back in her pyjamas and then crawled into bed next to Gene.

Gene sighed and drained his beer.

"I'm beat, going to bed," he told her and headed for the bedroom.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ffion woke and glanced at the clock. Too early! She'd gotten used to getting up early to help with the baking and now she couldn't sleep in. She knew she'd never get back to sleep and Bradley hadn't got back from going out with Max last night to see Jane perform until late. He would need his sleep.

She quickly climbed out of bed and went into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea before curling up on the couch. She stared at the wall and wondered what she was going to do. Shagging Sean last night! She still couldn't believe she'd done it. She bent her head to her knees and fought back tears. Bradley would never forgive her. But she had to tell him, didn't she? She wasn't sure she could keep it secret, and she wasn't sure why, but she didn't think Sean would keep it secret. What was she going to do?

She put her cup on the coffee table and wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her face in her knees again.

It had been enjoyable, though, she had to admit. But she hated herself for it.

Ffion sighed and wiped her face. It wouldn't do for Bradley to see that she'd been crying. What was she going to do? She'd never had this problem before, the beauty of not doing relationships. She cared about Bradley, she was sure she even loved him. But clearly she wasn't a one-man woman. Her little interlude with Sean had certainly proved that. That…and the fact she wanted to do it again.

She began to wonder if she shouldn't just leave town. Go back home to Cardiff. She got up and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. She got dressed and quietly left the flat and started to walk.

Ffion wandered into the cafe and got a cup of tea and sat down in the small corner booth. She stared blankly at the tea for a few minutes before pulling out her phone. She flipped it open and began to text her sister, Katie. Katie could be a tad uptight, however, she was also the smartest person in the family and the only one Ffion could think to talk to. She certainly couldn't talk to Rhys about it.

Ffion saw movement from the corner of her eye and looked up from her phone to see Sean was in the caf?. She grimaced and shifted closer to the wall in hopes he wouldn't see her and stuck her nose back in her phone. Katie wasn't being much help, but had offered Ffion a place to stay for a few days if she needed it.

She stared at her phone until the letters blurred, uncertain what to do.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Stacey sat in the kitchen drinking coffee and listening to the quiet in the house. This place was so rarely quiet. She knew something was going on with Sean and that Ffion girl, whether it was all Sean chasing Ffion or Ffion going along with it, she couldn't say for sure. But it worried her. Sean was unpredictable at the best of times and outright dangerous at the worst.

She found herself wishing he'd stayed wherever he was and not come back to Walford. Things were not going to end well.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Rowan's eyes slowly opened and she gazed at the blur of the clock as she blinked her eyes into focus. She huddled her back a little closer to Ray and sighed. JT and Roxy were back today, finally. She finally focused on the time. She had a few hours before she had to go to the pub and help Peggy make the welcome back dinner.

She just hoped this Sean Slater character she'd heard about from Peggy and from Jane didn't cause a stir. Though from the way they spoke, he no doubt would.

Ray unconsciously tightened his grip around Rowan as she pressed herself against him. He gathered her closer to him and sighed happily, he was waking, but was in no hurry to do so. Today was his day off and he fully intended to enjoy it. He exhaled through his noses as her hair tickled him. He grunted to himself and cracked open an eye lazily, then groaned as he noted the time.

"You better not be thinking about getting up," he mumbled softly to her. "Because you can think twice if you reckon that I'm going to let you go," he added.

"The thought of getting out of bed actually didn't even cross my mind," Rowan replied softly and shifted against him. She slid her hands over his arms and pulled them tighter around her with a sigh. She did love waking up in his arms.

She turned her head to glance at him behind her. "I have at least an hour or so before I have to actually get up and get ready to go help Peggy with JT and Roxy's dinner. Until then, I'm not moving," she stated and flashed him a smile. She lifted her head and used one hand to pull it under her head away from his face and laid her head back down. She shifted again slightly and sighed inwardly at the feel of his warm breath on her shoulder.

"It will be nice to have them home, but I'm not looking forward to the trouble that not-actually-dead husband of Roxy's is going to cause," she muttered.

Ray waited for her to settle once more then relaxed around her. He hummed in his throat at her words and sighed happily. One hand coming down her side to rest lightly on the curve of her belly.

"She's married to that Slater bloke right? The one that caused all the commotion last week?" he murmured "Don't worry about it, Guv has been keeping his eye on him. And I'm off today anyway" he continued before stifling a small yawn and mumbling something unintelligible as he hugged her arm body to his.

Ray opened his eye once more to look at the clock. An hour? He debated silently to himself what to do with that hour, he was all in favour of lying with her in his arms until his lethargy wore off.

"You're going to come and help me, right?" Rowan asked and slid her hand down to join his, laying her hand on top of his. She smiled as she felt one of the babies kick. She stroked her fingers across his hand and made a noise of contentment.

"Three more months," she commented softly. She shifted around so she was lying on her back. She placed their joined hands back on her belly and turned her head to look at him. "I want the girl's name to be Claire, after my mother," she told him. "You can pick the boy's name. And...I want them to have your last name, not mine or something complicated with hyphens," she added and squeezed his hand. "Just Carling."

Ray grunted. "I suppose so" he agreed. Ray smiled as he felt the small kick and spread his hand over her belly to get a better feel. He buried his face into her shoulder happily and paid attention to her belly, waiting for another kick.

Ray let her roll over and then pulled her back to him again. He leaned up off the pillows and looked down at her in surprise. "My last name?" he questioned. "Are you sure?" he asked and then dropped his head and kissed her. He pulled back to look at her again. "I don't mind if you want the kid to be called Tremaine," he added before settling down next to her again.

"Claire?" he commented thoughtfully. "It's pretty," he sighed. "I'll have a think of a name for a boy," he agreed.

Ray didn't understand why she insisted on keeping up this 'having two kids' thing. He was still willing to play along though, if it kept her happy...and allowed him to have his smug little moment when she only gave birth to one kid. So, if it was a girl they would call her Claire, if a boy then he would have a name ready.

Rowan nodded. "I'm sure. It may seem old-fashioned, but well…." she shrugged and wound her arms around his neck. "I think it should be your name." She studied his face. "I want it to be your name.

She smiled at his comment and sighed at the look on his face. Surely he didn't still not believe her about twins. She wanted to smack him. She was tempted to see if she could have another scan done just to prove it to him. But what would be the point? He'd think she worked something out. She was just going to have to wait until the day and hope he didn't collapse of heart failure.

She cuddled close to him again and felt the kicking recommence.

Ray nodded. "Just as long as you're sure Ro, I don't mind either way," he told her as he slipped his arms around her back and pulled her against him and kissed her again.

Ray grinned as he felt the kicking start up once more and moved his hand to cover her tummy. He chuckled at the feel of it and kissed her forehead. 3 months and he would be a father. It was a seriously scary thought. He didn't know how he would cope with it. Being a Dad was a massive responsibility, that much he knew. But, he reasoned, he would have Rowan and if anything it would make them stronger. They had so far got through her pregnancy without her blowing up and going nuclear on him. He was fairly sure that Alex had been at Gene almost constantly, especially if Gene's mood had been anything to go by. He considered himself very lucky that that had not happened to him. Yet.

Rowan smiled and slipped her hand down to join his.

"It's getting so close now," she barely whispered. "Sometimes I don't think I'm ready and other times, I'm so excited I could almost explode," she grinned at him then winced at a particularly hard kick. "Oh, that wasn't good. I'll be right back," she groaned and hurriedly levered herself off the bed and moved to the bathroom as quickly as she could.

She returned a few minutes later and climbed into bed once more. She pulled his arms back around her and looked at the clock.

Ray opened his arms and let her go as she scrambled away. He lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling with a sigh. Together they could get through this. He was sure of it.

"We'll have to get ready soon," she muttered. "So you should kiss me some more while we have the time."

Ray grinned at her and slid an arm around her waist to pull her against him as much as he could then his other hand cupped the base of her skull gently and he pressed his lips to hers happily. Kissing he was more than happy to do.

Rowan made a sound of contentment low in her throat. She just never got tired of kissing him. She was pretty sure she never would.

She regretfully broke of the wonderfully long lingering snogs and glanced at the clock. "I'll shower first then get some breakfast cooking while you get ready," she told him. "You can go put the kettle on," she told him and wrinkled her nose at him as she kissed him one final time and climbed from the bed to go and get ready. She showered quickly and got dressed in the bathroom.

"All yours," she called out as she headed for the kitchen so she could make breakfast.

Ray waited for her to get out of the shower and watched her with a grin as she got out. He hauled himself out of bed and padded into the bathroom. He showered swiftly and then got himself dressed.

Ray watched Rowan in the kitchen for a moment then made himself a cup of tea and a coffee for her. He left it on the side for her and leaned against the counter as he watched her cook.

"So, what are we supposed to be doing today?"

"Well," Rowan began as she got out eggs and bacon and started cooking. "You will be helping me because I cannot lift heavy things. I am supposed to be helping Peggy make this welcome back food," she explained as she scrambled the eggs. She was hungry and didn't want to take the time to make the eggs sunny side. She gestured Ray to turn the bacon as she quickly beat the eggs.

"There won't be that much to do and then you can relax and have a pint and we'll welcome them home and have some lovely food and then we'll come home and I'll tear your clothes off, how's that sound?" she asked and giggled.

Ray grinned at her as he set about sorting the bacon for her. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he worked. He was glad that she wanted him to help her, he didn't like the idea of her hurting herself or doing unnecessary lifting and injuring herself in the process. He knew he was probably being over-protective or something, but he didn't want anything happening to her.

"I'm fine with lifting stuff for you, I'd rather do it than you"

Ray grinned as he listened to the rest of her plan and nodded at her. "I'm liking the sound of that," he agreed as he took the pan of bacon off the heat and set it aside. He grabbed down a couple of plates and set them next to the hot frying pan as he waited for Rowan to finish up with the eggs.

"Besides, you need more kitchen training," she teased and grinned at him as she portioned out the eggs and then put the bacon on the plates. She handed him a plate, picked up her coffee and walked over to sit down and eat.

"Just wondering what JT might want to eat. Not sure what his favorite foods are, well, stuff he got to like here, I mean," she mused. She shrugged. "Peggy will know. I think she's got the menu planned already. Just needs help getting it cooked."

She ate some of her breakfast as she considered. "You and I will be in the pub's kitchen and you will fetch and carry for me while I cook," she told him and gave him a predatory grin. "I'm going to like bossing you around," she paused, "slave."

She snorted out a wicked laugh and went back to her food. She put her empty plate in the sink when she was finished and looked at Ray. "Dishes can wait until we get back. Let's go, you're driving," she said and tossed him the keys.

Ray looked at the pan and then frowned at her. "I can cook," he retorted as he took his plate and grabbed his tea and joined her at the table.

Ray snorted. _Slave_? No way. "I prefer willing accomplice," he told her with a smile as he took his breakfast.

Ray caught the keys and followed her out.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

JT tried to remain outwardly cheerful on the way to the airport and then once again when they were on the plane. But he was filled with dread. They were flying home where Roxy's apparently not-dead husband was waiting.

He wished they were staying in Virginia . He glanced down at Amy who was sitting in the seat between them and smiled. It wouldn't do for her to realize something was wrong. He fixed the smile to his face and tried not to think about it.

Roxy fought hard to not to fidget constantly all the way home. JT seemed fairly relatively untroubled by what waited for them in Walford. She had spent time explaining to JT pretty much everything she knew about Sean. She didn't want him going back to Walford and facing Sean without some background knowledge. She kept a brave face up for Amy and tried to appear normal. She knew she wasn't fooling JT though, she could see it in his eyes, reassurance, anxiousness and something else she couldn't place. Knowing what was waiting in London made her departure from Virginia even more regrettable. She had wished over the past week that they could just stay here and not have to deal with the problem. But she had run away from her problems before, it got her nowhere

Roxy stayed close to JT all the way through the airport. She felt safe around him, even just having him close by was reassuring. She held Amy in her arms as JT got the bags, then hailed down a cab to take them home.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Sean lay on his back in bed. Roxy was back today. He was certain. He could hardly wait! And he couldn't help but feel proud of himself. It had taken a week. A week! Full of cajoling, being uncharacteristically charming and _nice_! But he'd managed it. Ffion had finally slept with him. He had got to know her well enough to know how sensitive she was, they hadn't been caught but they hadn't needed to be. Ffion would be overwhelmed with the guilt for having cheated on Bradley. Sean knew she would, the girl may seem to have a tough shell but she was clearly very soft. Soon she would give in to her conscience and tell her beloved Bradley what had happened.

Sean grinned. Today couldn't get better.

Sean hauled himself out of bed and crossed the hall to the bathroom. If Roxy was coming back then he wanted to be there when she got back. He showered quickly and then dressed. He wandered downstairs and rummaged for food in the kitchen before deciding to go out to the Cafe for breakfast.

Sean wandered casually down the road and paused as he spotted the cab pull up outside the pub. The sight of the blond woman stepping out of the cab caused him to smirk. Roxy. The girl in her arms made him raise his eyebrows, Amy? She had grown. A lot. His jaw locked and his fists clenched at the tall man who carried the cases inside. That must be JT. Sean watched them head inside. Now that he knew they were back he could plan his next move. He sneered as he made his way to the Cafe.

Sean got himself a coffee and a slice of toast. He ate as he pondered his next move. He'd been waiting for Roxy to get back from her little holiday for almost a week, and hadn't planned anything for her return. He supposed a lovely, spontaneous surprise was the best way to go. No doubt she knew he was here, Peggy wasn't likely to keep that kind of information a secret. He warmed his hands on the mug. Yes, spontaneous. His lips curved in a smirk as he raised the mug to his lips to take a sip.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

JT cheered up at the sight of the pub, but at the same time was less than pleased. He wondered how long they would have to themselves before others made their presence known.

He sighed and made sure the pub door was bolted behind him and then followed Roxy and Amy upstairs, the suitcases feeling like they weighed a hundred pounds.

Roxy took Amy straight to her room and put her into her bed. The flight had muddled up her sense of time going out to America and clearly the same had happened coming back. Roxy didn't mind though. She was feeling quite drowsy herself, though anxious too. She helped JT with the cases and spent some time sifting through the clothes and putting the clean ones into the wardrobe and the dirty ones into the laundry basket. The cases went back under the bed before she collapsed onto it and stared up at the ceiling. Now it was a waiting game. And she hated it. She didn't want to confront Sean, so would procrastinate. Sean would use that to his advantage of course and make his move when the time was right. She was dreading it.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

JT got two cups of tea off Peggy as he heard Roxy rummaging around. He brought them in and drained his before handing Roxy hers. It didn't help. He still felt like he was being dragged down.

Peggy watched JT and Roxy worriedly. She knew they were jet-lagged and so didn't say anything. But the cloud of Sean's presence was hanging over them, she could feel it. She went downstairs and started tidying up the pub. Rowan would be here soon enough to help with the food for the dinner and Peggy didn't want her coming in to the pub looking a shambles.

He put his empty cup on the dresser and placed hers next to it before helping her sort the clothes. He sighed and rubbed his face as she dropped onto the bed and he quickly dropped next to her. He reached out and wrapped her in his arms and pulled her close, aware that there was a possibility he wouldn't be able to do so much longer. He grimaced. He didn't want to lose Roxy. He loved her. He loved her...well...most of her family.

He squeezed her once and buried his face in her shoulder before drifting off.

Roxy slid her arms around JT and held onto him. She heard his breathing even out and felt his body go lax around hers. She sighed and listened to the soothing sound of him asleep. She wouldn't let Sean break them apart, she didn't care if she was married to him or not. Though she had to admit she missed him, if she pushed past those feelings of shock, dread and confusion, there was still love for him buried inside her.

Roxy shifted in JT's grasp and curled into him and watched his chest rise and fall with each breath he took. She sighed again before falling asleep next to him.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Sean finished up his coffee and left his plate and mug on the table. He spotted Ffion as he left and smirked at her. He wasn't interested in her now, not now that Roxy was back, she was his priority. Ffion had merely been something to occupy him while he was waiting, something to focus his attention on until what he really wanted turned up.

Sean leaned against the railings of the park outside the pub and watched Roxy's bedroom window. He could still remember when he had 'borrowed' that Cherry Picker to go and get her back. He had needed a grand gesture then. This time he didn't. This time wasn't his fault. This time it was all her. He frowned as he realized how dark it was up there and reasoned that she was probably asleep. She'd just got back from America after all.

He made his way up to the front of the pub and went inside.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Roxy stirred in JT's embrace and pulled away from him gently. She caught sight of her reflection in the mirror and held in a groan as she crawled off the bed. She made her way out of the room silently and crossed to the bathroom. She stripped off and stepped into the shower

Roxy kept the towel wrapped securely around her as she crossed the hall back to her room. Once again she moved as quietly as she could so as not to disturb Amy or JT. She shut the door gently behind her and held the towel in place as she rooted around for something to wear in her wardrobe.

Roxy's absence from his arms woke JT and he glanced around the room. He spotted her at the wardrobe. She looked good in nothing but a towel. He smiled and climbed out of bed and meandered over to her. He gently put his hands on her bare arms and began to press soft kisses to her neck.

"Did you get enough rest?" he asked her. It wasn't what he really wanted to know. But he wasn't sure he could ask yet how she felt about Sean being here. He wanted to know, but at the same time, he preferred to remain ignorant. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to him. He knew their fragile peace would be shattered soon enough. He kissed her shoulder and sighed.

Roxy looked up at him and nodded. "I did, yes," she said with a small smile. "I hope I didn't wake you, I was trying to be quiet," she told him as she eased herself out of his arms and went back to hunting in her wardrobe. She pulled out her clothes and dropped the towel before dressing and then turned back to him. Roxy stood up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his in a gentle kiss then moved her arms to his waist and hugged him.

Roxy sighed as she heard murmuring coming from the next room and recognized her daughter's voice. Either she hadn't been as quiet as she thought or it was definitely time to get up. She smiled halfheartedly at him then left him in her room as she went next door and got Amy up. She came back in a few moments later with a fully dressed girl clasping her hand.

"I'm going downstairs to see Aunty Peg," she told him and smiled at him before picking Amy up and taking her downstairs.

JT nodded and watched her go. He immediately went and took a quick shower. Something simply screamed at him to be downstairs as soon as he possibly could. He hurriedly dressed and bounded down the stairs, then calmly walked into the pub.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Ffion breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed Sean was gone. Hopefully, he hadn't even seen her. She considered her sister's text again and finally replied. "Let me see in a couple of days."

She wouldn't tell Bradley, for now, and if nothing else happened with Sean then she would be able to go back to normal and maybe forget about what had happened. Maybe.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\\

Sean chose a seat near the back of the pub. He didn't buy anything, he just wanted to watch without drawing attention to himself. From the angle he had a perfect view of the bar and could see if, and when, Roxy came downstairs. He could wait. And he would wait. Waiting he could do.


	23. Chapter 23

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 23**

Roxy looked up from her conversation with Peggy as JT came in and Amy reached for him. She happily handed over her daughter and grinned as Amy clasped her hands around JT and started chattering away to him.

Sean watched Roxy as she talked with the tall man. He was holding Amy. Sean bristled as he watched, jealousy overwhelming him. That should be him; his family.

He held back the growl as Roxy beamed up at him, she was besotted! That would have to be stopped. Roxy was his wife. Sean stepped forward with his arms folded. "Hello, Roxy," he said in a controlled tone.

Roxy's smile faltered and she froze at the sound of Sean's voice, she pulled her gaze away from JT after making sure that Amy was safely in his arms and turned slowly to face Sean. His name formed on her lips as she tried to speak but no words came out. He smirked at her as she finally choked out his name

"Sean!"

He stepped forward again, moving around so that he was behind the bar with her, and put his hands on her shoulders, pulling her towards him and away from JT. "Did you miss me?" he asked and then pulled her against him and kissed her before she could speak.

Roxy froze as Sean's lips crashed onto hers and his hands dug into her shoulders. She stood and waited for him to finish, extremely conscious of JT standing behind her.

Sean finally broke the kiss and looked down at his wife. "I asked you a question, Rox."

Roxy looked up at him and studied his face carefully before nodding truthfully. She had missed him, but that didn't mean that she needed him or wanted him back. Though Sean wouldn't accept that.

Sean frowned at her mute reply but glanced over her head at the other man and hardened his gaze at him. No doubt he thought that he could steal his wife from him. Well, he'd soon see otherwise.

Roxy pulled away from Sean and looked up at him with a frown "You weren't supposed to come back!" she said quietly "Why are you back?" she demanded to know as she looked over at JT and Amy again.

Sean caught the direction of her gaze and put a hand on her face harshly to pull her attention back to him. "I came back for you Roxy! You're my wife! No matter how many blokes you're sleeping with you're still mine!"

Roxy bristled and glared at him and pulled out of his grasp. "How dare you!" she snapped as she turned back at JT and took Amy from him. She refused to look at Sean as she made her way into the back of the pub and started upstairs.

"Roxy!" Sean growled as she walked away from him. "Don't walk away from me Roxy!" he warned as he marched past JT and followed her. He spun her around and Amy caught one sight of his angry face and then burst into tears. Roxy glared at him and tried to console her daughter.

Amy clung to her mother in an attempt to get away from Sean. "Mummmmy," she cried. "Want JaaayyyTeeee," she wailed as she tried to hide from Sean. Roxy smoothed a hand over Amy's hair and glared at Sean as she passed him and made her way back towards JT. She eased Amy into his arms where the little girl hugged him tightly, her fist curling into his shirt. Roxy leaned up and kissed his cheek before Sean pulled her away.

"What, Sean! What do you want from me?" she snarled at him. He had scared her daughter and made her cry. She had been confused and angsty. Now she was pissed.

Sean noted her anger with delight. He could always provoke her most passionate emotions without even trying. "You, Roxy!" he replied back, the bloke behind her had his daughter now. He had turned Amy against him! Amy was his, along with Roxy.

JT held Amy tight, but stayed rooted to the spot as he watched Roxy face off against Sean, the man she was supposedly still married to. The one who was supposed to be dead. JT didn't like the look of him at all. The man didn't feel right.

He watched the scene unfold mildly, he knew Roxy wasn't happy, but he wasn't going to interfere. She wouldn't thank him for it. He kept his peace as Sean kissed her and returned Sean's look mildly, trying to look almost bored. He knew this type. If JT showed he was riled, the man wouldn't stop. Therefore, he would be calm.

JT reluctantly handed Amy over, she would help calm Roxy down and then after a glance at Sean, followed Roxy to the stairs. He nearly lost his temper when Sean grabbed Roxy and spun her around. He would not abide any man putting rough hands on a woman. He nearly lashed out at Sean but then Amy was being thrust at him again. He clenched his teeth and watched them steadily, but he'd had enough of Sean Slater.

He shifted Amy so he was holding her on the side away from Sean and got ready if the man kicked off again.

JT waited. He could see Roxy had gone past nerves and was angrier than he'd ever seen her.

Rowan walked into the pub and saw JT holding Amy and standing behind Roxy as she faced off against Sean. It did not look good. She made a noise low in her throat and got ready to walk over and get in the middle if she had to. JT was as bad as his older brother in a fight and he could hurt someone without meaning to. JT however, had a much higher boiling point than Junior.

Rowan studied him. His jaw was clenched, never a good sigh. But his face was calm. He was holding Amy, too, that would keep him under control also. But she'd heard stories about Sean, and JT might need to be ready to defend himself. But Ray was here. She reached back as she crossed the pub and latched on to Ray's hand as she walked up behind JT. She glanced at Ray and tapped JT's arm.

JT glanced down at her and handed her Amy. Rowan could see Amy resisting, Sean had clearly terrified the poor girl, but Rowan hurriedly took her and held her close, cradling the child so she couldn't see what was going on. Amy didn't seem to mind. Rowan stayed next to but behind JT, out of Sean's reach, and stayed close by Ray's side.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/

"Well guess what Sean! You can't have me!" she said as she took a step away from him. "So go away."

Sean shook his head. "Now Roxy, we both know that that's not going to happen," he said with a small chuckle. "I came back for you, and I'm not leaving until I've got what I want."

"And what about what _I _want Sean!" she snapped at him and he let out another low chuckle. "You want me Roxy, you always did," he said and grabbed her hand to pull her against him. His hands clasped tightly around her waist to hold her there as she pushed on his chest to try and distance herself.

"I don't want you," she said in a quiet voice. Sean's eyes flashed dangerously at her and he glanced at JT: now there was a massively pregnant woman and another bloke there too. He glared at them and looked back at Roxy. "You always wanted me, it was _you _who pursued _me, _Roxy," he said in a false kind voice, hiding his anger from her. Roxy pushed on his chest again. "I don't want you," she said more confidently.

Sean growled low in his throat and turned her around so her back was pressed tightly against his chest. His hands held her tightly against him. "I suppose you want _that,_" he said with unveiled disgust evident in his tone. Roxy looked at JT and could see how close he was to losing it. She glanced at Amy, hiding her face in Rowan's shoulder and exhaled slowly. She nodded as her gaze moved back to JT. "Yes, I do" she agreed.

Sean snarled. "Well you're married to me, so tough shit!" he told her as he held her tighter to him. Roxy struggled against him to make him let go but he only held her tighter. "Sean, please," she said. Her gaze fell on Amy. She stopped struggling and turned her face to look up at him. "Amy's scared, she needs me," she told him as gently as she could. "Please, Sean."

Sean looked down at her face, she'd suddenly gone from pissed off to calm and gentle. He glanced over the top of her head at Amy and then back at Roxy. The little girl did look pretty distressed. He kept his face impassive as he deliberated. His lips curved. "I'll let go of you if you kiss me," he told her. Roxy held back all the negative emotions, the rant that was building, the disgust that had wedged itself in her chest: if it would make him let her go then she would do it.

She turned in his arms and pressed her lips to his briefly then pulled back and looked at him expectantly. Sean frowned. "That wasn't a kiss Roxy, I want a proper kiss before I let you go." Roxy fidgeted for a moment then snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely. Sean's arms came around her and pulled her closer to him. Roxy fought against herself as she kissed him. On the one hand she hadn't wanted to kiss him because of how she would feel. Now she was actually kissing him, she felt how much she wanted him again. She fought to stay in control of herself: she _didn't _want this! She wanted JT. She loved JT!

Roxy broke the kiss and pulled back and looked at Sean expectantly again. Sean licked his lips and brushed his lips past her ear, speaking so only she could hear. "I know you want me Rox, if that kiss had been fake I would have known," he told her before slowly taking his hands away from her. Roxy scowled at him and took Amy from Rowan with a word of thanks, she hugged her daughter to her and made sure she was facing away from Sean.

Ray stood by Rowan protectively. He gave JT a look before turning his attention to Roxy and Sean. If things kicked off then he was ready.

Ray frowned as Sean told Roxy to kiss him, how pathetic could you get! He lay a hand on Rowans shoulder supportively and moved closer to her, if things kicked off then he was making sure that both Rowan and Amy were well out of harm's way.

JT made a noise low in his throat. He wanted to tear Sean apart with his bare hands. He could see the pain Roxy was in. She only had to say the word!

His eyes narrowed at Sean's request. That was it. His eyes narrowed as he watched the man toy with Roxy, goading her into his idea of a proper kiss. JT could see from Roxy's face the agony that had caused her. He was done letting her do this alone, he didn't care about her pride anymore. This reptile had just humiliated her. JT glanced to make sure she had Amy and then turned and stepped towards Sean, his eyes narrowed.

"I suggest you leave, _now_," JT rumbled, his tone low and dark. He took another step forward, closer to Sean, looking down at him, for once grateful of his height. "And if you ever touch Roxy in violence again, you'll be losing your hands."

JT paused and gazed steadily at Sean. The man didn't scare him and JT wanted to make sure Sean well understood that.

"Now, go of your own accord, or I will remove you," JT added, his deep voice still low and menacing. He didn't want to frighten Roxy or Amy, but he would do what he had to do to make this man leave.

Roxy turned her head as she heard the tone of JT's voice. She'd never heard him sounding so dangerous. She felt Amy's fists curl into her top and she murmured soothing words and reassurances to her daughter as she stroked her hair gently. She'd also never seen JT looking so intimidating.

Sean kept his gaze on Roxy as she took her daughter from the pregnant woman. He moved to look at JT, his expression bored. His face remained impassive at the guys words, though a smirk crawled across his features. He cast his gaze over the large man interestedly, he was towering over him, and looked angry as hell. Not that Sean was bothered, he could take a few punches. Though he was perfectly in his own right, Roxy was _his _wife after all!

Roxy felt eyes boring into her back and kept her gaze away from the situation going on behind her, she kept her attention on calming her daughter. She could almost feel the vibrations that JT's voice was making as he spoke, she blocked it out and forced herself not to turn around, she was not going to look at Sean, she didn't want to. The emotions that had been renewed when she had kissed him had shaken her. She didn't want to feel that for him.

Rowan's expression turned to disgust at Sean's request. Did he not realize how pathetic he sounded? She gripped Ray's hand tightly and nearly cried at the look on Roxy's face as she came to take Amy. She handed the child over and put a comforting arm around Roxy's back as she watched JT face off against Sean. Things could get ugly if Sean didn't leave.

Ray tightened his grip on Rowans hand moved closer to her protectively. His gaze fixed on JT and Sean, if this got out of hand then he was going to have to sort it. That much he knew for certain. He also knew that he had never seen JT so angry, the guy had always been tall, but never so intimidating. He glanced at Rowan and then at Roxy. He nodded to himself then turned back to the situation that was brewing.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/

Peggy and Tracey came back from changing a barrel and Peggy gasped as she saw JT facing off against Sean. She spotted Roxy huddled around Amy, Rowan standing by them protectively and wondered what had been going on. She wanted to shriek at Sean to get out of the pub, but didn't want to push into Sean and JT. She had an idea things could get ugly.

Stacey wandered around the Square looking for Sean. She knew Roxy was due back today and her attention turned to the pub. That's where he no doubt was. She frowned and headed for the pub and went inside. She groaned as she saw Sean being faced off by a giant of a man. That must be the American Roxy was with now. She could see the attraction. He was tall and had nicely chiseled features and was pretty fit from the way that shirt hugged his large frame.

She could see everyone hesitant to get in the middle, Stacey had no such qualms.

"Sean, what the bloody hell are you playing at?" she demanded, her voice lashing like a whip. She strode over to her brother and grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. "He could break you like a twig, never doubt that. Now, let's go. You've caused enough damage and I'm not bailing you out of jail again."

JT stood stock still as Sean's sister harangued him. He was barely keeping his anger under control. He couldn't believe how much he wanted to hurt that man right now.

Stacey tightened her grip on Sean's arm and began to drag him out, taking great care not to look back at anyone.

JT stayed rooted to the spot and began to let his anger drain away.

Sean held back the growl at the sound of his sister, as usual she was going to get in the way again and ruin everything. Just when he was beginning to get somewhere. He glared at Stacy and wrenched his arm out of her grasp. "Fine, Stace," he said, unwilling to let her drag him and ruin his exit.

Sean turned around and looked at the little scene behind him, one angry man, shocked faces, a distressed child, and his wife trying her best to ignore him. He looked back over at Roxy longer than the others. "I'm going nowhere without you Roxy," he called to her and she refused to turn around, but clutched Amy tighter to her.

He looked back at JT's face and snarled. "She's my wife! Don't you forget it," he growled out. "She's a Slater, she's mine."

With that Sean turned and gave his sister a stony look before brushing past her out of the Pub.

Roxy let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and loosened her grip on Amy a bit. She finally turned around and was glad to see that Sean had gone. She looked at Rowan and Ray and gave them a small smile before looking back at JT. He was just standing there. She swallowed and gently prised Amy's hands from her top and handed her over to Peggy. She smiled halfheartedly at her Aunt then tentatively moved over to JT. She laid a hand on his arm cautiously.

"JT.." she said softly. She looked at his face and exhaled slowly. "Thank you," she said to him as she slid her hand down the length of his arm and managed to link her hand with his.

JT barely registered Roxy's touch, but his hand gripped hers reflexively. He finally let out a long breath and looked down at her and then clutched her to him.

"He touches you like that again and I will make him sorry," he murmured to her. "No one is going to hurt you, not while I'm here."

He pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

"I love you, Roxy."

Stacey followed Sean out of the pub and shoved him angrily.

"What the bloody hell do you think you were doing in there? You go causing trouble like that Sean and you will end up in jail. They aren't going to care that she's supposed to be your wife. You're supposed to be dead, remember. You chose to sneak away, to leave everyone and everything. You left and Archie Mitchell nearly destroyed everything! Because of him I lost my best friend! Danielle died because of him," she shoved him again, not caring that people were no doubt starting to stare. "He raped me. If you had stuck around and stood by your family maybe none of this would have happened. Where were you when people needed you, Sean? Huh? And you just come walking back in here like we are all supposed to be so grateful to have you back in our lives. Why don't you do us all a favor and disappear again!" she shrieked at him. She clenched her fists and stood glaring at him. She looked him up and down one last time and then turned on her heel and walked away.

"I won't bail you out next time, Sean," she called back over her shoulder.

Sean glared at Stacy as she walked away. She was his sister, she was supposed to support him no matter what. Not turn her back on him! He folded his arms angrily. First Roxy behaving how she had and now his own sister having a go at him. Roxy had got herself a right one there though. Protective and everything, though Sean had thought that he would have jumped in and intervened sooner than he did. But it had worked out in his favor. Roxy kissing him like that. He grinned, there was only a handful of reasons that she would have kissed him like that, even she wasn't that good of an actress. She had missed him, she had admitted it, and then proved it to him.

He would get her back off that overly tall American bloke. She was his wife after all. As far as he was concerned, that made her his. And Amy too, though clearly he had frightened the small girl. That was easily solved though, get close to Amy, get close to Roxy again. Bye, Bye JT.

Though, without Stacy to bail him out if he got himself into trouble he would have to watch himself. Stacy was the only person who was likely to help him. He looked in the direction she had gone then sighed and followed back to the house. His mind full of plans to get Roxy back.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Ffion sat on the stone steps leading to the flat and watched Stacey give her brother a bollocking. She looked down at her hands and quickly untwisted her fingers from her sleeves. She gazed at Sean. Shagging him had been a mistake. A big mistake. She bit her lip and wondered how she could possibly tell Bradley without him hating her and probably chucking her out. She heaved a great breath as an idea came to her. She stood up and quickly let herself into the flat. She peered into the bedroom and noted Bradley was still asleep, she could hear his soft snores though his back was to her. She quickly lifted the top on the laundry basket and pulled out the top and bra she'd worn last night.

She went into the front room and pulled all the buttons off the top and tore one of the sleeves nearly off. She then tore one of the straps on her bra and pulled one of the fastenings loose in the back. She wadded the top and bra into a tight ball and stuck in the bin under the sink as if to hide it and hurried to the car lot, the pocket of her jeans full of the buttons from her top. She let herself in and scattered the buttons near the couch. He had left some marks on her arms and body, she could use that. People had seen her this morning so she couldn't do anything about her face, but turned and slammed her shoulder blade against the wall to bring up a bruise. She tended to bruise easily. Then she went home and carefully curled up on the couch in the front room and tried to look terrified. It wasn't that difficult. She was terrified of losing the first person she'd found to love.

Bradley finally stirred and woke up. He looked at the clock and gasped. How had he slept so late? He must have been drunker than he'd thought. He forgot how much his father could drink. He blinked and squinted and realized he didn't have too much of a hangover, nothing a cup of coffee and a couple of painkillers wouldn't cure. He sat up and rubbed his face. He wondered where Ffion was. He stood up and pulled his dressing gown on loosely over his pajamas and walked out of the bedroom. He noted her huddled on the couch and thoughts of coffee were forgotten at the look on her face.

"Fee….you okay?"

She startled and looked up at him.

"Yeah, fine," she said absently. He looked at her unconvinced but nodded anyway and went into the kitchen.

Ffion watched him from the corner of her eye and then got up and walked with obvious discomfort to the bathroom and closed the door.

Bradley watched her walk and wondered if she'd hurt herself or something. He quickly made himself some coffee and tossed the empty jar in the bin. He caught a flash of green and took the bin out. It was Ffion's favourite top! He held it up and shook it out and saw the bra drop to the floor. Why was Ffion's favourite top in the garbage? He noted the buttons were gone and the sleeve was torn and there was a tear on the front of the top as well. He picked up the bra and noticed the strap was broken. What the hell? He stuck the bin back under the sink and slammed the cupboard door. Clutching the damaged clothes in one hand he walked to the bathroom and opened the door.

Ffion was in the shower. Surely, she'd already showered once today.

"Fee?"

"Bradley?" came her reply. She didn't sound right. "I'll be right out, just give me a minute, please," she nearly begged.

Bradley had no intention of doing so and yanked back the shower curtain. He gasped as he saw the faint marks on her arms and body.

"Ffion, what happened to you?" he demanded.

"Nothing!" she snapped and pulled away from him.

Bradley gasped when Ffion pulled away, he'd seen the bruise on her back. He took hold of her and held her still.

"Fee, what happened to you? I find your favourite clothes torn up and chucked in the bin and you've got bruises! Get out of there and talk to me now!"

He handed her a towel and stalked from the bathroom. Ffion took the towel and began to dry herself off as Bradley left the bathroom. She pulled on her dressing gown and sat on the other end of the couch from him. He gazed at her steadily. "So?"

"When I went to work the radio last night, that Sean showed up at the car lot," she told him. She paused and stared at her feet and then looked up at Bradley and burst into tears.

"FEE!" he gasped and gathered her into his arms.

"Did he hurt you? Did he force you?" he asked, his words tumbling over themselves. Ffion barely nodded and continued to sob into Bradley's shoulder.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Rowan let out the breath she'd been holding and allowed herself to sag against Ray. She was sure if Sean had realized Ray was a cop he would have left much sooner. She smiled back at Roxy and pulled Ray aside towards Peggy.

"I'll go in the kitchen now, get things started," she told Peggy softly. Peggy nodded.

"I'm going to take this little one upstairs and get going up there," Peggy said and glanced at JT and Roxy.

Rowan followed her gaze.

"I think they'll be fine," Peggy added. Rowan nodded her agreement and then led Ray to the kitchen. She pulled on an apron and handed the other to Ray and then reached back and with a deft flick of her wrist, twisted her hair into a knot and clipped it with a hair claw.

"Okay, first things first, a kiss from my kitchen helper," she grinned at him and pulled him to her for a kiss. "Now, I need those pans there," she pointed. "You can set them out on the counter there and then you can help me peel potatoes, aren't you excited!" she said gleefully.

Ray pulled the apron on and frowned. He felt stupid in this thing. He didn't wear one at home or in the restaurant, why did he have to wear one here? It was a silly idea. Stupid Health and Safety regulations or something, he supposed.

Ray sighed as she pulled back from the kiss and frowned at her. "Hmmm. That all depends, I'm definitely looking forward to this evening, though this whole potato peeling thing you need doing isn't quite so fun," he told her with a grin as he set about doing what she wanted him to.

Rowan held back a giggle at the look on his face as he put on the apron. He could be exasperating in the kitchen, arguing with her over the littlest thing instead of listening to why it had to be done that way. Or her favorite, arguing with her about cooking terms. He never believed her half the time when she said something. "That's not a real word," was practically tattooed on his forehead. She made sure he had a good start on the potatoes and then began to rapidly prepare the steak and kidney pie.

She glanced over at him again as he industriously peeled and smiled. She would make tonight well worth his while.

Ray grumbled to himself in his head as he peeled the potatoes. He had managed to find a technique for it a few weeks ago when she had grabbed him to help her in the kitchen. Now he found it just as tedious as he did then. He didn't understand why you had to peel potatoes anyway, as far as he was concerned there was nothing wrong with the skin. Give them a bit of a wash to get the dirt off and you're sorted. He watched her do whatever she was doing out of the corner of his eye as he worked. He felt stupid wearing this apron. It wasn't normal to go around wearing this thing. He didn't like it. End of.

He glanced up again as he felt her eyes on him and looked directly at her. He didn't speak but wondered at the look on her face before shrugging, grunting, and setting his mind back on peeling: not that it used up an awful lot of his mind.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Roxy clasped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest as she held him tightly. She wasn't going to let him go. She felt her heart melt at his words and tilted her head up to look at him.

"I love you too, JT," she smiled at him and snaked an arm around his neck and touched her lips to his. She sighed with a smile and rested her forehead against his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on. She breathed him in and smiled happily, there was just something about him that she couldn't help but adore.

Roxy let go of him reluctantly, they couldn't stand around here all day. She looked up at him. "I'm going to go and check on Amy, I need to make sure that she's okay," she told him before rising up to kiss his cheek, then made her way upstairs to make sure that Amy was okay.

She found Amy with Peggy upstairs and she smiled at her Aunt gratefully. She opened her arms and took Amy into a hug and stroked her hair again. "Thanks, Aunty Peg," she smiled.

JT nodded and reluctantly let Roxy go. He watched her walk away and tapped a finger on the bar a moment before heading into the kitchen.

"I hope you aren't wrecking my kitchen," he teased. Rowan turned and looked at him.

Ray glanced up at JT as he came in. He smiled at him before turning back to the potatoes and listening idly to their conversation.

"No, it's still in the same shit state you left it in," she shot back and JT laughed. He walked over and folded her into a hug.

"I have to apologize," he told her softly and let her go.

"What for?" she asked him curiously as she crimped the pie crust. JT shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels a moment.

"I can't go back to the restaurant," he told her and held up a hand at the look on her face. He leaned over. "With that fella here, Ro, there's just no way. I have to be here as often as possible. Besides, he's the sort of person that will work around a body. If I avoid the restaurant he'll leave it and you alone. When Sean leaves, Lady let it be soon, then I'll come back and help as much as you need me to," he promised. "Please understand," he pleaded.

"Of course I do, Johnny-Ty," she said and gave him a squeeze. "I've seen him around and he is definitely trouble. You watch out for her and little Amy."

"I will, Annieweena," he nodded and smiled. Rowan rolled her eyes.

"I've asked you not to call me that," she sighed.

"Fairs fair," he told her. She'd used his nickname from when he was small, he'd use hers.

He turned to Ray. "I see she's got you slaving away. Wait till those two appear, then you'll learn what hard work is," he told Ray with a grin.

"Oh, that reminds me. Louisa sent back a passel of baby boy clothes with me, and some other stuff she and Gem made for you, including a quilt."

Rowan gasped as she closed the oven on the pies. "I can't wait to see it," she breathed.

He looked up at JT and sighed inwardly, he'd almost forgotten that Rowan had managed to convince everyone: either that she really was having twins, or to play along and fool him. He wasn't stupid. He would play along, keep them happy.

He looked at Rowan's stomach speculatively and then nodded at JT. "We'll manage," he grinned.

JT smiled. "Well, I'm gonna go check on Roxy. Thanks for understanding," he said. Rowan nodded.

"Anything for family, you know that," she waved her hand at him.

"A quilt," she said excitedly and jumped and clapped excitedly. She looked over the pile of potatoes Ray had peeled.

"Okay, cut those up for chips and I'll get the sausages on," she decided and smiled at him merrily as she went about getting the food cooked.

Ray turned back to his potatoes as JT started up a new topic with Rowan and he continued to listen.

Ray looked up at Rowan as JT left and smiled at her as she got all excited. A quilt? He supposed that was good? He couldn't help but laugh at the childlike glee on her face. He nodded at her as he set down his peeler and flexed his fingers. He didn't understand how she managed to do this everyday. Cooking wasn't so bad, but all the prep annoyed him to no end. However, the end product was probably worth it. He grinned to himself as he went about sorting the chips.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

JT got upstairs and walked over to Roxy and Amy.

He wrapped his arms around both of them and held them tight. He would protect the people he loved no matter what.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Bradley held Ffion close as she told him all the details of what had happened, constantly blaming herself, insisting she must have led him on. Bradley stroked her hair and tried to keep his temper under control until she was finished.

He held her a few more moments and then slowly sat back from Ffion and looked at her.

"Go get dressed," he told her.

"Why?" she wanted to know.

"We're going to the police," he stated.

"NO! Bradley no, we can't. Rhys will find out and Sean….he'll….." she trailed off.

"He'll what? He'll get locked up that's what," Bradley snapped. "I won't have this happen again to someone I love. No, go, get dressed and we'll take care of everything."

Ffion stared at him for a few more minutes and then finally stood up and went to get dressed. She came back out and looked at Bradley.

"We don't have to do this," she began again.

"We do," he insisted.

"We'll miss JT's dinner," she attempted.

"So what? This is more important, Fee," he reached over and took her hand. "Let's go," he said and led her from the house.

Ffion stumped along behind him, barely keeping up so he wouldn't actually have to drag her. She didn't want to go to the police. She hung back as they entered the station.

"I need to see DS Griffyths," Bradley said. "Is he here?"

Adam nodded and pointed.

"Thanks," Bradley said and grabbed Ffion's arm to lead her down the hall.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Stacey slammed into the house, startling Ryan.

"What's up, Stace?" he called out from the front room.

"My stupid brother causing trouble again," she snarled. "I've washed my hands of it. I've told him I won't bail him out again if he gets arrested since he can't seem to be bothered to keep a leash on his temper."

Ryan slipped an arm around her shoulders as she sat down.

"I'm sure it will be fine," he soothed.

"I just hope I did the right thing. I was so mean to him, but he just never learns," she sighed. Ryan pressed a kiss to her forehead and held her close.

"There's only so much you can do when someone doesn't want to be helped."

"I suppose."

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Shaz looked up as she saw Bradley and Ffion walk into the station. She beamed at them, she hadn't seen them for a while. She set down her pen and grinned at them. "Hey, you two," she smiled then furrowed her brow at the looks on their faces. She took in how Bradley was holding Ffion and frowned. "Whats going on?" she wanted to know.

"We need to see Rhys and file a complaint," Bradley told her.

Rhys came walking over and looked at Ffion.

"Fee, what is it?" he asked worriedly. She hung her head, refusing to answer. Bradley frowned and gestured.

"Can we get out of the hall, please?" Bradley asked. Rhys nodded and led Bradley and Ffion through the doors and to his desk.

"Now, talk," he insisted.

Bradley pushed Ffion into a chair and looked at Rhys. He was glad Rhys and Shaz were the only ones around.

"That Sean Slater raped Ffion last night, when she was working for a couple of hours on the minicab radio last night."

"What?"

Ffion winced at the tone of Rhys' voice.

"Tell him, Ffion, tell him what you told me," Bradley pushed. Ffion began to sob quietly and stood up and went over to Shaz and leaned against her.

Shaz wrapped her arms around Ffion and held her in a gentle hug. She looked up at Bradley, her expression one of concern as her gaze flitted over to Rhys. She bit her lip and looked back down at Ffion. She smoothed down Ffion's hair and encouraged Fee to look up at her. She studied Ffion's face and pulled her back into a hug.

"D'you want to tell me instead Fee?" she asked gently. Telling a relative about your rape, especially a fiercely protective elder brother, was not an easy thing to do. From what Shaz could see, Fee didn't want to be here anyway, it looked as though Bradley was the one that had insisted they come to the station. She knew Ffion, if she had wanted to report this, she would not have waited until now. She would have probably done it last night.

She gave the two men a warning look over the top of Ffion's head, they were not going to speak or influence Ffion in any way. If she wanted to report this then she would, if she didn't...Shaz didn't want to think about what would happen if she didn't report this, she just hoped that Ffion would report this.

Bradley scrubbed at his face. He wasn't going to say anything but he wanted to. He wanted to go and tear Sean Slater's head off.

"I didn't want to come here," Ffion sobbed. "I'm afraid of Sean. It's partly my fault anyway. I must have made him think I like him or something. I just want to go home."

Rhys gaped at his sister. She had to be joking! Sean needed to be behind bars!

"Ffion, no!" he gasped out. "You have to!"

Ffion glared at him. "I'll go back to Cardiff," she threatened.

Rhys shook his head and looked at Bradley helplessly.

Shaz looked at Ffion in concern. Had Sean scared her that badly that she didn't want to file a complaint? She'd never thought of Ffion to be one who ran away from her problems. She glared at Rhys and Bradley over Ffion's head again and then turned her attention back to the girl

"Fee, you don't have to do anything that you don't want to do," she assured her. "But are you sure that you don't want to file a complaint against Sean?" she pressed gently. "If he raped you Fee..." she trailed off. "Surely you don't think that he deserves to get away with it?" she asked, keeping her voice gentle and quiet.

"I don't want to be here, I want to go home," she wailed. "I want my mum."

She pushed away from Shaz and bolted down the hall. What was she thinking anyway? She'd heard stories about Sean. He would hurt her. She kept running across the Square towards the station. She had her bag with her, she thought she had enough money for the train to get home.

Rhys started to run after Ffion but one of the PCs stopped him to ask him a question. He tried to push past and howled in frustration.

"What? I'm sorry," the PC snapped and stalked away.

Rhys looked at Bradley and Shaz and pulled out his phone and called Ffion.

"She's not answering. She's probably on her way to the station, I'll drive," he said and stormed out of the station.

Shaz looked after Ffion and sighed. Of course the poor girl would want her Mum at a time like this.

She watched Rhys and then turned to Bradley. She couldn't leave the office empty and with her now the only one in duty she had to stay. She smiled halfheartedly at Bradley before heading back into the office again.

"Thanks for trying," Bradley said to Shaz and hurried out of the station after Rhys. He climbed into the car and was slammed back into his seat as Rhys put his foot down hard on the gas and the car jumped forward.

Rhys sped across the Square as fast as he was able and leapt from the car, not even turning it off as he bolted into the station. He showed his warrant card and ran through.

"FEE!" he bellowed and went up the stairs two at a time. His sister was nowhere to be seen. He slumped his shoulders in defeat and looked around the deserted platform. The train had clearly just left.  
>He turned and stumped back downstairs and met Bradley before he even had a chance to get past the barrier.<p>

"She's gone. We missed her," he said. "This is all that Sean's fault."

Rhys stood and glared at the car for a moment.

"Where did she say it happened?" he wanted to know.

"At the car lot," Bradley answered, "why?"

Rhys pulled out his phone and called Shaz.

"Shaz, send a forensic team over to the car lot. Ffion may be gone but we can still get evidence from the scene," he told her. He snapped his phone shut and got back in the car.

"Let's go do what we can to preserve the scene," he said to Bradley. He drove them to the car lot and waved out the woman who was running the radio.

"You wait here, we'll need to take your prints so we know whose are whose here," Rhys told her. "What did you touch this morning?" he asked.

"Nothing much, just got here," she said sulkily and stood outside and leaned against the building.

Shaz put the phone down on Rhys and called through to the forensics team. She told them the details they needed to know and where they needed to be. She sighed as she put the phone down again. Poor Ffion.

Rhys and Bradley waited impatiently for the team to arrive and then Rhys directed them to where Bradley told him it had happened.

Rhys watched as the team worked, then went outside to call his mother and tell her that Ffion was most likely on her way.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Rowan hummed as she set to work cooking the sausages and supervising Ray as he made the chips. She was leery of letting him work with hot oil, but he had to risk it sometime. Best do it now while she could help. He would have to get used to it if he wanted chips and she couldn't cook.  
>Whitney came into the kitchen and smiled.<p>

"Hiya, need any help?"

Rowan looked around. Ray was making the chips, the pies were in the oven and the sausages were covered.

"I could use a few more potatoes done for mash if you don't mind," Rowan said.

Whitney nodded and pulled on one of the spare aprons and started peeling potatoes.

Ray didn't understand why she was so worried about him handling the hot oil. He could cope well enough when bacon and sausage spat at him from the frying pan. This was just the same, but more hot burning stuff. He did exactly as she told him. He could guarantee he would not be following this method if he wanted chips when she couldn't cook, he would do what he used to do. Grab the frozen ones and shove them on a tray in the oven.

Ray glanced over at Whitney briefly as she came in but directed his attention back to the chips before Rowan could have a go at him for taking his mind off the task at hand.

Rowan tilted her head and watched Ray. She handed him the pot holders so he could take the basket out of the fryer without burning his hands. She picked up one of the trays and brought it over for him to dump the chips into and set about putting the sausages on a platter. She put it aside and waited for Ray to finish with the chips so he could help her get the pies out of the oven.

She opened the oven and got a set of potholders herself and took one of the pies out and put it on the counter. She let Ray finish getting the pies and helped Whitney finish the potatoes so she could get them boiling.

"Thanks, Whitney," she said to the girl. Whitney nodded and grinned. "Hey, you know now that Roxy is back they won't need me here so much. If you need any help at the restaurant, let me know, yeah, I'll work hard, I promise," she said.

Rowan nodded. "Sure, I'll keep that in mind."

Whitney nodded and left the kitchen with a quick smile at Ray. The more she was around him, the less nervous she was around him. She went back behind the bar and started getting busy.

Ray carefully moved the chips onto the tray she had got for him. Then let out a satisfied breath. Cooking was actually quite enjoyable he was finding. Though they could do better without silence. Surely there was a radio or something in here? He shrugged to himself and caught Rowan looking at him, he pulled a face then smiled broadly at her.

Ray waved briefly at Whitney as she left the kitchen then looked at Rowan.

"Now what?" he wanted to know as he wiped his hands on the apron.

"Well, now we can start carrying all the food out," Rowan said with a smile and picked up the platter of sausages. "You grab the tray of pies," she told him and winked at him as she left the kitchen.

She put the sausages down on the table and went back for the chips. She handed him the tray of chips and set about making the mash.

Ray shook his head with a chuckle and grabbed the pies. He followed her out and left the pies next to the sausages then rolled his eyes as he took the chips and headed back out to put them on the table, too.

Rowan chuckled and shook her head as she added heavy cream to the potatoes and started mashing. She looked up at Ray as he came back into the kitchen.

"You stop rolling your eyes at me, mister," she teased and dipped her finger into the potatoes and stuck the glob on his nose.

"Now, can you take the cake out? It's in the cooler over there," she gestured and tried not to giggle at him.

Ray refused to give her the satisfaction and left the mash on his nose. He opened the cooler, grabbed the cake from the cooler and took it outside. He placed it carefully on the table and found himself hoping that Roxy and JT came back downstairs soon. He was dying to sample this food.

Ray went back into the kitchen and looked at Rowan. He pointed at his nose, with the mash potato still smeared on it.

"What do you plan to do about this?" he asked.

Rowan had a hard time not laughing at Ray. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to her and licked the bit of potato off his nose and then kissed him since his lips were so close.

"I love you, Ray Carling," she told him and kissed him again.

Ray's arms crept around her and held her as he kissed her. He pulled away from the kiss and wiped his nose on her forehead to get rid of the uncomfortable moisture that was lingering there thanks to her licking him.

He grinned as he straightened up.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Sean returned to his bedroom with a bottle of vodka. He needed to think. He would have to find a way of getting Roxy away from JT, the guy was just going to cause problems. Though, he seemed to think that Roxy was capable of fighting her own battles: the way he had let her do what she _needed _to do. She needed to dump the idiot and come back to him: she loved him. It was as simple as that.

How to get her away from JT? Preferably her and Amy, but just Roxy would do. She had to come out at some point. The pub was too risky to try again there, but that wouldn't stop him hanging out there. Just to watch her, be around her. He smirked, she was so at home behind that bar. If this JT thought he belonged in her home, then he was wrong. Sean bristled, he should be the only man in her life.

He reached for the bottle and took a long gulp from it before setting it back on the floor and staring out of the window, grateful for the view of the pub and putting it to good use. He'd go to the pub tonight.

Stacey went upstairs and looked at Sean.

"Ryan and I are only going to stay here for a few more weeks. You need to be careful around Roxy, Sean. I'm repeating what I said earlier. I won't bail you out if you cause trouble again, Sean. You have to get control of yourself."

Sean growled at Stacy. "Controlling myself would be a hell of a lot easier if Roxy wasn't parading around with a different man. She's supposed to be my wife Stace!" he spat. "What the hell does she think she's playing at!" he added as he moved back to the window.

"You don't have to worry," he continued in a quieter voice. "I'll be careful how I do this."

"And you're supposed to be dead, Sean. Do you really think she's going to get back with you?" Stacey asked, softening her tone. "Because I don't think she will, Sean. And if you don't watch it, you're going to end up in jail. You have to understand, the new police around here aren't like Marsden and most of her useless lot. Roxy is known and a bit tight with the police around here. I've been talking to people, you obviously haven't. You don't have a lot of friends around here, Sean. Too many people remember you and you can bet that those officers have heard all the stories about you."

She sighed and went to the door.

"Be careful, Sean. Be very careful."

Sean frowned at her retreating figure.

"I'm always careful," he retorted softly under his breath as she left and he continued to watch the pub, a studious look on his face.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

JT kissed Roxy softly and put a hand on her cheek.

"I've told Rowan I'm not going back to the restaurant. I'm going to stay here so I can watch out for you. I won't let him hurt you, Rox, not you and not Amy," he vowed softly.

He slowly stroked her hair and held her tight.

"Are you ready to go down and eat?"

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Roxy leaned against JT and clung to him as she watch Amy sit and concentrate on her colouring book that rested on her lap. She sighed. "You don't have to JT, I know how much you like it over there at the Restaurant, I don't want Sean to spoil anything," she told him.

Roxy nodded slowly and sighed as she waved at Amy. "Come on, madam. Lets go downstairs," she smiled. Amy smiled at them both as she pushed the book off her lap and ran over to the them. Roxy went to pick her up but Amy shook her head.

"No Mummmmyyy!" she protested and Roxy pulled back with a raised eyebrow.

Amy smiled. "I can do it," she explained.

"You can do what?" she wanted to know.

Amy grinned "I can walk down!" she beamed and Roxy chewed the inside of her cheek dubiously as she pondered. She nodded. "Okay then," she agreed. "But you have to hold my hand or JT's hand," she reasoned.

Amy nodded eagerly as she made her way past Roxy and paused at the top of the steps. Roxy smiled at JT and kissed his cheek as she passed him and took Amy's hand to take her downstairs.

"I can cook here and love it just as much. Ro doesn't need me, she's got plenty of help right now," he told her.

He chuckled over Amy's argument and turned his head to wipe away a quick tear. He loved these two and he couldn't imagine life without them.

He reached down and took Amy's other hand and walked with them down the stairs.

"I hope your hands are clean," JT said to Amy. "If not, we'll have to wash them. You don't want to go eating cake with dirty hands do you?"

Rowan put the potatoes in a large bowl and carried it out and placed it on the table. She smiled at JT, Roxy and Amy as they came downstairs. She held the door open for them, holding back a chuckle at JT's teasing. She couldn't help the hand that strayed to her belly.

She was going to have her own family soon. She and Ray and little Claire and...whatever Ray decided to name the boy.

She walked over to the table where the food was set up.

"Did I forget anything?" she asked them. JT looked over the food. The particular dishes he'd come to like since moving here.

He looked down at Amy and picked her up so she could see the table.

"What do you think, Punkin? Is anything missing?" he asked her.

Amy clung to JT's neck as she looked at the table.

Roxy couldn't help but smile at the undisguised greed on her daughters face as she looked at all the food.

Amy shook her head at JT then peered around his head to look at Roxy

"Mummy," she tried, and failed to whisper. "Cake!" she squeaked excitedly. Roxy beamed at her. "Only for pudding though Amy," she said.

Roxy turned to Rowan and smiled at her. "Thank you for doing this."

"It's no trouble, Roxy. JT is Kin and he's with you which makes you Kin."

She folded Roxy into a hug and grimaced as one of the babies started kicking.

Rowan sighed. "I'm never going to survive this," she joked and let Roxy go.

Roxy smiled at Rowan. "You'll be fine," she said with a glance at Rowan's huge middle. "It's when they come out that you really have to worry," she smiled and glanced over at JT and Amy.

Amy scanned the table carefully and then shook her head at JT. She pointed at the chips and gave him a pleading smile. "Ppeeeeaaaassss!" she smiled.

JT glanced over at Roxy who was talking to Rowan. He quickly reached down and plucked up two chips and handed them to Amy with a wink.

"So, is there any food missing?" JT asked Amy again. "We have to make sure everything is here, then we can eat and then we can have cake," he said to her.

"I know," Rowan agreed, "that's what I'm not going to survive. Two at once, I'll be locked up in a couple of months," she laughed.

She looked to see if Ray was out of the kitchen yet.

"Can you see if Peggy needs help bringing anything down," she asked him.

Ray nodded and went searching for Peggy. He found her and cleared his throat to get her attention "Peggy, d'you need a hand with anything?" he asked helpfully.

Peggy looked up at Ray.

"Oh, yes, actually, thank you darlin'," Peggy replied. She gestured at two trays of sausage rolls. She handed one to him and picked up the other herself.

"We'll take these down and then you can help me open the crisps, they're already downstairs," she told him and bustled off with her tray.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Ffion got off the train and looked around to get her bearings. She pulled her address book out of her bag, got herself oriented and then headed for Katie's house. She would be safe with her sister.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Rhys looked at Bradley.

"Mum will call the minute Fee arrives to let me know she's okay."

Bradley nodded at Rhys as he watched the team file out. "What do we do now?"

Rhys glanced around and then shut the door to the office. "Now, we go back and fill out and sign a complaint against Sean Slater," Rhys told him in a low tone.

"But doesn't Ffion have to do that?" Bradley asked uncertainly.

"I'll sign it for her. That monster is not going to get away with hurting my sister," Rhys replied in a dark tone.

Bradley's eyes widened, but he said nothing.

"You are going to tell me everything she said so I can put it on the statement and then I'll sign it for her," he explained.

"I'm not sure..." Bradley said hesitantly.

"Man up, Bradley, he is not going to get away with this and you will help me," Rhys insisted. "Do you want him to go free if Ffion is too scared to do this herself?"

Bradley frowned and shook his head.

"Thought not, let's go."

Rhys opened the door and led Bradley out to the car. When they got back to the station, Rhys turned a studied, pleading look on Shaz.

"I don't suppose you would do us a huge favor and go and get in some lunch?" Rhys begged. He didn't want Shaz to know what he was planning to do. "We're starving, pretty please?"

"Here, I'll even pay," Bradley said. "You fly, I'll buy," he offered and held out the money.

Shaz looked up at them expectantly. She was taken aback by their request but wasn't about to argue. She was dying of boredom in this office and was eager to leave it, even for a short amount of time. She immediately stood up from her desk and smiled at them both. She had planned to go home for Lunch, but she could do that and then detour and get them some food on the way back to work.

She took the money from Bradley and smiled at them.

"I'll be back in a bit," she told them.

Shaz left the office and went directly to the car. She was already happy about going home and seeing Chris. Working without him was sometimes refreshing but today it was just downright boring.

The minute Shaz was gone, Rhys sat down at his computer.

"Right," he said in a business-like tone. "Let's get started."

He looked at Bradley expectantly. Bradley sighed, paused a moment and then began to recite everything he could remember that Ffion had said to him.

Rhys hurriedly typed up the statement as Bradley dictated and then printed it out and quickly signed Ffion's name to it. He went and got the papers filed and heaved a great breath.

"So, now what?" Bradley asked.

"Now I get ready to go and arrest Sean," Rhys replied and smiled.

Rhys thanked Shaz for the food when she came back. He got up and went to the kitchen down the hall to make himself a tea.

Bradley looked at the phone on Rhys' desk as it began to ring and then looked at Shaz.

"Shouldn't you get that?"

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Peggy put her tray of sausage rolls down on the table and then stood aside so Ray could put the one he was carrying down and looked around, satisfied.

Ray took the tray from her and followed her downstairs with the tray. He set it on the table next to hers and then went to help her with the crisps.

"I'll just get some crisps," she said. "But go ahead and start eating while it's hot," she told them.

JT looked at Amy. "Ooo, we get to eat now," he said and picked up a plate. "What do you want besides chips?" he asked her and quickly put what she pointed at on a plate. He put her down and fixed a plate for himself and then carried both their plates to a table, making her toddle in front of him so he could watch out for her. He pressed a quick kiss on Roxy's cheek as he passed her.

Amy beamed at him and shoved the chips into her mouth as she watched JT glance at Rowan. She giggled as she ate them.

"You better get your plate made, or we'll have eaten everything," he teased her.

Rowan rolled her eyes at him and he grinned as she looked at Roxy.

He helped Amy sit down and then looked at her. "You were wrong, you know," he told her and held up a sausage roll. "These were missing. Aren't we glad Aunty Peggy didn't forget?"

Roxy grinned. "I had enough trouble with Amy, I can't imagine trying to cope with twice the amount of work," she said and glanced over at Ray. "But," she said brightly. "You have got Ray to help you," she added.

Roxy smiled after him and made her way towards the table laden with food. She grabbed up a plate and picked what she wanted before going to join JT and Amy at the table that he had chosen. She sat down and smiled at the pair of them

Amy nodded her head at JT and quickly picked a sausage roll from her plate. She looked over at Peggy and grinned before eating the sausage roll in her hand.

Ray watched Roxy and JT sit down with Amy and looked over at Rowan hopefully.

"Food?" he asked her hopefully as he edged his way towards the table

Rowan beamed and glanced over at Ray. "I think he'll be a brilliant dad," she said to Roxy.

Peggy thanked Ray for helping and went behind the bar to help Whitney serve a few punters.

Rowan looked up at Ray and smiled.

"Of course, you daft man," she said to him and handed him a plate. She picked up one of the pies and held it out to him. "Steak and kidney," she said and tilted her head as she smiled at him.

Ray grinned at her and took the pie from her and dumped it on his plate before surveying the rest of the spread. He reached out and grabbed up some sausage rolls and chips, then helped himself to other bits and pieces before dumping his plate on an empty table and going to the bar and ordering himself a pint from Peggy. He came back and sat at the table with a pint for himself and a lemonade for Rowan. He pushed the drink towards her before tucking into the food.

Rowan took a few things onto her plate and sat down. She thanked Ray for the drink and started eating her food.

She watched as other people walked over and helped themselves to the food.

Ray grinned as JT finally went and got some cake. He left his empty plate on the table and grabbed a couple of slices, then set one in front of Rowan as he dug into his own greedily.

Rowan shook her head at him. "I'm surprised you didn't go after the cake first," she remarked. "You eat a lot of sweets for someone who says they don't have a sweet tooth," she teased.

Amy waited as patiently as she could for the cake and reached for it eagerly when JT got back "Fankooooo," she smiled at him as she picked up the cake and bit into it, getting icing all around her mouth.

Roxy smiled at her daughter and reached for a fork as she took her own slice of cake off JT.

"Thank you," she told him.

Ray frowned at her. "I don't have a sweet tooth!" he retorted. "I simply enjoy a slice of cake now and again," he sniffed. "It's hardly my fault that I'm expected to eat your cooking," he shrugged at her with a faint air of nonchalance.

"Good thing you'll be getting a workout when I get you home," she purred at him.

"OH! Do us a favor!" Mo complained as she walked by and Rowan burst into giggles and leaned her head on the table trying to control her laughter.

Jack walked up and stepped out of Mo's way as she passed and then looked down at Rowan and Ray.

He pointed at Rowan. "What's that about?" he asked Ray as Rowan continued to shake with laughter.

He shook his head at Mo as she passed and then grinned at Rowan as she burst into hysterics.

Ray shrugged at Jack. "Ignore her," he advised.

"She thinks she's funny," he added and pushed another forkful of cake into his mouth, he gestured for Jack to pull up a chair as he ate his way through the cake and shot an amused look at Rowan as she laughed face down.

Rowan snorted in disbelief at Ray's answer. "Oh, sorry, best stop holding a gun to your head."

Rowan lifted her head and wiped her eyes.

"Hey, Jack," she greeted and started eating a sausage roll. On one hand, she was happy to see Jack and surely Alyssa would be right behind him. On the other hand, she'd been looking forward to finishing her food and sneaking off with Ray.

Jack sat down with a plate of sausage and mashed potato and took a drink of his pint.

"She often does think she's funny," Jack noted and took a bit of potatoes. "But she's really not."

Rowan made a face at Jack and picked at her cake.

Ray nodded at her. "Yes, you should," he grinned at her.

Ray nodded at Jack, as he pushed his empty plate away from him a bit. "Agreed," he said and grinned at Rowan.

Alyssa came and took the one remaining seat at the table and snorted as she overheard their conversation and caught on immediately. "Stop bullying her," she told them.

Ray shrugged at her. "How can it be bullying if it's the truth?" he told her and she just raised an eyebrow at him in response before rolling her eyes at Rowan and taking a sip from her wine glass.

Ray looked to Jack "We get bullied all the time, surely now it's our turn?" he said with a conspiratorial grin. Alyssa raised her head from her food "I resent that," she said and Ray turned to her and stuck his tongue out in response.

Rowan looked at Ray. "I'll remember you said that," she said, looking from Ray to Jack and back again.  
>She grinned at Alyssa. "Really, it's such a sad attempt I'm hardly bothered," Rowan told her in a bored tone and smirked at Ray.<p>

"You do bully all the time, the pair of you, especially me," Jack moaned.

"That's because you ask for it," Rowan told him. "You make it entirely too easy."

Jack frowned at her and snorted and Rowan bit back a giggle.

"See what I mean?"

Ray simply grinned at her. He was happy enough to see Jack and Alyssa, but had been looking forward to going home as soon as possible with Rowan. His plan had been: go to the pub. Cook. Eat food. Go home with Rowan. He sighed, it looked as though those plans were going to be delayed now. He looked down at his empty plate reproachfully. He supposed that eating more cake would be considered greedy? Hopefully Rowan's appetite would do that thing where it gave up so that he could eat her cake for her. Whatever was left of it anyway.

Alyssa grinned at Jack "She's right you know," she smiled at him. "You really are far too easy to wind up," she grinned and quickly took a mouthful of mashed potato to cover her laughter.

Ray shrugged at Jack. The poor guy did get terrorised by the pair of them.

Rowan managed to eat only half her cake and sighed. She glanced at Ray, who was clearly eyeing her cake in a predatory fashion. She chuckled and pushed it over to him and turned back to Alyssa.

Jack frowned at Alyssa. "And what would you do with your time if I wasn't so easy to wind up?" he asked her curiously. "Your favorite past time would be gone," he added and gestured his finger at the pair of them and Rowan chuckled.

"So, you're saying you just do it to keep us from getting bored?"

"Exactly," Jack agreed and ate some more of his food.

Alyssa smiled at him. "Winding you up isn't my _favourite _pastime," she disagreed. "I can think of other things I'd _much _rather do to you than wind you up," she grinned at him and finished her mash with another grin at him.

"Well, I know that," sighed Jack. "I was in fact talking about the pair of you," he said and shook his head. "Now, be nice or you get nowt," he told Alyssa and chuckled.

Rowan laughed at Jack. "Yes, she can have all that all to herself," she said. "The idea makes me a bit ill honestly," she teased.

Alyssa turned her head slowly to look back at Jack and raised an eyebrow at him disbelievingly as she studied his face. She shrugged at him then pulled a face at him before grinning broadly.

Alyssa grinned at Rowan. "But Ro," she whined teasingly as she pretended to pout, "we're supposed to be a Ménage a Trois!" she continued and couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped her. Alyssa then looked over at Jack as she considered him.

"But I don't mind being selfish and keeping him all to myself," she added with a smirk.

Rowan pretended to retch at Alyssa's comment.

"Keep him to yourself, please," Rowan joked.

Alyssa grinned back. "Oh, I intend to, don't worry," she smiled.

Rowan looked at Alyssa and shook her head.

"So, when are you having some kind of shower or something?" Jack asked curiously and then gestured at Rowan's belly at the look of confusion on her face.

"For the baby," he added.

Rowan shrugged. "I don't really need one, so I hadn't thought of it."

Ray grinned at Rowan as he gladly received her cake and dug into it. That was one of the perks about her being pregnant: she could be ravenous one moment and full the next. When it came to cake he enjoyed taking full advantage of it. He wondered silently to himself how long they were going to hang around to talk to Jack and Alyssa, personally he was all in favour of saying a quick 'Hi and Bye' rather than having a conversation. He sighed to himself as he chewed and resolved to stay silent unless his input was desperately needed.

Alyssa frowned at Rowan. "Needing something and having something aren't necessarily the same thing," she said. "Do you _want _a baby shower?" she asked curiously.

"I'm really not bothered about it. I'm not going to forbid it, but I'm not going to be sad if I don't have one," she said. She caught a glance at Ray from the corner of her eye and made a decision.

She yawned hugely and looked apologetically at Jack and Alyssa.

"I'm so sorry, getting a bit short on sleep and then helping Peggy with all this food must have tired me out more than I thought," she explained and stood up.

"C'mon, drive me home, I need some sleep," she said and gave him a little push so it would look like he was reluctant to leave the party. She stepped around and leaned to hug Alyssa.

Ray stood and nodded at Jack and Alyssa as he waited for Rowan to say her goodbyes. He was impatient to get home and make good on her promise, and his plan. Staying at the party with Jack and Alyssa hadn't been part of his plan and was wasting time that he could be spending at home with Rowan. Not that he didn't enjoy spending time with the pair of them, he was just eager to have Rowan all to himself.

"I'll come by the salon and see you tomorrow," she offered and then gave Jack a quick squeeze, too.

"And don't feel you have to plan me any sort of baby thing, okay?" she added and glanced at Ray as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"See ya" he said to them as he left them sitting at the table and followed Rowan out. "You talking to me?" he said innocently as he opened the car for her.

She climbed into the car.

"I feel bad for lying, but I honestly could not wait to get out of there," she told Ray with a chuckle.

"Do you want a party for the baby?" he asked her curiously. "You say that you're indifferent, but what do you actually want?" he pressed. "Because, if you really don't want a party then you shouldn't let them throw one for you."

Rowan shook her head at Ray. "I was talking to Lyss, she heard me," she chuckled. "I don't want one and I don't not want one," she explained.

"If Lyss wants to plan me a party I'm not going to stop her, but I don't want her to feel like she has to. I don't want that at all."

"We really need to invite Mam down," he added wistfully, "She hasn't seen us since we announced that you were pregnant," he continued. "And poor Evelyn probably could do with a break from my mother," he said with a small laugh. "They drive each other round the bend so much I'd be amazed if they haven't made a circle by now."

She reached over and took his hand.

"Do you want to invite her before the baby is born?" Rowan asked. "I don't mind. You never got around to taking that bed in the nursery up to the attic, so she can easily stay here with us," she continued.

"We could have her over for say a weekend or more and then she could come back again after the baby is born, if she wants," she said. She stroked her belly idly as they drove home and hurried out of the car to unlock the door and head upstairs.

Ray nodded at her. "Fine by me. I'll give her a call later on in the week and see if she fancies coming down here," he agreed. "But she will most definitely want to visit once the baby is born," he said. "She'll be a Grandma," he chuckled. He looked down at Rowan's belly and then grinned broadly. "This kid is not going to want for food at any rate," he commented. "It's Mum owns a Restaurant, and it's Grandma will be constantly commenting on how it needs feeding up," he chuckled. "Not to mention Gem," he said. "Her food is amazing" he added, remembering their trip to see her Kin.

"Why don't you call her now?" Rowan asked in a teasing tone as she tossed her bag next to the door and locked it. She leaned close to him and fished his phone from his pocket and held it up to him with a small smile. She slipped her free hand around and slid it across his bum.

"Then we can go to bed," she purred and gave him a slow smile.

Ray looked at her and snorted. "Or, I can phone her later on in the week and we can go to bed now rather than waiting any longer," he told her as he took his phone and dropped it onto the table. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him as he pressed his lips to hers before she could come back at him with whatever retort she had planned.

He broke the kiss with a grin. "Bed," he ordered shortly. "Now," he added as he slid his shoes off and gave her a gentle nudge towards the bedroom.

JT watched Roxy and Amy eat and smiled. When Amy had finished her food, he went and got Amy and Roxy each a slice of cake.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

"Why did you come here, Fee?"

"I didn't know where else to go. I panicked."

"Well, I should think so. What made you think up a crazy story like that?"

"I didn't want Bradley to hate me," Ffion cried.

"Ffion, this is serious. You know what Rhys is like," Katie ran her hands through her hair. "You have to call and you have to tell Rhys that you lied."

"I can't!" Ffion wailed.

"You have to. If you don't I will."

Ffion picked up a cushion and buried her face in it, refusing to look at her sister anymore.

Katie sighed heavily and picked up the phone.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Amy looked up in alarm at the mention of sleep, she looked wildly from Roxy to JT. "Not sleepy," she protested and Roxy smiled. She nodded at JT then turned her attention to Amy. "How about, you let Mummy and JT go to bed, and you stay in your room with your music on?" she reasoned. Amy considered for a moment then agreed.

Roxy smiled. "And maybe in your pyjamas too, just because they're comfy?" she suggested.

Amy looked back at her cake "Maybeeee..." she said.

Roxy looked at JT with a small smile as she finished her cake, then wiped over Amy's mucky face. She lifted her daughter off the chair and set her on the ground "You can walk downstairs, but can you walk upstairs?" she challenged and Amy rushed to the stairs to prove it.

Roxy looked at JT. "I'm going to get her ready for bed, hopefully she'll fall asleep if she's on her bed playing," she sighed. "I'm going to make sure she doesn't fall down the stairs" she added and hurried after Amy.

JT nodded.

"I could come up and play for her," he offered and quickly got up, too. He went after them and grabbed his fiddle from the front room. He waited until he was sure Amy was in her pj's and then walked in to her room.

"So, is it music time?" he asked her and began to play.

Roxy left JT tending to Amy and crawled into her bed, falling asleep to the muffled sound of JT's music from the next room.

JT played softly until Amy was asleep and then went and joined Roxy. He wrapped her in his arms and looked at her. He didn't want to lose her, but he couldn't help but wonder: if she had to choose, would she pick him.

"You're welcome. You know, I'm still tired, maybe we should hit the hay after this. I know I could use some more sleep," he remarked and yawned hugely.

/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\

Shaz nodded and tapped the number into her phone to connect it to Rhys' and then answered his call.

"DS Griffyths phone," she answered. "DC Skelton speaking."


	24. Chapter 24

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 24**

"Yes, hi, this is Katie Harper, Rhys is my brother. Can I speak to him, please? I've got our sister here, it's a bit urgent," Katie replied.

Ffion walked over and took the phone from Katie.

"Tell Rhys I'm sorry, but...I lied," Ffion blurted and then hung up the phone. "Are you happy now?" she snapped at Katie and stalked out of the room.

Shaz' jaw dropped. She stammered and then looked at Bradley in shock. She covered the mouthpiece

"Fee lied," she told him. "She just said," she continued and raised the phone a bit.

"I'll make sure he knows," she told Katie, then put the phone down. She grabbed at her mobile and hurriedly dialled Rhys' number.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Bradley stood up and gaped at Shaz.

"You're joking," he cried.

Rhys came in with three cups of tea and looked from Bradley to Shaz.

"What's going on?" he wanted to know.

"Ffion was just on the phone, she said she lied," Bradley told him.

"No, she couldn't have. She just saying it because she's afraid of that Sean Slater. She doesn't have to be. I can lock him up," Rhys argued. He snatched up his phone.

"I'm calling her right now. She has to stop saying such things," he decided. If Ffion said she lied, he wouldn't be able to use the paperwork. Granted, he no doubt shouldn't be doing it anyway, but he had to protect his sister. But if now she was saying she'd lied... He didn't want to think about it. He wouldn't think about it. Sean Slater had raped his baby sister and was not going to get away with it.

He looked at Shaz. "Did she say anything else?"

Shaz shook her head. "No, Katie just called and said it was urgent, then before I could call for you Ffion took the phone and said to tell you that she's sorry but she lied," she shrugged and looked at Rhys' frustrated, yet worried expression.

"I think she's telling the truth Rhys," she sighed. "She seemed really reluctant to report it," she broke off as a thought occurred to her and she looked back up at Rhys again. "What did forensics find?" she asked curiously. If anything had happened between Ffion and Sean then forensics would find evidence to prove it. But why would Ffion _lie _like that?

"There's definite proof of something going on. Her torn knickers were found under the couch and there were buttons from her top scattered around," Rhys replied and frowned.

"I think she's just afraid. I've heard stories about that Sean and I'm sure she has, too. That's why she ran off I'm sure," Rhys insisted. "He raped my sister and I'm not going to let him get away with it," he said and stormed out of the station.

Bradley ran after him and grabbed his arm.

"Rhys, don't."

"He hurt Fee, I want him locked up," Rhys snapped and jerked his arm away.

"Fee says he didn't," Bradley reminded him.

"She's lying. She's just scared. I'll get him locked up and then she can come home and everything will be fine," he growled and shouldered past Bradley. He gestured at a couple of PCs to go with him and headed for the Slater house.

Bradley watched him go in dismay and walked back in. He looked at Shaz.

"I'm going to go home and wait for Ffion to call. If they call back here, you better let them know he's gone to arrest Sean Slater," he explained and then left. He had no intention of being here when Sean was brought in.

Shaz nodded and sighed. If Sean was innocent then forensics would prove it. If he was guilty then forensics would prove that too. She really wished it didn't take quite so long to process these results. She watched Bradley and Rhys go in dismay and kicked at a desk with her foot to vent some of her anger. Why was _she _the one stuck in the office all day while everyone else got to be outside?

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Rhys climbed out of the car and pounded on the door of the Slater house.

Stacey looked at Ryan and frowned as she went to answer it.

"Is Sean Slater here? I need to speak with him," Rhys said.

"Who are you? What do you need him for?"

"Is he here?" Rhys demanded.

"You answer my question first," Stacey said and folded her arms. Rhys pulled out his warrant card and showed it to her.

"DS Rhys Griffyths, now, I need to talk to Sean Slater," he insisted.

"I'll go see if he's here," Stacey said and hurried upstairs. She went into Sean's room without knocking and looked at her brother.

"There's a copper here wants to talk to you. Have you done something?" she wanted to know.

Sean looked up at Stacy with scowl. "I did nothing," he protested and moved past her to go downstairs and see what exactly he was supposed to have done.

"Can I help you?" he asked calmly, with a slight sneer evident in his tone as he looked Rhys over. "And do you mind telling me what it is I'm supposed to have done this time!" he demanded.

Sean was pretty sure that this guy was Ffion's older brother. She had slept with him, was that what this was about, an older brother angry that he slept with his sister? She had wanted to; it wasn't entirely his fault if Ffion had cheated on Bradley. He couldn't help the smirk that danced across his face.

Rhys flashed his warrant card and then grabbed Sean and slammed him against the wall and nodded at the two PCs with him to make sure they stayed close as he cuffed Sean.

"I'm arresting you for the rape of Ffion Griffyths," Rhys began and continued on reciting Sean's rights as he nodded the PCs to get Sean's arms. He'd head about this man and didn't want him running off.

"HEY!" Sean bellowed as he struggled against the hold that the police had on him. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL YOU DO THINK YOU'RE DOING!" he yelled at them.

Sean growled at Rhys over his shoulder. "I didn't _rape _Ffion!" he protested as he continued to try to break free. "I didn't bloody do it! You're wrong!" he added and threw a look at Rhys.

"She wanted it," he said slyly and truthfully.

Rhys watched, a satisfied expression on his face, as the two officers muscled Sean to the car and shoved him in it. He turned to Stacey and gave a small dip of his head.

"Sorry, ma'am," he told her and then went to his car to head back to the station. He watched as they booked Sean and had immediately taken to the cells. He had no intention of interviewing the man yet, he wanted the Guv or maybe Ray in on this with him.

Ryan heard Stacey swearing downstairs and came running, a towel wrapped around his waist.

"What's going on?"

"Sean's been arrested for raping that Ffion girl," she began and then looked at the confusion on his face. "Bradley's new girlfriend," she added, her tone annoyed.

"So, are we going to go and bail him out or what?"

"No, I told him I wasn't going to get him out of trouble anymore. He wasn't as careful as he thought he was," she sighed.

_/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\_

Rhys sighed and went into the office and dropped onto his chair.

"Well, he's locked up. I think Ffion is just scared and that's why she said she was lying. I'll have Ray or the Guv interview him tomorrow and I really need Ffion back. Any chance you'd go with me to bring her back? I know where Katie lives, but you could go in and get her so we can bring her back. I'm sure once she knows Sean is locked up she'll realize she's safe to tell the truth and come back with us," he said and looked at Shaz expectantly.

Shaz looked at Rhys' satisfied expression blankly. "You do realise that you need more than circumstantial evidence and word of mouth to arrest him don't you Rhys?" she said. "Ffion retracted her accusation, and you didn't have a warrant for his arrest!" she continued.

Rhys slammed his hand down on the desk as he stood.

"I have to protect my sister, Shaz. Of course she would say that she lied, she's terrified. You've heard the stories about him and I've seen what he was like when he was here, remember? To think that animal..." he trailed off.

Shaz looked up at him worriedly. "You can't let your anger rule your decisions at work, especially not in this job," she chastised him. "What if Ffion is telling the truth and he didn't rape her, then you've got nothing and had him under false arrest, you can get sued, or even suspended if the Guv sees fit," she told him and shifted her position in her seat anxiously.

"You didn't even wait for forensics, you just marched on in there like a bull in a china shop!" she stood up from behind her desk and made her way to the door of the office. "So you can go to your sister's and tell Ffion yourself that you've arrested Sean, because I'm not being part of this shambles," she told him firmly then left the office.

He frowned as she harangued him and watched her leave. Fine, he would go and get Ffion on his own. She would come back if she knew she was safe.

He left the station and climbed into his car and drove to Katie's house.

Ffion looked at him sullenly as she opened the door.

"What are you doing here, Rhys?"

"I came to take you back. I arrested Sean, he's locked up now, he can't hurt you. You can come back now and sign the complaint," he told her gently as he took her arm.

"Are you crazy!" she shrieked at him. "You've just made things worse, Rhys."

She pulled away from her brother and covered her face with her hands. She groaned and then spun to face him.

"He didn't rape me, Rhys, I wanted him just as much as he wanted me."

"Then what..." he trailed off, aghast at what she was telling him.

"I was too afraid to tell Bradley. He'll leave me and I didn't want that," she told him. "I couldn't bear it."

Rhys frowned at her. "You better come back with me anyway. We've gathered evidence and everything. You can think about what you're saying on the way back. If you're still saying he didn't do anything, I'll let him go. I'll make sure he doesn't hurt you."

Ffion gazed at him steadily, then finally nodded.

"If anything goes wrong, Rhys, I'm history," she said with a tone of finality. Rhys pondered it and finally nodded.

"Thanks, Katie," Ffion said and gave her sister a hug.

"Rhys, why do you have to complicate things so much," Katie said and flashed a look at her brother.

He shrugged. "It's not entirely my fault," he told her.

"You better sort this out and let the guy go. I know Fee well enough to know, she's not lying now. She was never raped," Katie whispered to Rhys as she hugged him. Rhys looked at her not quite believing.

Katie sighed and pushed her siblings out the door.

Rhys bundled Ffion back in the car and drove her back to the station.

_/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\_

Shaz was back in the office with a fresh cup of coffee. She heard his voice in the Lobby and sighed. He had gone and got Ffion then! She lifted the forensic report off her desk and marched down the corridor to meet them. She pushed the report at him.

"Here! You'll want to read this _before _you do anything rash!" she snapped at him sarcastically before giving Fee a small smile and turning on her heel to march back to the office. Why couldn't he have waited and read the report before he charged off. There was no forensic evidence of Sean forcing entry into the carlot.

Rhys looked at the report. There was evidence of someone having sex on the couch, but that was it. He sighed. It didn't matter anyway. Ffion was insisting Sean be let go.

"Stay here," he told Ffion and made her sit at his desk and got two PCs and headed down to the cells. He gestured them to open the door.

"You can go now," he said and gestured Sean to get out of the cell.

"You go near my sister again, though, and I'll bang you up for harassment, count on it," Rhys warned him as he glared.

Rhys glared at Sean before turning on his heel and heading to his office.

Sean scowled at Rhys and moved past him out of the cell. He was glad to see that they had come to their senses after all that. He looked at Rhys indifferently as he glared at him.

"I'm making no promises, if she throws herself at me again, I'm not sure I'll be able to stop myself," he sneered over his shoulder a Rhys as he made his way up the steps to the lobby, he caught sight of Ffion sitting in the waiting area and scowled at her, the only way that he could have been arrested for raping her is if she made a complaint. He glowered at her before marching away. The damage was done anyway, he'd slept with her and most likely ruined her relationship with Bradley, her screaming rape had only proven how guilty she was feeling. He was glad of that, the guilt. She should be feeling guilty for cheating on Bradley like that.

Sean left the station and took the route via the pub. He grinned to himself before deciding to go inside. He looked around the bar and sighed. No sign of Roxy. He scowled as he got himself a pint and took an isolated seat away from everyone else. He would wait for a bit and see if she came downstairs. He let his gaze wander around the pub, searching faces and trying to see if he knew anyone. He found that he knew a few, none that he wanted to socialize with.

Whitney rolled her eyes as she watched Janine come in the pub.

"What do you want, Janine?" Whitney asked in a huff.

"I want you to get Ryan to talk to me," Janine told her.

Whitney tilted her head. "What don't you understand, Janine? He wants nothing to do with ya," she sneered. "He's with Stacey now and they have a family and in my opinion, he's better off than he was with a nutjob like you. Now, get out."

Janine glared at Whitney and then turned to leave the pub.

"They're getting married you know, now that he's got rid of you for good," Whitney called after her.

Janine stopped short at that and looked at Sean as he came in. She looked him up and down and turned her nose up at him.

Sean smirked at Janine as she looked at him. He was glad that Stacy was happy, she deserved to be. He was proud of his little sister, no matter what he would never hurt her. Ryan he liked better than Bradley and he couldn't help but feel glad that Stacy had ended up hurting Janine.

That look she just gave him though. That he didn't like, not one little bit! He scowled at her darkly as he took a gulp of his pint. Clearly she had an issue with him. Everyone seemed to have some kind of issue with him! It's not like he had done anything. He looked over at Janine once more and frowned, he was in no mood to be messed with: he'd been charged with a crime he hadn't committed once already today, he was in no mood for anything but isolation.

He gave dark looks to anyone who looked his way, carefully warning people to stay well away from him. He didn't want to mingle, he wanted to observe quietly. And drink. He also wanted to see Roxy, but that he could wait for.

Janine headed the rest of the way out of the pub. He was no better than his slag of a sister, Janine decided.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Rhys went back in to the office and looked at his sister.

"Go home, Fee. That PC will make sure you get there okay," he said with a gesture.

Ffion glared at her brother and then stalked from the station. How was she going to get Bradley to forgive her? She started thinking her way through packing, certain that she was going to be chucked out when she got home.

Bradley looked up as she walked in.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he walked over to her. Ffion nodded and looked at Bradley.

"Are you chucking me out?" she asked me softly.

"Fee, look, I know what Sean is like okay? And I know I'm the first serious relationship you've ever had. I'm hurt, badly, about what happened. But I love you, Ffion," he said and put his hands on her arms.

"I'll forgive you this time, but, promise me it won't happen again," he said and pulled her close.

/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\

Shaz gave Rhys a smug look as he came back into the office. She fought her impulse to say 'I told you so' and stood instead. She passed his desk and smiled at him sympathetically, she knew how angry he had been, and how angry and upset he must be now; Ffion had lied to him. She patted his hand.

"You want a cup of tea or anything? I think we still have some of that cake left from yesterday?" she offered softly.

"No, I don't," he snapped as he looked at the report. "I still don't believe my sister lied to me. Just because there's no sign of a struggle or anything means nothing to me."

He glanced at the clock and shoved the folder in his drawer, slamming it shut and stalking from the station, barely nodding at the night shift as they came in.

Shaz sighed heavily and nodded at the night shift before going and grabbing her jacket from her chair. She hoped that a good night's sleep, or piss up, would help him see more clearly tomorrow, and not be so blinded by his rage. She waved halfheartedly at the night guys before leaving the station and heading off home, putting the matter out of her mind for the time being.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Sean rested against the side of the Community Centre. He knew that Roxy took Amy to whatever nursery was run here. He'd seen her drop her off that morning, then had waited until she had gone before checking the closing times. Of course she was late, the other parents had been and collected their children, Roxy hadn't been yet. He scowled. She was probably with her new bloke. He smirked happily as he saw her finally run up and disappear inside the small building.

Amy ran out ahead of Roxy and made her way towards the pub, by the way that they usually went. Sean spotted the small girl coming his way and tried to look friendly as she slowed her pace as she spotted him. He bent his knees to a crouch and waved at her. Amy raised her hand and waved back.

"You don't remember me do you, Amy?" he said softly and she shook her head slowly.

"I'm your Step-Daddy," he told her with a smile and she gave him a confused look. He continued. "I'm married to your Mommy," he told her. "I love your Mommy," he added. Amy smiled at him. "Like JT?" she asked and he fought to keep himself from scowling. "No," he said, his voice a little harsher than he wanted, but Amy hadn't seemed to notice. "Not like JT, I love your Mommy more than JT, I married her," he said. "You understand that?" he asked and she nodded. "Like Daddy and Aunty Ronnie?" she clarified.

Sean's eyebrows rose, this girls family were so screwed up, her Aunt actually married her idiot father then? He fought to keep himself under control, Jack Branning was the reason that he and Roxy had had all of those issues, if Amy hadn't been Jack's then he wouldn't have done what he'd done. He put his mind back to the task at hand and he nodded. "Yes, like Ronnie and Jack," Amy nodded happily. Sean opened his arms to her. "Do I get a hug?"

Roxy finally caught up with Amy, She had been held up by the woman who ran the nursery complaining to her about her lateness, she had argued back that she had been working and actually she wasn't all that late anyway. If it wasn't for the fact that Amy enjoyed nursery so much, and it got her out from under their feet for a bit, she wouldn't go to that stupid nursery and Roxy wouldn't have to put up with the cow that ran it. She looked around for Amy and found she had vanished, she wasn't worried: Roxy knew the way that the small girl would have gone, and catching up wouldn't be too much of an issue, Amy's walking speed still wasn't that quick. Roxy made sure to use the same route every time with Amy so that she learned the way home, so she followed that path. Roxy froze as she turned the corner and saw Sean hugging her daughter. She tensed automatically and watched him smirk at her over Amy's head.

"Amy," Roxy's voice was tight with anxiety and tension and Amy turned in Sean's arms. "Mommy," she said happily and Sean grinned. It seemed he had won her over, that hadn't taken much effort at all, but with Roxy as a mother the poor girl didn't stand a chance. He looked down at his step-daughter. "Shall we let Mommy have a hug, too?" he asked her and Amy nodded eagerly.

"Mummy! Hug!" she demanded and Roxy took a hesitant step forward as Sean rose with Amy held in his arms. "Amy, what have I told you about talking to strangers?" she asked and Amy pouted "My stair-daddy," she replied and Sean chuckled. "Step-daddy," he corrected and opened his other arm. "Roxy," he called to her with a satisfied smirk. Roxy bristled and walked over. She took Amy from Sean's grasp and took several steps away from him. She set the girl on the floor and spotted Abi.

"Abi! Can you take Amy to the pub for me, make sure either Peggy or JT are there," she said and thrust a fiver at Abi. "Please."

She turned back to Sean with her hands on her hips "Don't you dare go _near _Amy!" she told him, her voice more relaxed now Amy was out of harm's way, but a coldness had taken the place of the tension.

"Don't be like that Roxy," Sean said in a low voice. "We both know that you want me back, why do you keep denying yourself," he continued as he moved towards her. Roxy moved backwards as he moved forwards to keep the distance. "No, Sean, I want JT" she told him firmly, but he refused to listen.

"Stop kidding yourself, Rox, we both know he's just a distraction for you, now I'm here he's not needed," he said as he noted with satisfaction that her back had hit the wall. He placed his arms either side of her, caging her in. "Nowhere to run Roxy," he said with a grin. "Now, dump that stupid hill billy and come back to me. You're my wife after all."

Roxy felt her heart in her throat. "But.." she stammered. Kissing Sean last time had brought back her old feelings for him, she had pushed them away resolutely, but his proximity now was not helping her in the slightest. Sean sneered at her. "But what?" he pressed as his hands moved from the wall to rest on her hips. "You have no idea what it does to me, thinking about you and him together," he said as he brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, brushing his fingers over her cheek. "No other man has the right to touch you, or look at you, or even think about you like that," he snarled. "Only me," he said and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Roxy shivered and placed her hands on his chest, meaning to push him away: Sean misinterpreted and pressed his lips to hers without a second thought.

Roxy's head was screaming at her to make use of her hands and push him away from her, then run back to the pub. But she couldn't...she just..couldn't. Her fingers itched to wind themselves around his neck and pull him closer to her. She whimpered as his kisses got harder and her hands curled into fists against his chest to stop herself from taking this further. Sean pulled back, breathless and grinned at her, his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her hard against his chest. He held onto her tightly. "I'm never letting you go, Roxy," he told her. Roxy once more, had an internal battle raging inside her; head versus heart. She pushed against his chest lightly. "Sean," she murmured as he relaxed his grip so that she could move. "I've got a shift at the pub," she said and pulled away completely before running off.

Abi nodded at Roxy and hurried the little girl across the Square. She burst breathlessly into the pub and pulled the little girl through the door and back to the kitchen.

JT looked down.

"What's up?" he asked her and bent down to pick up Amy. "Thank you for bringing her home, but where's Roxy?"

"Sean," was all Abi said and hurried off. JT frowned then smoothed his expression and looked at Amy.

"You alright, Punkin?" he asked her. "Did that man hurt you or scare you at all?"

Amy shook her head at him and beamed. "He my step daddy," she told JT proudly and kissed his cheek. She squirmed in his arms until he put her down and then made her way towards the stairs. She took hold of the railings as she had been taught and started to make her way upstairs slowly.

He was tempted to go out and make sure Roxy was okay, but he wasn't sure if he should. He didn't want to leave Amy alone and he didn't want to take her back out there if Sean was around. Roxy didn't want him anywhere near the child. She'd made that clear.

Janine watched Roxy run off and smirked.

Sean watched Roxy go, feeling much better than he had in while; she had kissed him back. He grinned, he was getting through to her then. Good. It was only a matter of time before she realised that she did in fact want him back and got rid of that idiot she had managed to get. What she saw in him Sean didn't know. The guy was tall, and...well, the guy was tall. That was all Sean could think of.

"Aw, looks like she's not falling for your charms," Janine sneered. "Can't say I blame her. Compared to JT you're not much of a man," she taunted, her expression disdainful as she looked at him.

She barked a short chuckle and turned to go with a shake of her head.

He turned at glared at Janine as he heard her voice and he snaked an arm out and pushed her against a wall roughly.

"Stay out of my business," he snarled at her menacingly. This woman was starting to severely grate on his nerves and he didn't like it one bit. She needed to learn to mind her own business. If she didn't learn that lesson soon then he would have to make sure she learned it.

Sean scowled at her. "I wasn't in front of the square Janine," he said and gestured with one hand at where they were. "As you can see, we're down an Alley," he pointed out.

"My, my, aren't you masterful," Janine purred and smiled at Sean.

"If you don't want people in your business, Sean, then you shouldn't be having your business out in front of everyone in the Square," she advised. She turned her head and looked at his hands holding onto her then looked him in the eye.

"So, what you planning to do now?"

Sean let out a low laugh. "I'm not going to tell you what I'm planning," he said with a sneer, he leaned close to her and put his lips to her ear. "It ruins the surprise," he whispered and pulled away with a laugh. He snorted and let her go.

Janine raised an eyebrow at him, but made no comment. She reached out and stroked his cheek.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," she purred as she traced her finger down and then under his chin, sliding it from under his chin with a small flick. "Bye-bye now," she said and swayed away.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Ffion saw Sean pinning Janine up against the wall across the Square and hurriedly ducked out of sight. She'd been doing her level best to avoid him. Bradley had forgiven her...indiscretion...but Sean might not be so forgiving of her. Though most of it was down to her stupid brother not listening to her. She should have kept her mouth shut. Bradley never would have known. But the idea of lying to Bradley hurt too much.

She was beginning to think perhaps that she and Bradley should go away for a bit, or just her. Home to Cardiff perhaps. At least Sean never came to the restaurant. He was too busy hovering around the pub, trying to catch a glimpse of Roxy to travel far. So at work, at least, she felt safe.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Rowan bit her lip and watched from across the Square as Sean hassled Roxy. She was tempted to put the man in his place and stop tormenting Roxy, she knew that sort. He reminded her a lot of Brian. Her hand went to her belly. She would have to stay well out of it. JT would protect Roxy if she needed protecting, though judging from the way she shoved Sean away, Roxy was pretty capable herself.

She stopped in the cafe and got a mocha for Alyssa and a cold lemonade for herself before continuing on to the salon. She checked her watch. She would be on time for her pedicure. She loved her favorite sandals but wasn't so happy that her toes showed all the time. And with Ray's mother coming to visit, she wanted to look her best.

She was cleaning the flat so often Ray accused her of trying to strip the tile from the kitchen floor with her obsessive scrubbing. But the place had to be sparkling when his mother arrived. She couldn't bear for his mother to think she couldn't keep the flat clean or take care of Ray. She had carefully planned a menu for the visit, a combination of things Ray said were his mother's favorites and things Rowan was used to cooking that his mother wouldn't have tried.

She blew out a breath and opened the door to the salon with a smile.

"I'm here and on time and come bearing a mocha," she announced to Alyssa as she walked up to the desk and handed Lyss the cup.

Alyssa looked up at Rowan and accepted the mocha gratefully. She took the top of and blew on the chocolatey liquid before taking a tiny sip

"Thank you," she smiled and scanned down the appointment page. "You're not due to be here for another 10 minutes, so you're going to have to put up with my company until they're ready for you upstairs," she grinned and gestured at the seats. She didn't have any other appointments after Rowan and she was all caught up on restocking, she could afford a 10 minute break.

Rowan flopped onto the couch and opened her lemonade and took a long drink.

"Wow, ten whole minutes, not sure I can handle that," she teased with a grin. She could feel her expression change to one of slight panic.

Alyssa grinned. "You're going to have to cope," she teased. "I don't intend to leave you alone now that I actually have a proper chance to talk to you, without Tweedledum and Tweedledee here."

"So, when's Ray's Mum coming down? And have you driven him up the wall yet?" she wanted to know as she took another sip of her mocha.

"She'll be here Friday. I'm so nervous I'm beside myself, Lyss. I keep cleaning the flat, I just...I want it to look nice. I want her to see that the house is clean and Ray is happy and..." she trailed off and sighed and then looked at her lemonade as she gnawed her lip.

"I've never had to do something like this before. I mean, yes, I met Brian's parents, briefly, once, but he didn't get on with them so it wasn't a regular thing. And we didn't have a big wedding or anything. I couldn't afford it, but neither could he. I've planned out the menu to every detail and made a shopping list so I don't forget anything."

Alyssa sighed softly and took Rowan's hand. "Ro, anyone can see Ray's happy, I'm sure that is all that's going to matter to his Mum," she said. "And if you've already cleaned the flat then leave it now and do a quick once over before she arrives just to make sure on Friday," she advised helpfully. "That way, you make sure that it's absolutely clean and tidy and Ray keeps his sanity," she smiled.

She reached up and began to absently toy with a lock of hair and looked at Alyssa sheepishly.

"I think I've driven him insane," she admitted.

She squeezed Rowan's hand reassuringly. "I'm sure you haven't, just try to put it out of your mind for a bit and drop the whole cleaning thing and...just...be you," she smiled. "Ray loves you for being you and his Mum will too, you've already met her so what's the worry?" she smiled.

Rowan shrugged and took another drink of her lemonade.

"I guess it's just...if I had got together with someone back home, you know I grew up with everyone. This just isn't something I'm used to. I'm trying to be myself, but it's so hard because I'm so nervous. This isn't going to be a short visit like before. She's going to be staying in my house. I'll admit, I'm a little intimidated."

Alyssa sighed. She hadn't had to deal with this, she had never met Jack's parents. She leaned back and chewed her lip. "Have you spoken to Ray about all this Ro?" she asked. "It is him Mum, surely he's going to want this visit to go well too, I mean," she said as she shifted a bit in her seat. "The two most important women in his life, his Mum and the woman he loves," she said. "He's going to want you both to get along."

She sighed. "And what if she, well, tries to sort of take over? I don't want to cause a scene or anything, but I wouldn't like it."

"If she tries to take over then talk to Ray to get her to stop, that way you don't have to face her head on about it and you choose the gentlest route," she advised.

Rowan growled in frustration and rubbed her face with her hands.

"I also have no idea what to talk about with her. If he has to work this weekend, I'll be left alone with her," Rowan said as she lifted her face from her hands and peered at Alyssa.

Alyssa smiled. "Then let her start the conversation, or ask her about her life, hell Ro, share recipes with her if you have to," she laughed. "You'll find something, I promise you, you will find at least one common interest."

"I don't think I'd have nearly the problem if my own parents were still alive," she confessed with a sigh. "But I will take your advice on the cleaning front. I just...can't help it. I think when I'm done here I'll go to the station, go for a walk with Ray and have him take me to dinner. If I'm not home, I won't be so obsessed with the cleaning."

"And I know I've made him a bit crazy, he's been going to work early and staying late to avoid the cleaning frenzy," Rowan chuckled.

Alyssa laughed. "I don't mind popping over on my day's off to take the pressure off you a bit if you want," she offered. "Or just come round ours if you need a break, Ro," she added.

"Oh, thanks," Rowan said gratefully. "I'll see how it goes Friday and if it looks like it's going to be bad, I'll text you and then you and Jack can come round for dinner maybe. You are my sister, she should meet you, too," Rowan decided.

"I really want her to like me though. She'll be the closest thing to a mother I have here. All my own Kin is so far away, apart from JT."

Alyssa nodded her agreement. "Sure, I think I'd like to meet Ray's Mum anyway, it'll be interesting to see how he behaves around her," she smiled. "I imagine he's quite different."

Alyssa squeezed Rowan's hand. "Ray adores you Ro, if you can make him that happy then of course she's going to like you, besides," she said with a glance at Rowans tummy. "You're giving her two grandchildren, what's not to love," she smiled.

She drained her lemonade. "So, let's get going on my toes then? They won't do themselves," she giggled and then winked as she jokingly tossed her curls.

Alyssa nodded and drained her mocha. She left the empty cup on the desk as she followed Rowan upstairs to get everything sorted.

Rowan noticed her phone beeping and hurriedly pulled it from her bag. She furrowed her brow at Ray's text. What was going on?

"Am at salon with Lyss, what's going on?" she sent back.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Roxy darted across the square away from the alley where Sean was dwelling. She slowed to a walk as she came closer to the pub and composed herself. Sean was causing turmoil inside her, she wanted him so badly whenever he was near her. So she was doing her best to avoid him, but it didn't help that he kept trying to seek her out when she was alone, or when it was just her and Amy. The last thing she wanted was for Sean to get close to Amy. She hugged her middle as she looked up at the pub; she wanted _JT_, not Sean. _JT _was the man that she loved, not Sean. _JT _was the man she was supposed to be with. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the pub, her eyes straying across the square to the alley before she could stop herself.

Roxy tore her gaze away and headed inside quickly. She picked her way through the small clusters of people and pushed the kitchen door until she was in the back. She looked up the stairs and saw Amy proudly reach the top step. She beamed at the look of joy on her daughters face and hurried up.

"I did it Mummmmy," Amy laughed and Roxy grinned. "I know, Amy," she smiled. "Well done."

Roxy hugged Amy happily and led her into the kitchen, she sat her at the table and gave her a colouring book and some crayons before digging in the fridge for something to eat.

JT followed Amy halfway up the stairs to make sure she got up okay. He headed back downstairs and gave Roxy a small wave as she walked past and went back into the pub kitchen. Roxy looked distracted. It worried him.

Roxy watched Amy carefully as she waited for her food to cook. She left the stove and sat down opposite her daughter.

"Amy," she said gently to get the girl's attention. "Look at me Amy," she said.

"Wat!"

Roxy studied her daughters inquisitive face critically. "Are you okay, Sean didn't hurt you did he?" she asked gently and Amy shook her head. "No," she said then grinned at Roxy.

Roxy frowned at the grin on Amy's face. "What?" she asked curiously.

"Sean lobes you," she beamed. "He lobes you more than JayTee," she smiled and Roxy bit her lip. This was why she didn't want Sean talking to Amy. He told her things like this.

Amy carried on, unaware of the mix of emotions crossing her mother's face. "Like Aunty Ronnie and Daddy," she smiled. "He lobes you," she said then started singing a small chant to herself as she focused on her colouring.

Roxy blocked out Amy's voice and stared off into space. She had pushed her feelings For Sean away but they kept coming back and catching her when she least expected it. She had managed to fall asleep last night with Sean on her mind.

Debbie watched as Ray kept working. She looked at the clock and then back at him.

"Um, you came in early this morning, and you're still here, you must really love your job," she teased. She had hoped Ray would leave early, she wanted a few minutes alone with Gene. He was proving to be slippery to catch alone. She furrowed her brow as she looked at Ray. She couldn't be positive, but she thought something was bothering him.

She got up and walked over to him, glancing at Gene's office door as she did so, wondering when he would be back from this meeting. He had taken to taking little tape recorders to the meetings and then having her type him up a quick summary that he could look over. She liked it. It gave her time alone with him. Not that he noticed, not yet anyway.

Ray grunted at Debbie and shrugged noncommittally at her.

"Go on, then," Debbie encouraged as she put her hands on Ray's shoulders and began to massage them. "Tell me what's up."

Ray barely looked at Debbie as she rose from her desk and started at the feel of her hands. He felt any resistance leave him as she started to massage his shoulder, he was taken aback but couldn't bring himself to ask Debbie to stop, it was so relaxing.

"It's Rowan, she's driving me bonkers!" he grumbled. "My Mam's coming down Friday and Rowan's suddenly developed OCD, there won't be any floor left the way she's going," he added ."I've told her that Mam isn't going to mind a little bit of dust here and there but she won't listen," he sighed. "She's spent the last few days constantly cleaning."

Debbie dug her fingers in, good grief did this man never relax?

"But she's pregnant, right? Haven't you read any of the books? It's called 'nesting'. My sister went through it when she was pregnant, she used to actually go outside and scrub the patio in the back garden and the pavement leading up to the front door every day," she told him. "And she's probably nervous about your mother's visit. Try distracting her from the cleaning," she suggested as she put her hands to work on the back of his neck. "Get her out of the flat."

Ray frowned, there were books out there on pregnancy? What kind of idiot decided to write all that down! He couldn't help but lean into Debbie's clever hands as she worked her magic. Take Rowan out of the flat? Ray pondered that thought. That shouldn't be too difficult. He smiled to himself as he gently pulled away from Debbie. He rubbed his neck where her hands had been.

Debbie raised an eyebrow as he leaned in to her hands. Maybe. If she couldn't get anywhere with Mr. Hunt, he wouldn't be a bad option. She allowed herself a small smile.

"Cheers, Debs," he grinned as he packed up his stuff. Ray grabbed up his jacket and slung it over his shoulder as he grinned at her once more and left.

He fired off a text to Rowan telling her to meet him at home as soon as she could and drove home with a grin. He'd take her out tonight, not the Argee Bhajee, maybe Fargos. Treat her to a meal and get her out of the Flat like Debbie said, seeing as Rowan couldn't have spicy food and the only other decent Restaurant apart from Fargo's was her own Restaurant Fargo's it would have to be.

She nodded at him and stepped back as he stood up.

"You're welcome, always happy to help," she said cheerfully. She rubbed her hands together and sat back down at her desk and waited for Mr. Hunt to get back as she began to finish the reports. She'd get into CID one way or another.

Ray pulled up outside the Restaurant as his phone went off. He clambered out of the car and headed up to the flat as he sent a text back to her.

"I'm taking you out tonight, What time are you home?" he sent back.

Ray shut the front door behind him and then went to get the number for Fargos so that he could book a table.

Ray looked down at his phone. He'd managed to book a table at Fargo's for a bit later, it wasn't busy tonight apparently so they could afford to be a bit late.

"Will do x," he sent back before discarding his phone on the sofa.

Ray looked around the flat and sighed, he could smell whatever chemicals she had been using to clean. Debbie was right, he needed to get her out of this place, even if it was just for a few hours. He was glad that she had gone to the Salon, he wasn't a fan of these beauty treatments, he was getting used to them, but he wasn't a huge fan of them. But it was getting her out of the flat so he was fine with it.

Ray grabbed a beer from the fridge and cracked it open. He took a sip from the can and caught sight of himself in the reflection in the window. He frowned and looked down at himself, if they were going to Fargo's then he would probably have to change into something a bit smarter. He sighed, he hated dressing up. He sighed again as he put his beer down and padded through to the bedroom to find something decent to wear.

Ray grinned at the text from Rowan and sent back a kiss. He grabbed his car keys and shoved his wallet into his pocket before heading out. She had said she was nearly done. He didn't mind waiting in the Salon: they had comfy chairs in the waiting area.

Ray pulled up outside the Salon and sat in the car. He couldn't see anyone in the reception area so deduced that Rowan was still having whatever done to her.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Rowan awkwardly pulled herself up the stairs. She was beginning to hate stairs. She glanced at Alyssa for where to go and followed where she gestured and gratefully sat down. She slipped off her sandals and stuck her feet out with a cheesy grin.

She heard her phone go and fished it out again. She read Ray's text and her eyebrows flew up.

"It seems Ray is taking me on a date," she remarked.

"If proper date then come pick me up. Am wearing blue and white flowery dress," she told him, using his word for it, "and white cardi and my comfy sandals." she finished. She snapped her phone shut and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa grinned at Rowan. "Ooooo," she beamed excitedly. "Has he said where? Or is it a surprise?" she asked. She watched Rowan text back to Ray curiously and nodded at her then shrugged.

"Wonder what I've done that he's taking me on a date," she pondered excitedly. She couldn't remember the last time he'd taken her out for a meal at a proper restaurant. She wondered where they were going.

"Wonder where we're going," she thought aloud. "Fargo's...oh...or maybe that romantic place over off the High Street," she enthused. She toyed with the ring Ray had given her as she thought.

"Could be anywhere," she said with a sigh. "Did he say it was a restaurant?" she asked curiously as she sat next to Rowan as Maddie listened idly as she tended to Rowan's toenails.

Rowan read Ray's reply and shook her head. "He didn't say. Apparently I'm dressed fine for wherever we're going because he's going to pick me up," Rowan glanced down at Maddie doing her toes and then grinned at Alyssa.

"I'm so excited!" she nearly squealed but was careful not to move her feet.

Alyssa nodded and grinned. "I can tell," she teased with a grin. "It's written all over your face," she smiled.

"Oh, did I tell you...I told Ray I want the babies to have his name, I think he was quite overcome. Not that he'd show it, of course, but I think he was really touched," she ran a hand over her belly with a sigh.

"Oh Ro, that's so adorable!" Alyssa gushed. "I mean, Ray's not the type of block you look at and think that he's emotional or anything," she sighed. "But once you've been around him and you together you can see just how much you mean to each other, and I bet he's overjoyed," she smiled. "So, two little Carlings," she grinned.

"I'll be so glad when this is over."

Alyssa shook her head. "No, you won't, once you have the twins then you get the smelly nappies, screaming, crying, no sleep, and Ray will be tired, too," she said. "That means that you'll be moody and irritable," she teased with a small smile.

"I know that, but oh, Lyss, if one's not kicking the other is and I _am_ moody and irritable, I just go for walks or clean or cook to vent my energy. When Ray has a day off, I sleep late and...um...other things and then I'm cooking and cleaning again until he makes me sit down with him. Sometimes I think he holds me more to keep me from getting up and wiping that speck of dust from the TV than from any desire to have me in his arms," she joked.

Alyssa smiled. "I'm sure there is some desire to hold you Rowan. But if Jack started getting like that it would do my head in!" she grinned.

"Once you have the twins you know I'm there if you need a babysitter don't you," Alyssa offered. "I don't think I've mentioned before," she smiled. "If you and Ray ever want a night off just let me know."

"Oh, trust me, you will be called upon," Rowan told her with a grin.

She couldn't remember if she'd told Alyssa that Ray sang to stop the kicking, but she had no intention of saying it in front of Maddie. Maddie was nice enough, but she often repeated things Rowan was sure she shouldn't. She sighed and picked up her phone.

"Nearly done," she texted Ray. She let out a happy moan as Maddie started the foot massage and let out a small giggle.

"Getting the most glorious foot massage right now," she texted to him and then put her phone down.

"So, how is Jack coping with school being done?"

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "He's trying to find things to do," she smiled. "Well, anything apart from the garden, he makes up things to do just so he can avoid the garden, and he wants to do something almost every night," she laughed. "But it's nice coming home from work and him being there," she smiled. "But boy can that man moan! Seriously, if they did competitions in moaning and complaining then Jack would win hands down," she laughed. "He's fine when he's working but when he gets to the 6 weeks holiday," she rolled her eyes dramatically again then smiled.

"So, he could moan for England, then. Maybe we should get him a trophy or something made," Rowan suggested and began to giggle. She carefully swung her feet down and slipped them back into her sandals.

"A trophy..." she replied thoughtfully. "Now there's an idea," Alyssa grinned. "That may just have to be his birthday present," she laughed.

"That was fantastic, thank you," Rowan said and handed over the money as she stood up. "Hopefully he's here by now," she said and attempted a stretch before heading for the stairs.

"I'll let you know, Lyss. I'm sure we'll bring Ray's mother out. She won't just want to sit in the flat the whole time she's here. She'll no doubt want to check out the Square," Rowan told Alyssa as she navigated her way back down the stairs. She could see the car outside and began to smile.

She waited for Alyssa to get down the stairs and then gave her a quick hug.

"I'll see you later," she said and gave a quick wave as she headed for the door.

Alyssa hugged Rowan and waved at her as she left. "Have fun," she beamed. Alyssa smiled at Maddie as she passed her on the way out and she waved goodbye then set about packing up the Salon before she went home.

She smoothed her face and walked over to the car and leaned down and looked at Ray.

"Hiya, handsome, could you give a girl a lift?" she asked flirtatiously.

Ray looked up at Rowan as she stood outside the car and wound down the window. He looked her up and down with deliberate slowness. He smiled as he looked back up at her face again and nodded. "I suppose, but I get to choose where we go," he grinned as he leaned over the other side of the car and opened the door from inside so that she could get in.

He grinned as she settled and seatbelted herself in, then reached over and kissed her. He smiled as he started up the car again and drove down the street to Fargo's. He stopped outside and smiled at her as he opened the door and let her out.

Rowan felt herself shiver at his gaze and gave a soft chuckle at his answer. She walked around and climbed into the car.

She grabbed his hand and awkwardly hauled herself out of the car and looked at where they were. Fargo's. They'd never gone here before. She faced him and fussed with his shirt a moment.

"You look fantastic, Ray," she told him. She did like it when he dressed up. She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss him properly.

She smiled and slipped her arm around his and walked with him into the restaurant.

"This is wonderful, Ray," she told him when they got inside.

Ray grinned at her reaction. She seemed to like it, maybe taking Debbie's advice hadn't been such a bad idea after all. If Rowan was happy then he would live, even if he did have to dress up like this!

Ray took her hand and led her over to the desk and gave his name to the maître'd. He grinned at Rowan as they were taken to their table, the place wasn't exactly busy, but then, it was a Wednesday night. He took the menus from the waiter and handed one over to Rowan. He hadn't thought to check what the food was like here, he'd just gone for it because Rowan couldn't eat curry at the moment.

"You all right eating here?" he asked her over the top of the menu. "We can go somewhere else if you'd like," he added as he looked around. It all looked so fancy, he felt a bit out of his comfort zone.

Rowan looked at him and reached across the table to take his hand.

"Ray, it's lovely, stop worrying. You look amazing and I think this is all very romantic, thank you," she told him. "I'm so nervous about Friday and this is a really nice distraction, acuisle, so let's just enjoy it, okay?"

She took a sip of her water and went back to looking over the menu, trying to decide what she wanted. She was sure Ray would get the steak she was sure, but she wanted something different.

She finally settled on lobster ravioli and a Caesar salad when the waiter finally came over and she looked at Ray after she'd handed her menu to the waiter when she'd finished. She slipped her foot out of the sandal and slipped her toes under the cuff of his trousers and caressed his shin with the ball of her foot, biting her lip to keep from smiling as she watched for his reaction.

Ray snorted. "I don't understand why you're so nervous, Ro," he told her. "It's just my Mam, and she likes you and everything already," he shrugged as he scanned the menu. Well, there was really only one thing he wanted to eat so that was an easy choice.

"Because, Ray, this is your 'mam'," she said, saying it the way he did, "coming for a few _day's_stay. This isn't a short visit. She'll be in our home and I'll be cooking for her and what if I can't find anything to talk about?" she babbled.

She leveled her finger at him and frowned. "You know, I wish my parents were alive so you would have to meet them and then you might feel just the teeniest," she put her thumb and forefinger together to demonstrate before continuing, "tiniest bit like I feel right now."

She sighed. "It's just really important that this goes well. She's your mother, Ray," she reached for his hands again and squeezed them tight as she met his gaze. "I know we don't talk about your father, Ray, and I respect that, but I would be just as nervous meeting him, too," she said gently.

"I know we're not married, but I still want to feel like part of your family. That your mother would...you know...look at me as a sort of daughter," she admitted. "I just...I've never been this happy, Ray. I have my own business that's doing well, I have you and I have the twins and I just can't help think something is going to go terribly wrong."

She sighed and slipped one of her hands free of his and took a drink of her water.

Ray shook his head. "Don't worry about finding things to talk about, once she starts you can't shut her up," he assured her. "I should know, I lived with her for god knows long!" he smiled at her.

Ray sighed. "Ro, I have to live with you like this you know," he teased then squeezed her hand gently. "I wish your parents were still alive, too," he told her gently. "But, I had to meet Gem and the rest of your Kin! Do you have any idea how intimidating Gem is? I was bricking it!" he told her.

Ray held her hands tightly. "Nothing's going to go wrong, Ro," he told her gently. "Besides, if you're my family then that makes you here's as well, so stop worrying, she likes you already". There was that word again though, twins.

Rowan sighed. "So, she won't be expecting a lot of conversation from me then?" she teased.

"I'm sorry I've been such a mental case," she apologized. "And everyone is intimidated by Gem, myself included, so you get no sympathy there."

She gave him a small smile. "I hope you're right, Ray, I really do."

"Seriously, if she wants to talk she will," he told her. "Once she starts you won't be able to get her to stop, or I never could," he shrugged at her.

Ray chuckled. "It's fine Ro, the flat has never been cleaner."

Ray sighed. "I got that much while we were there, and I didn't expect any sympathy," he said as he tucked into his food with relish.

She sat back and looked up as the waiter brought their food.

Ray ordered the steak and handed his menu back to the waiter. His eyebrows rose as he felt her foot creeping up his leg and he looked up at her. "Your toes are freezing," he told her with a small grin.

She winked at him and shifted her foot around to stroke his calf. "I guess I better warm them up then," she replied playfully.

Ray smirked. "I suppose so," he agreed.

She edged her foot from his pant leg and slid it along the inside of his thigh. She couldn't move it very far without slumping down in her chair, but she moved it as far up as she could and idly stroked his thigh with her toes as she cut a bite of ravioli and ate it.

Ray choked down his food as her foot advanced up his leg. His hand went under the table and held her foot gently. He levelled his gaze to hers warningly and gave her foot a squeeze.

"Rowan.." he said firmly and narrowed his eyes as he started to tickle her foot.

Rowan widened her eyes at Ray, putting on a great show of innocence. "What?" she asked blandly, "Is there something wrong?"

She blinked at him slowly and took another bite of her food.

"This ravioli is amazing," she remarked.

Ray frowned at her. "So is this steak," he agreed. "There's something on my leg," he told her. "I wonder what will happen if I pull on it," he said contemplatively.

Rowan gazed at him. "You know if you do that, I might slide off this chair?" she asked. She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice.

"Do you really want everyone to know where my foot is?" she teased and slipped her foot from his grasp. She trailed her toe down his other thigh and then put her foot down and out of reach.

"Why are people going to assume that I've pulled on your foot? they'll all just think you've fallen off your chair," he grinned at her as he continued with his food. "And then I shall gallantly get up and help you back onto your chair," he chuckled at her.

Rowan looked at him.

"I can't believe you would cause the pregnant love of your life to fall on her backside in front of all these people," she said in mock-shock and grinned at him before taking another bite of her food.

"So, do you think what I chose to cook while she's here is okay and what do you think of having Jack and Alyssa and JT and Roxy over for dinner maybe on Saturday? They're all basically my family," she suggested.

"Whatever you choose is fine," he assured her. "But I think Mexican is a good idea, she's never tried it before and I think she'll be intrigued to try it," he said. "And I think she'd love to meet them, besides, your family is my family and vice versa," he smiled at her.

"Well, if I do Mexican when they all come over I can make a larger variety of things to choose from. That way she can try a little bit of everything," Rowan mused. "What should we have for pudding do you think?" she asked as her attention was distracted by the cart loaded with treats went past.

Ray shrugged. "She likes crumbles and stuff like that, traditional puddings," he said. "With cream, she loves cream," he grinned.

She ate her last bite of ravioli and looked back over, eyeing the chocolate cake with a great deal of avarice in her eyes.

"I think I want that chocolate fudge cake thing," she said, barely aware she'd spoken aloud.

Ray finished up his steak with a broad grin at her. "Order it, then," he advised her as he folded his knife and fork and pushed his plate away slightly, there had been a rather delicious looking slice of black forest gateau on that cart that he was looking forward to sampling.

Ray waited for their plates to be taken away and the waiter to come back with his little notepad. "I'll have a slice of the Black Forest Gateau and I think..." he said as he cast his eyes at Rowan, "a slice of the Chocolate Fudge Cake, too," he said with a questioning look at Rowan.

"Well, I think I can manage that," Rowan said thoughtfully. "I hope your mom likes my cooking."

Rowan nodded quickly at the suggestion of the chocolate fudge cake. She was definitely in a chocolate mood.

She kept her expression calm as the cake was placed in front of her, but the minute the waiter was gone she immediately dug in with a contented sigh.

"Okay, this cake is amazing," she said and scooped some of the thick fudge cream from the cake with her finger and held it out to Ray. "Taste this, I would love to be able to make chocolate cream like that," she remarked.

Ray grinned at her. "No doubt she will Ro, your cooking is that good you have a restaurant full of people eating it," he said proudly.

He stuck his fork into the Gateau and ate some of the cream from it tentatively before taking a forkful and eating it. He looked up at Rowan and leaned forwards slightly to lick the chocolate from her finger. He sat back and winked at her then nodded. "It's good, ask them for the recipe," he suggested as he tucked back into his slice of Gateau.

Rowan snorted. "I doubt they would ever share it."

Ray shrugged. "No harm in asking, though," he told her. "They may not even know that you're one of their rivals," he chuckled.

She made short work of her cake and sat back with a sigh and patted her belly.

"This was a really wonderful idea, Ray, I'm glad you thought of it," she told him. "I'm ready to go home, though, and show you exactly how much I appreciate this," she told him and gave him a look full of promise.

Ray grinned in response, he was glad that she had enjoyed herself, though it hadn't really been his idea. He paid the bill and handed it back to the waiter as he stood and then took Rowan's hand to lead her outside. "I'll be honest Ro, it wasn't totally my idea, Debbie suggest it," he explained, he knew how she felt about Debbie, but he didn't feel comfortable with Rowan praising him for this when he hadn't come up with it.

Rowan's eyebrows went up in surprise at Ray's confession. She fussed awkwardly to get herself belted in and then turned to Ray. Ray opened the car door for Rowan to climb inside then went round his side and started the car once she was safely strapped in.

"I guess maybe she's not as bad as I thought. However, it doesn't matter that she suggested it. You acted upon the suggestion and I appreciate that," she told him and smiled the whole way home.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

A few minutes later, Gene walked into the office. He nodded at Debbie and continued into his office and dropped onto his chair with a sigh.

Debbie stood up and rushed to the kitchen to fix him a cup of tea and get him a plate of Garibaldi's. She brought them in and placed them on his desk and held out her hand for the Dictaphone.

"Ta, Debbie, it's appreciated," he said and handed the device over. She tucked it in her pocket and moved to stand behind him.

"You look stressed," she commented. "Rough meeting?"

"Yes, as it happens. I hate politicians," he growled and grunted as she began to rub his shoulders.

"Oh, that is..." he trailed off and closed his eyes with a sigh. Debbie smiled.

"Should I add some suggestions then when I type up the notes?"

"If you wouldn't mind," he replied absently.

"I don't mind at all," she told him as she continued kneading his flesh. Soon, she'd have him where she wanted him.

"There you go, just relax. Everything will be fine," she said in a soothing tone. She leaned down and put her lips to his ear.

"I'll take good care of you, don't worry about a thing," she breathed in his ear. Gene let out a long breath and leaned into her hands. He really should get Alex to do this sometime. It felt wonderful!

Gene started to sit up.

"I better get going now, Debbie love. Ta for everything," he said and gave her a smile.

"Sure, anytime," Debbie told him and watched him walk away.

/\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\

Janine went to the chippy and got some food and noticed Sean sulking on a bench in the Square. She wondered if he'd cooled off by now and half-hoped he hadn't. She found him quite thrilling despite the fact that she hated his sister. She sauntered over and dropped onto the bench next to him and opened her chips. She picked one up and ate it and then glanced at Sean and moved the package in his direction.

"Would you like a chip, sulky face?" she asked him in a teasing tone. "You have a face like a wet weekend," she observed. "Are you sure I can't help?" she asked, her tone light, but with a hint of promise.

Sean didn't look at Janine as she sat down next to him. For some reason he couldn't seem to shake this woman off, and sometimes he didn't think that he wanted to. He glanced over at her and took a chip from her paper wrappings then ate it as he turned back to the pub. YES! Sean grinned triumphantly and winked at Roxy as he caught her looking out of the upstairs window, directly at him! He sat back cockily as she quickly dropped the curtain and disappeared.

Sean looked at Janine. "I'm fine," he told her with an arrogant grin then looked back up at the window where Roxy had been. As far as he could remember that window belonged to the kitchen.

Janine crossed her legs and shifted so that she was holding the paper wrapping between them in case he wanted another.

"Glad you're so fine," she told him and then tilted her head at him.

"You know, it wouldn't take much to convince me to help you," she told him and then shifted her eyes in the direction of the pub to indicate what she meant before meeting his gaze again. She reached over and trailed a finger along his thigh.

"We could have a bit of fun and then maybe, just maybe, I might feel generous enough to go and cause some trouble in paradise at the pub," she told him. "And if Roxy thought JT was cheating on her, I wonder who she'd run to?" she asked, her tone overly curious to make a point, then she smiled a slow, predatory smile.

"What do you say?"

Sean considered Janine. She wanted him to sleep with her, then maybe she would help him get Roxy back? Maybe...?

Sean looked at her "You might just feel generous enough..?" he echoed. She wanted him to take a gamble?

She had a point though, Roxy would come running to him if she believed JT was cheating on her. He was sure of it. Sean nodded at Janine. "I say yes," he grinned at her and then turned his gaze to the pub again, unable to contain the glee and anticipation.

"Well, then," Janine said and stood up. "Should we go back to mine and," she tossed her hair and gave him a look, "talk the plans through?"

She gave him a small smile and raised her eyebrow as she waited for his answer.

Sean looked up at Janine as she stood. He glanced at the pub briefly then looked back at the pub. He stood too and looked at her.

"Which way?"

Janine held out her hand to Sean and led him back to her flat.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\

Roxy felt uneasy, why was he _still _sitting down there? Why was he watching the pub? And he had seen her, and she was sure that she had blushed, not because he was looking at her, because she had been caught looking at him!

_And _he was sitting with Janine! God! How she hated that woman, and not only for the jealousy that had bubbled through her at the sight of her and Sean sharing chips. She had promised herself that she didn't want Sean, yet here she was, kissing him in Alleys, watching him from windows and feeling jealous when he spoke to other women. She leant against the counter and looked over at Amy as she arranged her pasta on her plate into a pattern. Roxy didn't have the heart to tell her daughter not to play with her food, not today. She went and took the seat opposite from Amy and laid her head face down on her arms with a groan. Why did Sean have to come back and screw everything up!

Amy smiled mischievously at her Mother's head and carefully picked up a handful of pasta and gently put the pieces into Roxy's hair so that she wouldn't notice.

JT went upstairs as soon as he was able. He shook his head as he saw Amy stealthily putting pasta in Roxy's hair.

"Who's a sneaky girl?" he teased her and waved his finger at her. He put a hand on the back of Roxy's head.

"Don't move, darlin', Amy's been putting her food in your hair," he told her and began to pick out the pasta pieces. He let her sit up when he got them all out and smiled at her before leaning over to kiss her.

"Are you okay?" he asked and watched her blue eyes steadily. She didn't look well at all.

Roxy lifted her head off the table and gave Amy a reproachful look. "What have I said about playing with food Amy."

Amy frowned and pointed at JT defiantly. Roxy shook her head. "Lying is naughty, too," she sighed and looked up at JT.

Roxy nodded. "I'm fine," she told him, her voice a monotone. She reached up and slid her arms around his neck to pull him down to her in a hug and rested her forehead on his shoulder with a small sigh.

JT wrapped his arms around her and wondered at her answer. He didn't think she was okay. He didn't think she was okay at all. He shifted and put a hand on her cheek and made her look up at him.

"I love you, you know. I'll help you anyway I can," he told her, his deep voice gentle and sincere. "It hurts to see you like this, Roxy, I want to help."

He slid his thumb over her cheek and gazed into her blue eyes for a moment before leaning down and kissing her softly.

Roxy kissed him back, she berated herself mentally as she found herself comparing JT's kisses to Sean's. She broke the kiss before those thoughts could go any further and looked at him steadily.

"I'm fine JT, don't worry about me," she told him and smiled at him. "I love you, too," she said to him softly.

Roxy twisted her head to look at Amy who had gone back to eating and was now sitting quietly and watching them. Roxy stuck her tongue out at her and glanced at her empty plate before releasing JT and grabbing up the plate. She stood and took it to the sink then gestured for Amy to climb down.

Amy shook her head. "Pudding!" she grinned and Roxy sighed and grabbed up an apple. "I'll bring this in to you in a bit if you go and play in the lounge," she promised and Amy clambered down and toddled away. Roxy watched her daughter leave and make her way steadily to the front room then grabbed down a knife and started cutting the apple into bite-size pieces for her daughter.

JT moved up behind Roxy and gently took her hand. He took the knife and put it on the counter and turned her to face him.

"Roxy," he breathed and then took her face in his hands and kissed her intently and thoroughly, putting everything he felt for her into the kiss. He slowly let her go and moved his hands from her face to her shoulders.

"You can talk to me about anything," he told her and then picked the knife up and put it back in her hand before going to clean up the table.

Roxy bit her lip as JT turned his back to her. How was she supposed to tell him that she was feeling things for her husband, things she wasn't sure whether she wanted to feel or not! How was she supposed to tell him that when she loved him too. She didn't want to hurt him and telling him something like that would just hurt him. So she wouldn't tell him. She would deal with it herself. Roxy turned away from JT and finished cutting up Amy's apple for her. She put it in a bowl and smiled weakly at JT as she left the kitchen. She placed the bowl on the small table near where Amy was playing and then returned to the kitchen.

Roxy stood and watched JT for a moment as he finished tidying up then moved forward a step. "I saw Sean today" she told him without looking at him. "He cornered me and Amy outside the nursery," she added, she wouldn't tell him about the kiss. She didn't want to tell him about the kiss. Roxy forced herself to look at his face and then walked forward and wrapped her arms around his middle. She hugged him for a moment then pulled away. "Who's working downstairs?" she wanted to know.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" JT asked worriedly. He wanted to punch Sean just now, but he was no doubt off elsewhere and what would it help, really?

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. No wonder she was so off with him.

"The pub is fine, Peggy has everything well in hand, but Sarah stopped in earlier and wants you to go over the books at the club and approve the orders for the coming weekend."

He pulled back from her and tilted his head slightly as he looked at her.

"I can walk you over there after Amy goes to sleep. Peggy would be happy to watch her and it will give us some time out," he suggested.

Roxy shook her head. "He didn't hurt me JT, he just..." she trailed off with a sigh, what had Sean done? Ignited all her old feelings for him again with just one kiss? Yes, that he had done.

She rested her head back on his chest and let herself be soothed by the feel of being close to him.

She nodded at his suggestion. "I'll text Sarah and tell her that we'll be over in a bit," she agreed.

Roxy glanced at the door to the lounge as she heard Amy singing to herself. She smiled and raised her head to press her lips back to JT's. She kissed him softly then squeezed his hand. "I'm going to go and check that she's not drawing on the walls again," she smiled and let go of him then wandered off to go and check on Amy.

JT nodded and watched her go. He sighed heavily and turned his attention to the dishes in the sink. Something to do, he thought with a shrug and started in on the washing up.

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Alyssa opened the door and dropped her bag next to the sideboard before looking around for Jack.

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Jack sat at the table in the garden and smoked as he looked over the planting boxes. Everything was blooming nicely, no weeds, he couldn't figure out why Alyssa was so obsessed with him doing something out here. Couldn't she see everything was fine? What was it exactly she expected him to do. He sighed and leaned back in the chair as he closed his eyes and lifted his face to the sunshine.

He'd worry about it later, he decided and cracked open an eye so he could see to grab his beer and took a long drink.

Alyssa frowned when she couldn't find Jack inside the house. She glanced out of the kitchen window into the garden as she got herself a glass of water and smiled as she spotted him, sunning himself on the patio. She took a sip of the water before moving upstairs to get changed. She came downstairs once she was out of her work clothes and made her way outside to join him. She moved quietly and made sure her shadow didn't fall across him and disturb him.

Alyssa stood behind him and then bent her head and kissed his forehead lightly. "Hey, Lazybones," she grinned at him as she took her seat next to him. "Please tell me you haven't been sunning yourself here all day while I've been stuck inside at work," she smiled.

Jack cursed and jumped. He hadn't heard her sneak up on him.

Alyssa laughed as he jumped.

Alyssa shook her head. "Just the look on your face when you didn't know I was there," she smiled. "So, cleaning?" she asked. "I didn't know the house needed cleaning."

"Yes, it did. I hadn't cleaned the spare room in a while and there were some issues in the main bathroom that needed sorting," he explained and then looked around at the planters as he took a contemplative drag off his cigarette.

"Oh, I offered to babysit for Rowan and Ray once the twins are born if they ever need a break," she informed him as she reached for her glass again and took a small sip.

Jack nodded at her comment. "Well, that's to be expected isn't it?" he said absently, still looking around. He blew out a long plume of smoke and turned his head towards her.

"So, I may be in for a smack, but you realize there is nothing out here that needs doing?" he asked her and gestured at the garden. "There's no weeds and everything is growing quite well. We have some lovely blooms, so, I don't know exactly what is in your head, woman, because I think it looks fine," he finally blurted and braced himself for the storm.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows at him and pointed towards the hedgerow.

"What about that?" she said as she directed his attention to the overgrown row of bushes along the fence. "That needs trimming doesn't it?" she commented. "There are other things beyond the flowers and weeds you know, Jack."

"But..." he began to protest. "Fine, I'll trim it," he surrendered sulkily. "Is that it? Because honestly, you could have said that in the first place."

He huffed out a breath and drained his beer. "I'll just go and get the...thing...trimmer...whatsit."

He grabbed up the empty bottle and tossed it in the bin before going to rummage the hedge trimmer out of the small shed and walked over and began to trim after a sour look at Alyssa.

Alyssa couldn't hold back the chuckle as she watched him grumpily go to trim the hedge, it really didn't have to be now, he could have left it until tomorrow! But now he had started she wasn't going to go and stop him.

Alyssa drained her glass and stood up. She left him to it as she went inside and dug around in the fridge for something to cook. She would make it up to him.

Jack stopped trimming and lifted the goggles and noticed Alyssa had gone. He sighed. He hoped she was going to cook something decent for dinner, he was hungry now.

He finished the hedge and looked at it. Not perfect, but it was done now. He quickly put the trimmer away and went inside.

"Going for a shower!" he called out as he headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Alyssa looked up as he called out then chuckled lightly. She glanced out of the window at the hedge and smiled. At least it was tidy now.

She smiled at the sound of the shower going on upstairs and left the macaroni on the stove as she pulled another beer out of the fridge, ready for when he came back downstairs. She put the rest of the macaroni cheese together and left it to bake for a while in the oven. She sighed happily and got herself a glass of wine.

Jack quickly showered and came downstairs, hair wet but dressed in fresh clothes.

"So, guess that's all my chores done," he said cheerfully and cracked open the beer as he dropped onto a chair.

"What we eating?" he wanted to know.

Alyssa looked at him with a smile, she loved his hair wet, it gave him a shaggy look that she just adored.

"Macaroni Cheese," she smiled and gestured to the oven. "It's just finishing now," she told him as she moved over to him and ran her fingers through his hair.

"You know, you could have left the hedge until tomorrow," she smiled at him.

Alyssa smiled "What else would you like?" she asked as she looked over at the oven briefly.

She grinned at him and bent to plant a kiss on the top of his head before taking the seat next to him. "So, Macaroni Cheese and...?" she asked.

Well, we could have sausages or burgers or something surely?" he asked petulantly and looked at her pathetically.

He got up and looked in the fridge. "We've got some burgers in here," he said and gestured at the freezer. He pulled the package of frozen hamburger patties out and held them out to her.

"Can just thaw them in the microwave yeah?" he said with a grin.

Alyssa smiled at him as she took the packet and opened it.

"You want burgers with Macaroni Cheese?" she questioned incredulously as she took a couple of burgers out for him and put them on a plate in the microwave. She set the microwave running as she got the Macaroni out of the oven and set it on the table. She passed Jack some plates and then got herself the cutlery to put on the table, too.

She grabbed the plate of burgers once it was done and set it in front of him. "There," she smiled. "Burgers with Maccy Cheese," she said as she kissed the top of his head and took her seat with grin at him.

"I used to make it myself all the time," he replied, a hint of smugness in his tone. "Hot dogs aren't bad with it either...or sausages," he added.

Jack grinned and bit into his burger.

"Perfect," he mumbled around his mouthful of food. He couldn't believe she wanted to eat just macaroni cheese. No substance that. He liked meat.

Alyssa smiled at the pride in his voice but couldn't help the snort of disbelief.

"You're putting another protein with a protein dish?" she said as she eyed the burgers. She wasn't a fan of the pre-packaged microwave stuff and had bought them on his request. She gazed out of the window idly and then looked back at him.

"We should get everyone together and have a barbecue one weekend, when it's sunny," she said as she gestured to the garden. "We have the space for it," she added with a smile.

Jack swallowed down his mouthful of macaroni cheese hurriedly.

"That's a fantastic idea! Why haven't we done it before?" he mused. "You make a plan and I'll go and buy a barbecue grill," he said excitedly, unaware he was rubbing his hands together.

"We haven't done it before because we didn't have the house this time last year and it's only just warm enough to have one" she told him with a smile as she tucked into her food. The plan was already forming in her head. She'd been wondering about it for a while and now that the summer was getting warmer and warmer it seemed like the perfect time. They could all sit outside in the garden and relax in the sunshine.

She grinned at him.

Ffion watched Sean leave with Janine and breathed a sigh. She was getting tired of sneaking around to avoid Sean, but he terrified her. She was also getting tired of Rhys. If it weren't for the few friends she'd made and Bradley, she wasn't sure she would cope. She needed to get out of here. She and Bradley both.

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Bradley and Ffion left the pub and headed home. Ffion glanced nervously around but saw no sign of Sean and so relaxed a bit. She was going to definitely talk to Bradley when they got home about moving to Cardiff. She couldn't live like this any more.

Rowan had Molly to help at the restaurant now, and Ffion thought Rowan would have plenty of time to find someone else before Molly went back to school.

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Peter cast an eye over the table and nodded. It would do. He opened the box and inspected the ring he'd bought her, silver band with a small sapphire, and closed it again and put it in the middle of her plate along with one long-stem red rose.

He'd talked this over with Jane and she'd given him advice on everything to make it nice. She'd even got them a small bottle of champagne on his promise they wouldn't drink too much. He went into the front room and checked his reflection nervously as he waited for Molly to show up.

It was their one year anniversary and he wanted it to be perfect.

Alex dropped Molly off outside Peters house and waved goodbye before driving away. Molly sorted her hair quickly in the reflection in a window then hurried over and rang the doorbell to his house. He'd seemed so anxious this afternoon when he'd invited her over. She wondered why.

Peter smoothed his tie a final time and hurried to get the door.

"Hi, Molly," he greeted as he let her in and handed her a half-dozen roses and a card.

"Happy anniversary," he said. "I'm not sure the exact date we became official because we never said, but it was around now, so I picked today," he told her. "I got us dinner," he said as he led her through the kitchen towards the dining table. "And Mum got us a bottle of champagne on the promise we don't drink it all."

He looked at the table and then looked back at Molly and smiled.

"So, what do you think?" he asked her, hoping she would like it.

Molly beamed at Peter as she took the card and the roses from him. She followed him through to the front room and couldn't help the smile. He'd done all this for her? She laid the flowers on the table carefully and looked at Peter. She moved over to him and took his hand as she kissed him.

"I think that you're the sweetest guy in the world and I love you," she told him with a smile.

Peter smiled back at her. "I love you, too, Molly," he told her softly. He put his arm around her waist and turned her towards the table and reached over to pick up the box.

"I got you this," he said and held it out to her.

Molly looked at him inquisitively as she took the box "Dinner, roses and a gift?" she said, unable to stop the smile from spreading over her face. She opened the box and stared at the ring inside. She looked back up at Peter, a gasp escaping her. She put the ring on the kissed him again "Thank you" she whispered.

"You're welcome," he told her and took her hand and looked at the ring. "It's a promise ring, Molly," he explained. "I want to ask you to marry me when I finish school this year. I...I really do love you, Molly."

He smiled and let out a long breath. "So, should we eat now?" he asked, nervously changing the subject.

Molly held up her hands to stop him talking.

"Whoa! Hang on a second, rewind!" she gaped at him "Marry you?" she asked feeling a little shocked, that she hadn't expected at all! "You want to marry me? You're serious?"

"Yes!" Peter blurted out, a little surprised at Molly's questions. "Of course I do. I've never met anyone like you. And you know...maybe Mr. Hunt would get used to it. But I've made my mind up. I mean...look, I've got a house and I've got my own business, well, two if you count the veg stall...even if I do let Billy pretty much run it for me," he told her.

"I'm done with school this year, no matter what. There's no point in continuing really. And, well, I want to share it all with you."

He pulled her close and hugged her then let her go. "I'll understand if you say no, but don't say it because of school...because I don't expect you to leave. You keep on, I totally support that, Molly. If I didn't, then I'd have to worry about your mum killing me as well as Mr. Hunt," he joked weakly.

"But, well, we've been together a year and I think it's been great and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you'll let me," he admitted.

Molly looked back at him again. "I'm not saying no, Peter, I'm just saying not yet."

Peter's eyes widened at her.

"Molly..." he began and waited until she was finished.

Molly melted in his arms. She hugged him tightly. She bit her lip. "Peter," she said softly as she shifted to look at him. "What if we do get married, but then you meet someone else, what if we get married and then realise that we've rushed into it or something?" she said uncertainly. "It seems like such a huge step," she said.

Molly moved her head back to his shoulder. "But I do love you Peter, and, seeing as it's my 18th soon, Mum and Gene can't stop me moving in with you if I want to," she smiled.

He snorted a laugh. "I'm not asking you yet," he told her. "I'm promising that I will ask you this time next year when you're done with school. And I hope when I do you'll say yes."

Molly smiled at Peter and kissed him "I hope I do too" she told him as she looked down at the ring on her finger. Molly beamed up at him and looked at the table "So, what are we eating?" she asked curiously.

"Anything besides that?" he asked curiously. "Because I'm really hungry."

He grinned.

"And yes, I know, but I'm not entirely certain, so it just seemed safer to do it now," he joked.

Peter smiled.

"Jane made lasagne for us. Hope that's fine," he replied.

He walked over to the table and picked up the bottle of champagne.

"Ready?" he asked.

Molly nodded. "Sure," she agreed as she followed him happily.

Peter opened the bottle and filled two glasses and handed one to her.

"Cheers," he said and held up his glass towards her.

Molly took her glass from him and clinked her glass against his.

"Cheers," she smiled and put it to her lips to take a sip.

Peter ate his way through dinner, trying hard to think of things to talk about, but the champagne was making his thinking a bit fuzzy. He also began to wonder exactly what Molly might want to do to celebrate.

Molly ate her way through the lasagne as she drank the wine. The bubbles kept getting up her nose, she'd had champagne before, but only half a glass. Never this much. Molly reasoned that as she was eating as she drank then it was fine. She wasn't drinking it to get drunk anyway so it didn't count. She noticed Peter wasn't talking very much and wondered what was on his mind but didn't comment on it. The silences weren't awkward, just thoughtful.

"So," he began and picked up the bottle and poured them each a second glass before putting the bottle in the kitchen so Jane would see how much they'd drank. He held out his hand to her and led her to the front room and tugged her to sit with him on the couch. He drank off half his glass and turned to Molly.  
>"How late can you stay?" he asked curiously and pushed a lock of her hair from her face.<p>

"I'm not sure, until Mum texts me and says it's time to come home, I guess," she sighed and twirled her the stem of her wine glass idly as she spoke.

Molly sighed softly as he broke the kiss and squeezed his hand gently as he moved to whisper to her. Her breath caught for a second, she blew it out as a tidal wave of conflicting thoughts crashed her mind. She closed her eyes and pushed her mind away, deciding to go with her gut feeling. Molly opened her eyes and looked at Peter, she moved her lips to his and kissed him softly, her mind made up.

When he saw she was finished he took the dishes in to the kitchen and left them in the sink.

He put his glass down on the coffee table and took the glass from her hand and placed it next to his and pulled her close and kissed her. He was ready for this. He hoped she would be. He moved his lips to her ear.

"Do you want to come upstairs with me?" he asked her seriously and pulled back to look at her face as he laced his hands with hers and waited nervously for her answer.

"Yes," she breathed.

Peter looked at her, happy she'd said yes, but still surprised. He stood up and took her hand and helped her up.

"Okay," he breathed and led her upstairs to his room.

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Janine opened her eyes and smirked to herself before glancing over at Sean dozing next to her. What an adventure that had been! Just amazing! She was more than happy to help him with Roxy, but she was going to have to drag it out a bit. She wouldn't mind doing this again at all.

Sean lay on Janine's bed and yawned quietly. He didn't really want to move, but he didn't want Janine getting ideas by him staying longer than he needed to. He sat up and looked at her "See you round" he told her as he climbed off the bed and dressed himself. He looked at her once before leaving her flat.

Janine greedily watched him get dressed, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. She gave him a little wave as he left.

"I'll get started on my part of our little...agreement...tomorrow," she told him and blew him a kiss.

Sean grunted in reply. At least she was going to do as they agreed. He had been dubious.

Janine dropped back onto the bed and began to think over how she could best work on JT.


	25. Chapter 25

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 25**

Ray yawned and turned his radio up louder. He was glad the motorway was clear, but then at 5am what were you supposed to expect? He sighed, the majority of his day was going to be spent driving, though on the way back he would get company. He was going to pick up his Mum, he told he should be there around 9am, but with the lack of traffic it looked as though he would get there earlier than that. He was glad, it meant he could stop for a cup of tea before taking her back with him to London.

Ray sighed as he glanced at the clock briefly then back at the road. He wasn't complaining about going to pick Maggie up. It meant that he go out of the house while Rowan did her last minute sweep of the flat; she'd stopped cleaning so much over the last few days, but he wasn't stupid enough to believe that she was going to leave it today, the day when his Mum was actually going to arrive. He knew that the moment she got up she would do another massive clean. He didn't even know why Rowan was going to such extremes, his Mum liked her well enough, she wouldn't be too bothered about the cleanliness, a speck of dust would not phase her. Yet no matter how much he tried to explain this to Rowan she would just not listen.

Ray smiled at the sign that pointed to Manchester Town Centre and finally pulled off the Motorway. He navigated his way through the familiar roads until he reached the neighbourhood where he had grown up and parked his car outside the familiar little house. He clambered out of his car and waved at the silver - haired woman swapping her milk bottles next door

"Morning, Mrs. Shaw," he greeted her pleasantly.

"Good Morning, Ray, how are you?" she asked with a smile at him.

"Good, ta," he grinned. "yourself?" he asked back politely. He didn't really want to make small talk with his Mum's next door neighbour, but he wasn't going to ignore her now it had started.

Evelyn nodded. "Fine, perfectly fine," she smiled back as she retreated back into her house. Ray bent and grabbed up the new milk bottles and knocked on the front door.

Maggie muttered to herself as she dragged herself down the stairs to open the door. Ray wasn't due for another 20 minutes and she was in the middle of packing up everything. She shouldn't have left it this long, but she hadn't found time during the week to do it. She opened the door grumpily and her frown instantly bloomed into a wide smile at the sight of her son. "Ray!" she announced happily. "I wasn't expecting you for another 20 minutes at least," she said as she stood back to let him in.

Ray stepped over the threshold and placed the milk bottles on the side as he shut the door and pulled his Mum into a hug. "Yeah, well, the motorway was clear all the way up so I had a free run," he explained as he let her go and took the milk through to the kitchen. "If you hurry up then we can probably avoid some of the traffic on the way down, though, I'm expecting a gridlock," he sighed.

Maggie followed him through to the kitchen and watched him put the milk in the fridge and switch the kettle on. "You want breakfast?" she asked and Ray shook his head. "Nah, Ro made me a burrito last night to heat up this morning when I got up so I ate that on the way down," he told her and she nodded.

"Good," she said. "How is she?" she asked curiously.

Ray grinned. "Huge," he supplied with a shrug. "Really getting quite big," he said. "And no doubt up at the moment and cleaning the flat for the 50th time this week," he said and looked at Maggie's puzzled face. "She's nervous about you coming to stay."

Maggie snorted. "She shouldn't be, what am I going to do!" she said indignantly. Ray smiled. "That's what I've been saying, but she wants everything to be perfect," he shrugged.

Maggie sighed. "As long as the pair of you are happy and the babies are healthy then it is perfect," she told him and Ray smiled. "You can tell her that then Mam, because she won't listen to me."

Maggie chuckled and hurriedly made Ray his tea then left him to it as she went back upstairs to pack up the remaining things that were splayed out on her bed ready to go into her suitcase.

Ray lifted his Mum's suitcase into the boot as Maggie locked up the house, left a note for the milkman and shot a glare at her next door neighbour's house. She turned to Ray with a grin and climbed inside his car as Ray got off the phone with Rowan. She buckled down and sat back as Ray drove out of Manchester.

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Rowan bid a regretful goodbye to Ray and flopped back onto the bed. She heard him nuke the breakfast burrito she'd made for him to take and sighed at the sound of the door closing. A few short hours and his mother would be here. She glanced at the clock and debated going back to sleep, but she was awake now.

She dragged herself from bed and padded into the kitchen after pulling her hair up into a hair claw. She opened the cabinet where she kept extra ingredients for cooking. She'd had to insist on getting it. It was becoming too hard to climb the stairs with her arms full of ingredients. She looked at the neatly organized shelves and contemplated. She would make muffins, she decided. She pulled the ingredients to do chocolate, banana nut and the coffee cake ones Ray seemed to be getting fond of and got busy.

She flipped on the CD player and turned the music up loud as she began to sing along as she mixed batter and got the muffins in the oven. She hurriedly cleaned the kitchen until it was shining and then looked over the front room before attacking it as well. She put the muffins out to cool and checked the time before scrubbing down the bathroom. She then checked over and cleaned the nursery and then reorganized the linen closet.

She paced around for several minutes, glanced at the clock again and decided to take a shower. She looked over her clothes and finally decided to wear a new deep violet-colored summer dress she'd bought the last time she'd gone shopping with Alyssa. She applied some make up sparingly and curled her hair, pulling it up on the sides with a hair claw so the curls spilled down her back.

She pulled on her white cardigan to brighten up the dress and cover the expanse of her back the dress left visible. She was comfortable with Ray seeing the long thin scars on her back, but she still didn't like the idea of anyone else seeing them, certainly not his mother!

She glanced at the clock again and gnawed her lip, if all was going well Ray and his mother would be here in just two short hours. She picked up her phone to see if Ray had left Manchester yet.

She went downstairs after tucking her phone in the pocket of her cardi and chatted idly with Syed and Trevor as they tidied up after breakfast rush and she herself had a glass of juice and a bacon sandwich.

Janine waited in the alley near the pub and kept watch for JT. She knew he often went to the Minute Mart in the morning and wanted to "accidentally" run into him. She peered around the corner and jumped back when she noticed him walking in the direction of the pub. She flashed an inward smile and then whirled from the alley as she heard his footsteps and was rewarded by the impact as they collided.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she gasped and bent to help JT pick up the things he'd dropped.

"Yeah, it's fine, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," he said with a shame-faced smile and gratefully took the bag from her.

"Are you sure I didn't injure you?" she asked and trailed a finger down his chest.

JT took a step back and shook his head. "No, no, I'm fine," he assured her. "Excuse me," he said and stepped around her.

"As long as you're sure," she called after him and he barely waved. Janine watched him disappear into the pub and headed off. Step one complete.

Whitney frowned as she watched Janine walk off. She hadn't realized JT and Janine were so friendly. She headed into the pub and saw Roxy off in the corner talking with Peggy. She wondered if she should say something to Roxy. But then, it might be nothing. Janine had run into him and it looked like she'd been apologizing. Surely, there was no more to it than that, Whitney decided. She would keep it to herself, she decided.

She pulled out her phone and sent off a text to Molly.

"So, saw Peter at the cafe this morning and he looks like he's walking on air. What did the pair of you get up to the other day?" she wanted to know. She grinned and stuck her phone back in her pocket. She knew it had been Molly and Peter's anniversary, she'd helped Peter pick the ring out. But she'd heard nothing from either one of them all day Thursday and her curiosity was becoming unbearable.

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Rhys sat at his desk and brooded. Ffion was becoming a hermit in some bizarre quest to avoid Sean. According to Bradley, she was convinced Sean was going to try and get back at her for Rhys arresting him. She was scared and thinking about going back to Cardiff.

Rhys snorted. Stupid women. Sean wouldn't go anywhere near Fee, not if he was smart. Rhys had made sure Sean understood that. Then, to top it off, Tanya seemed to busy to see him the last few times he'd asked her out. He turned his surly expression on his computer monitor and tried to make sense of the report he was trying to finish.

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Molly sighed and rolled over to look at her phone as it woke her. Who was texting her at such a ridiculous time? It was the holidays!

She grabbed her phone and read Whitney's text, a smile playing around her lips. She sent one back.

"Our anniversary was Wednesday :)" she sent back and then dropped her phone onto the mattress next to her as she snuggled back under the bedcovers and thought about Friday evening. She hadn't told her Mum or Gene yet: she could only imagine Gene's reaction.

Molly sighed and reached for her phone and read through her texts. She smiled at the sight of the ring on her finger. Peter was going to ask her to marry him. She hadn't told her Mum that either; Alex hadn't noticed the ring yet and Molly would explain when the topic came up. Until then she wasn't going to be saying anything.

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Sean watched out of the window sullenly. He had just seen Janine stalk across the square with an overly satisfied smirk on her face. He supposed she'd started breaking Roxy and JT, he hoped she'd started; He hadn't slept with her for the enjoyment of it.

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Ray sighed happily as he pulled up outside the Restaurant. He'd driven the long route around Walford at Maggie's request to show her the area. He parked up and grabbed her stuff from the boot.

"So, this is home," he said proudly as he gestured up at the Restaurant. Maggie looked up at it and then back at Ray. "This is Rowan's?" she asked and he nodded. "Wait til you try her food Mam!" he told her as he carried her suitcase towards the door and held it open for her.

Ray looked around the Restaurant an then glanced at the time. "Ro's probably in the kitchen," he told her and pointed her towards it then carried the suitcase up the stairs and left it in the flat. He bounded back down the stairs and stared at his Mum in confusion. "What are you doing still standing there, Mam?" he asked as he slid an arm around her shoulders and guided her through the Restaurant to the kitchen.

Ray smiled at Maggie as he spotted Rowan and went to kiss her. He smiled happily at her as he held her. "I think Mam's a bit nervous, too," he whispered quietly. "She's barely said a word since we got into London," he murmured to her quietly.

Rowan touched Ray's cheek and pushed down on the table to help herself stand up.

Ray turned back to Maggie and gestured to Syed and Trevor. "Mam, this is Syed and Trevor, they work for Rowan," he introduced and then turned to the two men. "This is my Mam, Maggie," he told them.

"Hi, how are you?" Syed smiled and gave Maggie a friendly wave.

"Hiya," Trevor glanced up and waved the butcher's knife he was wielding and flashed Maggie the smile that charmed so many hearts. It still amused Rowan to no end the amount of women that seemed to show up here to eat just for a glimpse of Trevor.

Maggie stood uneasily in the large kitchen and nodded her hello's to Trevor and Syed, their friendly greetings had made her feel a bit better but the curious anxiety was still lingering. She moved her gaze back to Rowan and Ray curiously as they spoke quietly to each other.

Rowan walked over to Maggie.

"Hi, welcome, are you hungry?" she asked, trying hard to hide her nerves with a large smile plastered on her face. "We could have an early lunch or I baked muffins this morning, we could go up and I can make some tea to go with them," she offered.

"It's good to see you again," she said. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Lunch we can eat down here, um..." she peered into the dining room and noticed James was walking around setting the tables. "James can take care of us."

She quickly closed her mouth, aware that her nerves were making her babble. Although, she had to admit, she felt slightly less nervous knowing Maggie might be as anxious as she was.

She bit her lip and flashed a quick glance in Ray's direction before taking a deep breath and stepping forward to give Maggie a hug of welcome.

A smile played around Maggie's lips as Rowan babbled, she remained silent and kept the friendly expression on her face, refusing to let the nerves show. She hugged Rowan with a smile and let go after a moment with a glance at Ray. She raised an eyebrows at the self-satisfied smiled plastered all over his face. She turned her attention back to Rowan. "I wouldn't mind a nice cup of tea," she said pleasantly.

"Well, then," Ray said as he slid his hand into Rowan's and tugged gently and grinned at his Mum. "Upstairs?" he asked Rowan. "Get Mam settled in and all that?" he said with a glance at Maggie. Maggie nodded back with a smallish shrug. It was their home not hers, she felt a little uncomfortable.

Rowan nodded at Maggie's reply and looked over at Ray and smiled.

"The stairs are just down the hall over here," Rowan said and squeezed Ray's hand before letting it go and walking out of the kitchen and leading Maggie to the hall.

"Go on up, I'll be right behind you," Rowan said and waited for Maggie to precede her. Rowan didn't want to be watched as she would make her very awkward way up the stairs. This was almost better. Friday lunch could often get very busy and the flat would be quieter. She had some cold roast left in the fridge she thought, she could make sandwiches easily if Maggie wanted more than tea and muffins.

Maggie did as she was told and made her way steadily up the stairs. She nodded slowly at Rowan's words as she reached the top and gently pushed on the door to open it. She made her way inside their home curiously. She had been imagining what it would look like for a while now. She grinned as she looked around: it was unbelievably tidy! She smiled at Rowan as she inspected everything with her gaze.

She grabbed the rail and began hauling herself up behind Maggie as quickly as she could.

"I left the door open, just walk on in," Rowan told Maggie as she saw her approaching the landing. She finally reached the top of the stairs too and went in right behind Maggie.

Ray followed Rowan upstairs and patted her back gently as she reached the top. "Would you like me to get you a stair lift?" he murmured to her quietly and smiled to show he was teasing as he took her hand and squeezed it before heading into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

"Very funny," Rowan murmured back.

"Take a seat, Mam," he told her as he gestured to the table.

"Go ahead and sit down, I'll get the kettle ready," Rowan told her and moved over to switch it on. She grabbed the basket of muffins off the counter and put it in the center of the table and then got down three small plates and put them next to the basket.

"I baked these just this morning so they're nice and fresh. There's chocolate, banana walnut and coffee cake," she explained, pointing at each type of muffin in turn before turning to get the mugs from the mug tree. She put the mugs on the counter and looked over at Ray, then at Maggie.

Maggie sat down. She looked over the muffins and chose one at random from the basket. Ray watched Rowan for a second, knowing that she would want to keep busy thanks to her nerves. He grabbed a chocolate muffin from the basket and put it on a plate for himself. He grinned at Maggie.

"You could show her the spare room," Rowan suggested as she waited anxiously for the kettle to boil, tapping her fingers nervously on the counter. She knew Ray couldn't understand why she was so nervous, but if he knew Gem better he would understand. In Rowan's eyes, Maggie was just like Gem and just as terrifying. She would be eating Rowan's cooking. Would she like it? Was the flat clean enough? Would the sheets be soft enough? She gripped clasped her hands together to stop the tapping and tried to calm herself.

Ray nodded amiably. "Sure," he agreed as Maggie stood automatically.

Ray led Maggie to the room which would be hers and sat on the bed. "You're being unusually quiet," he commented and Maggie shrugged. "It's just so strange," she replied. "You've never had a girlfriend before so I've never had to visit and it's so odd," she explained as she sat next to him. Ray hugged her. "It's odd for me and Ro too, Mam, she's never had to do this either," he told her.

Rowan watched Ray lead his mother to the nursery and hoped Maggie wouldn't mind sleeping there. There was plenty of room with just the dresser and crib and bed. Rowan had made sure a couple of the drawers in the dresser were empty-the rest were loaded with baby clothes. And she'd had Ray put up a some shelves for toys, one of which had a rail for hanging things on. Rowan had made sure there were some hangers Maggie could use to hang up any clothes she didn't want to put in drawers.

She quickly fixed the tea and put the mugs on the table. She added milk and sugar to Ray's and then put the milk and sugar on the table in case Maggie wanted it. She gnawed a fingernail and wondered if she should just sit down at the table and wait for them to come back or go to the bedroom. She was sure they were talking in there and didn't want to interrupt.

She huffed out a breath as one of the babied kicked and sat down to stroke her belly.

Maggie looked around the room curiously. She took in everything then turned to Ray with a smile.

"This is where you're going to put your children," she said with a proud smile and Ray nodded as he looked around. "What d'you think?" he asked.

Maggie smiled broadly. "I think it's wonderful," she beamed and Ray grinned at her. "Good."

He looked around once more then looked at Maggie again. "You don't mind sleeping in here do you? It's the only spare room we've got really," he told her with a small smile and Maggie pushed at him lightly. "Why on earth would I mind?" she scoffed and Ray shrugged.

"While I'm down here I want to go everywhere," she told him. "I want to go to the Station and see the team, I want to meet everyone you know and I want to go to all the places you go to," she told him decisively. Ray chuckled. "That shouldn't be too difficult, I think Ro's planning a big get-together while you're down here, which means you'll get to meet all our close friends," he smiled. "So, that'll be Ro's sister Alyssa and her husband, Ro's nephew JT, his partner Roxy and her daughter Amy, maybe Shaz and Chris, Alex, Gene, Molly and Sam..." he listed, ticking people off on his hands.

Maggie's ears pricked up. "Gene?" she asked. "Gene _Hunt_, you're still working for him?" she wanted to know and Ray nodded. "Yup, he's married now, again," he added. "And got a kid, too," he sighed and looked towards the door. "You wanna unpack now? Or go eat those muffins?" he asked.

"Eat definitely, I'm gasping for a cuppa," she laughed as she stood from the bed and led him out of the bedroom and back to the kitchen. She smiled at Rowan as she sat back down in the seat that she had left and pulled the muffin she had put down towards her.

Ray took the seat next to Rowan and grinned at her as he immediately dug into the chocolate muffin.

Maggie looked up at Rowan and smiled at her. "Ray tells me that we're having a get-together with all your friends," she said, she wanted to start a conversation and hoped to ease Rowans nerves, they couldn't be quiet around each other for the entire time she was down here, best thing to do was get a conversation going.

Rowan looked up and swallowed the small bite she'd broken off the coffee cake muffin she was eating and nodded as Maggie sat down.

"Yes, tomorrow evening," she replied and pushed the sugar and milk over to Maggie could reach it easily if she wanted it.

"Alyssa said she and Jack won't miss it. I haven't heard from Alex and Mr. Hunt yet. Molly will no doubt say when she gets in for work. JT and Roxy are coming. Syed said he and Christian will be there. Shaz is coming but Chris has to work so he'll be late. Simon said he could make it, but Ginger will be late, he's working," she tapped the side of her mug and furrowed her brow then shrugged. "As for Ffion, Bradley and Rhys...well...that's a toss up. Syed walks Ffion to work in the morning, but apparently she hardly leaves the house otherwise and she's still not talking to Rhys so..." she shrugged and glanced at Ray.

"I think that's everyone isn't it?" she asked him then looked at Maggie.

"I'll be doing Mexican food...well...Syed and Trevor will be doing a fair share of the cooking and I'll be supervising," she chuckled. She stopped chuckling and huffed out a breath as the kicking began again. She broke off another piece of the muffin to eat and patted her belly.

Maggie reached for the milk and added it to her drink as she listened carefully, picking out the people that she knew and trying to remember the names of the people that she didn't. Rowan was listing them in pairs? She assumed all of these people were together if Rowan was talking about them as pairs. She nodded along as she listened.

Ray nodded. "Sounds like it," he agreed.

Maggie looked to Ray and then back to Rowan. "I know some of those people," she smiled. "Chris and Gene anyway," she shrugged. "So the rest of them..." she trailed off and Ray chuckled. "You'll be fine Mam, they're all lovely," he smiled and she rolled her eyes. "I wasn't worried, Ray," she retorted and he nodded disbelievingly. "Sure," he said with a grin.

Maggie frowned at him then looked to Rowan again. "So, all of these people are together?" she asked "I'm assuming so, seeing as you listed them in pairs," she smiled as she sipped her tea and cradled the mug in her hands.

Rowan nodded. "Yes, mostly couples. Rhys is single. Watch out for him, he's good looking and he knows it, he's a terrible flirt," she advised Maggie. She glanced at Ray. "I think Jane's coming, if she doesn't have a show," she told him and then turned back to Maggie.

"Jane hired me at the café the day I arrived here," she explained. "The next day, she sold me the café and left town not long after. She was leaving her husband," Rowan continued. "She came back though, and bought the café back off me for a nice sum and I used the money to buy this place," she finished with a gesture to indicate the restaurant and flat. She reached over and took Ray's hand and gave him a warm look. "The next day, I asked Ray to move in here with me and he said yes."

Maggie let loose a laugh. "Wow, such amazing luck!" she beamed. "So, you've moved from a Cafe to a Restaurant?" she said with a smile at Rowan. "Your food must be something good or else that wouldn't have worked," she said with a small wink at the pair of them.

"I think luck and timing had a great deal to do with it. I traveled around a lot, so I was used to a lot of first days, but not like the one I had when I got here. Jane hired me on the spot. She tossed her apron at me and left. I met Alyssa later that day and when Jane came back she offered us a flat. It was probably the weirdest first day I'd ever had," she laughed. She looked over at Ray.

"I met Pat that day, and Christian and Syed had um…well….a very interesting conversation and I met Jack Branning then, too. I'm not sure, but I think he tried to chat me up," she mused and shook her head and chuckled.

She flashed a mischievous grin at Ray and then looked at Maggie. "As for Ray moving in, it might have just been because he didn't like having a flat over a sari shop," she teased and gave Ray's hand a squeeze.

Ray snorted. "And the fact that if I live with you, above a restaurant, I get amazing food whenever I want it!" he added with a grin at Maggie as he squeezed Rowan's hand back.

Maggie looked at Ray. "I hope you weren't living on take-aways while you were living on your own," she told him sternly and Ray's smile drooped.

"Not all the time," he replied cautiously.

"Ray! I know cooking isn't something you so well, but even you can make beans on toast!" she admonished and bit into her muffin as Ray sighed and looked at Rowan as he rolled his eyes.

"I can do more than make beans on toast now, Mam, Ro's been teaching me,"

Maggie beamed at Rowan. "Is he as much of a tyke in the kitchen as he was when he was little?" she asked. "Always wanting to lick the bowl, or lick the spoon, he had to be the one to stir the sauce, too," she laughed. "I remember the first time I let him make his own sandwiches!" she chuckled with a look at Ray. "He ended up covered in chocolate spread!"

Ray scowled. "It wouldn't come off the knife onto the bread so I used my hands, then my nose got itchy," he said.

Rowan covered her mouth to hold back her laughter at Maggie's comments, but was unsuccessful. The thought of a little Ray covered in chocolate was just too funny an image.

"Well, he was a disaster with legs when I first started trying to teach him, but he's getting better. He still uses too much soap when he washes up, though," she grinned at Ray. "He'll have to make breakfast for you tomorrow," she promised. "My biggest problem is keeping him away from sweets. For all that he proclaims he doesn't have a sweet tooth, he eats a lot," she said and gestured at the muffins.

"As for the rest, I tend to be slightly territorial in the kitchen so he wisely stayed out of my way when I cook, though I've gotten better since I started teaching him," she admitted.

Maggie smiled warmly at Rowan as she listened to her talk. It seemed she had got over some of her nerves at least and Maggie was glad. If Rowan wasn't nervous then she wouldn't be either; there was nothing worse than that awkward atmosphere.

Ray grunted as they both ganged up on him. "Stuff comes out the bottle too quick," he grumbled as he took a large bite of his muffin. "And, I don't like sweet stuff," he protested and Maggie snorted.

"Ray, sweet shop on the corner of the High Street," she reminded him and Ray looked at her. "What about it?" he asked. Maggie sighed and looked at Rowan. "There's an old fashioned sweet shop on the High Street and every Friday he'd beg me for money to buy sweets. Then he got himself a paper round and I'm sure half his wages went to that shop," she smiled.

"Lies" Ray muttered quietly and Maggie pulled a face at him.

"If I left him alone in the same room with these, they would be gone within 10 minutes, I swear," Rowan joked. "And then there's the constant swiping of Alex's Pop Tarts at work."

Ray turned to Rowan. "I'm gonna replace the Pop Tarts anyway, that's her birthday present and it's not just me that eats them!" he told her. "Besides, Alex shouldn't be eating them anyway, they aren't good for her."

Rowan patted Ray's hand. "My, my, you certainly do protest too much, acuisle," she teased him and grinned at Maggie.

Maggie looked between them. "Who's Alex?" she asked curiously and Ray looked at her. "Guv's wife," he said and Maggie laughed. "You're deliberately winding up your boss' wife? Are you trying to get sacked?" she chuckled.

"Nah, Alex tried to get The Guv to help her out once and he just told her to stop acting like a child and deal with it," he grinned.

Rowan giggled and shook her head. "I like that you conveniently leave out she's your fellow DI," Rowan said and rolled her eyes at Maggie then turned back to Ray with a speculative look. "I think he told you to stop acting like a child, too," she reminded him. "Then he separated them, like a pair of naughty schoolkids," she added as she turned back to Maggie. "Alex is in with the rest of CID supervising and Ray is still in Mr. Hunt's outer office, ostensibly to keep away the riff-raff," she finished.

Ray sniffed and frowned in response as Maggie laughed.

Ray looked at Rowan and shrugged. "Yeah, she's that an all," he agreed.

Maggie raised her eyebrows. "You work with the woman, too! And got separated?" she laughed. "You really think that winding up a colleague is such a good idea?" she asked and Ray shrugged.

"She makes it way too easy, she sets it up so perfectly, who am I to resist such massive temptation," he grinned.

Maggie sighed and shook her head. "Woe betide you if she does something back."

Ray shook his head with a grin. "Nah, she's rubbish at trying to get me back, though I do miss sharing an office with her, Debbie's nice and everything but she's no fun to wind up," he sighed as he pulled his mug closer and took a large gulp.

"And who's fault is that?" Maggie prompted

Ray grinned. "Alex's for making it so easy to wind her up," he retorted.

Rowan pointed her finger at Ray. "See, you are no longer allowed to make comments at me and Lyss when we tease Jack," she told him. "But you still shouldn't steal Alex's stuff. She'll lock you up one of these days," she said with a smirk.

Ray snorted. "I'd like to see her try," he grinned.

Rowan got up and made more tea. She filled a teapot and put it on the table with a slight clatter as one of the babies kicked. She bit the inside of her lip and made a split second decision and picked up Maggie's hand and put it on her belly. She felt the baby shift inside her and knew another kick was coming. She was sure Maggie had felt the movement, too and felt the expected kick arrive.

Maggie gasped delightedly then started to laugh. "Right restless pair," she commented as she kept her hand on Rowan's tummy hopefully and laughed as she felt another kick.

Rowan nodded. "Around this time of day, yes," she agreed and glanced over at Ray.

Ray grinned. "Footballer for United," he announced. "Not like Gene and Sam, he reckons Sam could play for City," he snorted.

She rolled her eyes at the mention of Gene.

"Yeah, well, Mr. Hunt is a City fan, no accounting for taste," she grinned at Ray, then looked back down at Maggie.

Maggie chuckled. "You a United fan yourself then?" she asked and Ray grinned broadly. "She is now," he smiled and Maggie took her hand away from Rowan's tummy and pointed at Ray.

Rowan nodded. "I've got a scarf and everything," she said.

"You best choose a decent name for my Grandson young man! Nothing ridiculous," she told him and he nodded mutely.

"I won't let him pick anything ridiculous," Rowan promised and stroked her belly. "I chose Claire for the girl's name, after my mother, and they're going to have the Carling name," she told Maggie and gave Ray a warm smile.

Ray nodded slowly as he watched the delight on his mother's face. "I know," he said softly as he smiled at the pair of them.

She looked back up at Rowan, her eyes bright. "They get the Carling name," she repeated and Ray stood and moved over to wrap his arms around Rowan, pulling her back to his chest gently. "Yup, Rowan and I discussed it and it's what she wants," he smiled as he pressed a kiss to the side of her head. Maggie beamed at them.

"You still need to come up with a boy's name," she told him. "Maybe you should pick your favorite footballer."

Rowan glanced up at Ray as he pulled her close and looked back down at Maggie and nodded. "He is the father, it's only right," Rowan said, trying to downplay the decision. She knew if Maggie started crying that she would, too.

Maggie nodded and smiled. "Claire?" she repeated. "That's pretty," she smiled. "Claire Carling" she said, trying it out with a smile then looked at Ray. "Now you have to pick something that isn't ridiculous, sounds good with your surname and fits with the name Claire," she said.

"Sheesh!" Ray muttered under his breath. "So much criteria," he grumbled as he hugged Rowan and laid a hand on her stomach.

Maggie smiled up at Rowan gratefully as she pushed the tears away, she could cry later, if she started now then she wouldn't stop.

Rowan glanced over at the clock and her eyes widened.

"It's 2 o'clock now," she remarked to try and keep the mood from getting emotional. "Should we maybe go downstairs and see about a late lunch? The rush will be over and I can find out from Molly if they're coming tomorrow," she suggested and slipped away from Ray to gather up the empty mugs and plates.

Ray let Rowan go reluctantly and gathered the plates that Rowan had left and took them to the sink for her as Maggie stood up, too. Maggie rubbed her tummy as it let loose a small gurgle. She looked over at Ray and Rowan and smiled happily. "Lunch sounds good to me," she agreed.

"Don't be such a moan," Rowan joked and prodded at his belly gently with her elbow then grinned at Maggie.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

"I know it was your anniversary!" Whitney sent back and huffed in exasperation. "So what is up with Peter and why aren't you at Rowan's?"

Whitney shoved her phone back in her pocket and went to unlock the door.

Ffion looked in the fridge with dismay. No milk. No biscuits either. No bread. She sighed. And Bradley was at work. She stared at the contents a bit longer as though what she wanted might magically appear and huffed out a breath before going to get dressed. She was going to have to go out.

She brushed her hair, pulled it into a quick tail and slipped her feet into a pair of sandals and set off for the Minute Mart.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Molly chuckled at Whitney's text. "Am in work this afternoon for lunchtime rush, Peter is happy :P"

She checked the time and sighed. She knew that Sam was awake, she could hear him gurgling to himself as he sat up in bed. She was supposed to be looking after him today while Alex was at work. She heaved herself out of bed and stumbled across the hall to her brothers room. She peered around the door and waved at Sam.

"Gimme 20 minutes Sammy, I'm gonna get a shower then we'll get you up," she told him before shutting his door and going back to her bathroom.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Sean looked up as a familiar figure passed him. His lips curved in a quiet snarl. Ffion. She had got him locked up for rape! _Rape! _Stupid little cow had had a guilty moment and had tried to get him done for rape! He stood as his fists clenched. He leaned off the tree he had chosen to lurk around that morning and made his way towards her. The Minute Mart? He smirked and waited against the wall outside for her to come out. He could hear her talking to whoever it was behind the counter. He waited patiently and grabbed her arm as she came out.

Sean pulled Ffion after him into the side-alley next to the pub and pushed her against the wall. He glared at her. "You never told me Ffion..." he growled out. "_Why _did you try to get me locked up!" he continued menacingly, his eyes flashing as his fury grew. He'd almost forgotten about it until her presence had reminded him, now he couldn't let it go, his eyes focused on hers. "Because you weren't crying _rape _when I was shagging you on that couch," he spat at her.

Ffion bit back a scream as she was pulled into the alley.

She shook as Sean held her against the wall and stared at him, her eyes wide with fear.

"Rhys didn't believe me," she replied, her voice shaking. "He's my brother and he knows all the…the…stuff….people said about you. He said I was lying when I told him you didn't force me," she half-sobbed and tried to keep from crying. "Let me go, please," she begged. "I told him you didn't," she added in a small voice.

Sean snorted in disgust. "The point is Ffion, even if you did tell him the truth in the end, you told him that I raped you," he growled. "You lied."

Sean noted the sound of more people filling up the Market, he doubted Ffion would file a complaint against him again but someone else might. He pushed away from her.

"Don't think we're anywhere near finished," he told her darkly as he slid from the alley.

Ffion let out a breath as Sean walked away and swiped at her eyes as she slumped against the wall. She picked up the bag she had dropped and hurried home. She went into the bedroom and stared at the wardrobe. She really ought to pack up and go.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Whitney read Molly's text and rolled her eyes and quietly growled.

"I KNOW Peter is happy-he's so happy he's floating. You meet me later and SPILL YER GUTS!" she sent back and went about get people their drinks.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Molly checked her texts before drying her hair and chuckled to herself. She hurriedly sent one back.

"I'll pop in before work - meeting Peter 4 lunch," she replied then set about drying her hair.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Sean headed to the pub and scowled when he realised that it wasn't actually open yet: too early. He growled, he was pissed off now and wanted to see Roxy. He grumbled to himself and went to stew in the park, his eyes fixed on the pub doors, as soon as it opened he was there!

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Gene nodded at Debbie as he passed and went down the hall. He walked through the double doors and over to Alex's desk.

"What do you fancy for lunch today?" he asked her. "Debbie offered to order us some Chinese when she does."

Alex looked up at Gene and smiled with a shrug. "I really don't mind," she told him. "If you want Chinese then order me some too, you know what I like," she said.

Alex leaned back in her chair and looked up at Gene. "Did Molly seem different to you yesterday?" she asked him. "Or am I just being paranoid?" she said quietly.

Gene nodded and then frowned at her question.

"She seemed overly cheerful. I don't think I've ever seen her quite like that. But it's good if she's in a good mood, isn't it?" he asked and then leaned on Alex's desk. "Or do you think she was on something?" he wondered.

Alex shook her head. "I don't think she's on anything," she said slowly. "But it's bothering me for some reason. I'm fine with her being happy, if she's happy then everything is fine, but that wasn't just happy..." she sighed and shook her head. "It's just weighing on my mind for some reason that's all," she told him.

Gene shrugged. "So, talk to her. That's what you women do, isn't it? Talk? Can't seem to shut you up, in fact," he remarked with a sniff and winked at her to let her know he was teasing before heading back to his office to tell Debbie what to order himself and Alex.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Stacey walked over and watched her brother sitting in the park, staring at the pub for a moment before going to sit next to him.

"Sean, you really have to watch what you're doing. You got really lucky the other day. That Rhys isn't one to mess around with and you had to mess with his sister, and Bradley. Bradley didn't deserve it, Sean. I married him. He was willing to be my baby's father even though he wasn't and he was there for me when I got out when hardly anyone else was. I can't help what happened with Ryan, it's not Bradley's fault. You hurt me, doing that to Bradley, do you realize?" she asked him.

"And now this..." she said and gestured at him and then at the pub. "Roxy made her choice, Sean. Stalking her isn't going to change her mind. It's just going to make people think you need to be locked up," she advised.

"I think Ryan and I are going to leave soon. Why don't you come with us? Get out of this place," she offered.

Sean didn't look at Stacy as she spoke, he just stared at the pub and listened.

He turned to her once she'd finished. "She's my wife Stacy, you understand what that means? She's mine," he growled out. "That JT is sleeping with a married woman, _my _married woman," he said bitterly as he looked back up at the pub.

"I'm not leaving until Roxy realises that she wants me," he told her.

"Sean, that may never happen," Stacey warned him, her tone soft and slightly sad and put a hand on his arm. "You have to realize she's been on her own a long time. If she knew you were alive then why make everyone think you were dead? Does that sound like she wants you back? You need to be realistic, Sean and you need to be careful. The last thing you need after that rape business is to get locked up for harassment."

Sean looked back up at Stacy. "I didn't rape anyone Stace," he told her firmly. "And I'm not gonna get locked up for harassment because I'm not harassing anyone," he added stonily.

Sean sighed and looked at his sister, he turned to her and pulled her into a hug. "I know what I'm doing Stace, Roxy still loves me, she's starting to see that now," he murmured.

"That doesn't matter, Sean, it matters that it's in people's minds now. You should know what it's like around here. You're on that copper's bad side now, so please, be careful, Sean," she begged.

She sighed as he hugged her. "I still think you should leave with me and Ryan when we go," she said again and stood up. "I've got to go, I'll see you later."

Sean grunted at her and moved his attention back to the pub. Stacy was wrong, he wouldn't leave until he had his family back.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Molly gathered her things and waved goodbye to Joanna, Sam's childminder, as she left the flat. She fired off at text to Peter saying she was on her way to the pub to see Whitney and hurried to Albert Square.

Molly pushed open the door to the pub and looked at the bar until she saw Whitney. She went up to the bar and leaned against it.

"Heya, Whit," she grinned. "When d'you get your lunch break?" she asked curiously, the pub didn't seem to busy, but with the Cafe, the Chippy and the multiple restaurants around she supposed a pub lunch wasn't the most appealing thing.

"Tracey won't be here for another hour, I usually go on break when she gets here. But if you need me to take a quick break now, I'm sure Peggy will let me," Whitney replied after a glance at the clock. "Speaking of the time, it's nearly noon, shouldn't you be at work?"

Molly nodded. "I'm fine for a bit," she said as she leaned closer to Whitney. "So, you wanted to know what happened on Wednesday and why Peter's so happy," she smiled as she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Well...I slept with him," she said quietly to Whitney.

Whitney's eyes widened in shock at her friend's confession and she leaned back and gaped at Molly. She still resembled a fish as she turned her attention to Fatboy as he came up and interrupted. She hurriedly clamped her mouth shut.

"But Peter's still in one piece which means that Gene doesn't know, and neither does Mum, so shhhhhh!" she said putting a finger to her lips.

"Gene and Mum don't know what, Baby Girl?"

Molly suppressed a groan as she turned around to face Fatboy. "They just can't know," she said shortly and Fatboy grinned. "But what can't they know?"

Molly frowned at him. "You're incredibly annoying, Fats," she told him and he grinned. "It's why you lot love me," he replied.

Molly rolled her eyes with a smile. "Shouldn't you be working?" she asked and he raised his eyebrows "Shouldn't you?" he retorted with a wide grin and Molly sighed with a nod. "Yes I should," she said. "And I want to see Peter before I go, so I'm gonna have to see you guys later," she said with a small wave.

Fats grinned at Molly's retreating figure. "Give P-Dog a big kiss from me!" he called after her before turning to Whitney once Molly had gone.

"What can't Mr. and Mrs. Hunt know?" he asked her conspiratorially.

Whitney gave Molly a wave as her friend left and looked at Fatboy and shrugged. "Girl stuff," she told him blandly and flashed him a quick smile. "Now, are you here to pester or are you going to order something?" she asked him in a teasing tone.

Fatboy pouted at her indignantly. "That is called charm," he told her matter-of-factly.

"I'm hungry, Whit," he told her. "What's for eating?" he wanted to know.

Whitney glanced over as JT came out of the kitchen and walked behind the bar to get a can of soda.

"What's for lunch?" she asked him. He glanced at her and then at Fatboy and flashed a wicked grin. "Fish and chips," he joked in a slow drawl and Whitney snorted with laughter.

He held up a hand at the look on Fatboy's face and chuckled. "No, kidding…I've got some fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and I made lasagne and sausages with mashed potatoes and steak and kidney pie," JT listed off then raised his eyebrows and looked at Fatboy expectantly.

Fatboy couldn't hold back the groan at the mention of fish and chips. Working in the Chippy had been great to start with but now he couldn't eat the stuff. Not when he worked with chips every single day.

"I'll take the chicken," he grinned and then looked at Whitney. "An a coke, too," he smiled at her.

JT nodded and went to fix Fatboy a plate and Whitney grabbed a can of coke and put it on the counter and held out her hand for the money, giving her fingers a little wriggle to hurry him along.

Fatboy slapped a tenner into Whitney's hand with a grin as he took his food and coke to a bar stool and sat himself down so that he could stay and talk to Whit.

Whitney leaned on the bar and dropped her chin in her hand.

"So, what are you doing this weekend? Know anything fun going on?" she asked.

Fatboy shrugged. "Heard about some party going on in Croyden somewhere," he said. "Was gonna go down and check it out," he said indifferently. "Why? Wanna come?" he said hopefully, he didn't really want to go on his own.

"Sure, me and Brett have been looking for something to do this weekend since I actually have the night off tonight," she replied enthusiastically. "You find out the details. I'll text Brett and let him know," she said as she pulled her phone from her pocket.

"You going to bring Mercy along?" she asked him, her tone slightly teasing. "Oh, and we should get Peter and Molly to go, too."

She quickly fired off a text to Brett about the possible party and then quickly shoved her phone away as the lunch rush began.

Fatboy shrugged. "Depends," he said vaguely. "We can ask P-dog and Molls, see if they wanna come too," he said. If it was going to be all couples then he would invite Mercy, he didn't want to be a gooseberry, but she would probably go if he pleaded her.

Whitney leaned against the bar with a sigh when lunch was finally over and shared a smile with Tracey. She pulled her phone out to see if she'd heard anything back from Brett.

Fatboy grabbed at his phone as it went off and beamed at Whitney's text before checking there was no likely looking customers and then moving away from the counter to call Mercy.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Ffion huddled in a chair in the front room and peered through the curtains, watching Sean watch the pub as she nervously gnawed a fingernail. Rowan had wanted her to come to a special dinner tomorrow, but she was afraid. She rubbed her nose and went back to gnawing her fingernail. She could always just stay when her shift was officially finished. Then, she wouldn't have to walk back and forth through the Square. She just hoped Rhys wasn't coming. If he did, she'd splash out on a taxi home.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Rhys glared at his computer. All this upheaval with Ffion was making it more difficult to concentrate. He had people keeping an eye out for her. Syed was walking her to work and she would walk back with James when he was finished working. But still. He didn't like that she wasn't leaving the house otherwise and she still wasn't talking to him. Even Bradley was becoming closed-mouthed. It seemed he was joining Ffion in blaming Rhys for any harassment Ffion might get from Sean. He sighed and looked at Shaz, wondering if she was still angry with him, too. Women – always sticking together.

He schooled his features and attempted a small smile. "Lunch?" he asked her casually.

Rhys furrowed his brow. Shaz must still be giving him the silent treatment, he decided as she didn't respond to his invitation for lunch. He shrugged and went in and asked Debbie if she'd add what he wanted to the order she was placing. She nodded and wrote it down. He sighed and went back to his desk and started finishing up his paperwork.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Molly skipped along to see Peter then dashed off to work before she was more late than she already was.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Nora shook her head at Molly and tossed her apron to her as she hurried to answer the phone.

Syed looked at her as he came out to put more slices of cake in the dessert case. "I won't tell that you were late," he teased her and headed back into the kitchen after gesturing towards some people that had come in.

Molly caught the apron with a bashful smile and managed a look of apology as Nora answered the phone before snorting at Syed. "Oh, please, the clocks here are 20 minutes quick, I think you'll find I'm early," she shot back as she slipped the apron on over her head and followed him back into the kitchen.

Syed threw his head back and laughed at Molly's remark.

He glanced back and saw she was following him and shook his head as he put his hands on her shoulders and turned her back around.

"Go help those people over there since Nora's on the phone," he told her, a chuckle taking the sting from his insistent tone. He knew she just wanted to come into the kitchen for a glance at Trevor. Trevor always seemed blithely unaware of the attention, for which Syed was grateful. It was hard enough dealing with the multitudes of females that came to gawk at him without him being arrogant and smug about it.

Molly pulled a face and reluctantly went over to help Nora instead of going into the kitchen.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Rowan caught Ray's arm as she headed for the door of the flat and pushed him to precede her down the stairs. If something should happen and she fell, she wanted Ray to catch her. She followed him down and gestured him to go pick a table as she walked over to tap Molly on the shoulder where she was sitting helping Nora fill the salt, pepper and sugar shakers.

Ray nodded and led Maggie over to a table. He sat her down and looked on as she looked around the Restaurant.

"So, this is the Restaurant?" she asked and he nodded. "Yup," he said and proceeded to gesture to the people sitting around that he knew.

"Do you know if you all are coming tomorrow? And could you bring over some water for us?" she moved so Molly could see Ray and his mother where they were sitting.

She walked over and looked at Ray and Maggie. "Trevor made that Dijon chicken for the lunch special today, should we have that?" she asked.

Molly nodded at Rowan. "I know Mum and Sam are coming but I'm not sure about Gene, I think it depends on work," she shrugged with a smile and dashed off to get some water.

Ray nodded. "I don't mind," he grinned and Maggie looked between them before shrugging happily. "I don't mind eating whatever," she grinned. "I'll try anything once."

Rowan thanked Molly before heading back to the table.

"Molly says Alex and the baby are coming, she's not sure about Mr. Hunt, though, depends on work apparently."

Ray nodded. "Well that's a given, if he's got meetings and stuff then he's not going to get a chance to get down here," he shrugged.

Maggie frowned "How many meetings can a DCI have?" she asked and Ray chuckled.

"Super now, Mam, he got promoted," he told her as Maggie frowned at him. "You don't tell me anything anymore," she accused and he shrugged.

"So, if Gene's now the Super, who's the new DCI?" she asked and Ray shook his head. "No one, with 2 DI's he felt he didn't need a DCI."

Rowan glanced at Ray. "And he didn't want to bring in someone from the outside," she told him with a smug look. "It's a Saturday, surely he's not going to have meetings on the weekend," she snorted.

Ray shrugged. "You never know, call Debbie and ask her, she knows his schedule," he told her and pulled a face at her when Maggie wasn't looking, he grinned at her as he turned to look out of the window.

"This is Molly, Alex's daughter," Rowan introduced as Molly approached with the glasses of water. "She's working here while she's off school."

She turned to Molly. "This is Ray's mother, Maggie," Rowan continued. "I'm just having water, thanks, Molly."

Molly smiled at Maggie as she filled a glass for Rowan and then set the jug down on the table. "Hey, nice to meet you," she said and Maggie smiled back. "You too, Molly, I'm hoping to meet your Mam soon," she said and Molly nodded before grinning and hurrying away to clear the plates.

Rowan held out her hand to Maggie. "Want to see the kitchen? I'm going to go tell Syed what we're having," she offered with a smile.

Maggie looked up at Rowan after Molly had dashed way and nodded with a smile, she looked at Ray as she stood. "You stay there Curly-Locks," she grinned as she followed Rowan to the kitchen.

"He won't go anywhere, not with food on its way," Rowan chuckled as she looped her arm with Maggie's. She led her to the kitchen and smiled at Syed and Trevor.

Maggie waved hello to the two guys and observed what they were doing curiously, she didn't want to disturb them but was interested in how the kitchen here worked. She'd never really been inside a kitchen in a restaurant and she was curious.

"Three lunch specials, please," she asked them. "Make them good, this is Ray's mother so we need to impress her," she joked and winked at Maggie. She pointed at the two men. "That is Syed, and that is Trevor," Rowan told Maggie and then showed her around the kitchen, being careful to stay out of Syed and Trevor's way.

"Syed will be here tomorrow with Christian. They were two of the first people I met on the Square. In fact, Syed even threw some work my way, didn't you, Sy?"

"Well, yeah, how could I not when you kept me from dropping all those boxes? Though it was more my mum you helped," Syed replied with a smile.

Rowan leaned over to Maggie. "I thought he was about the cutest thing I'd ever seen. How could I not help him?" she said in a conspiratorial whisper and giggled. "That was before Ray went and knocked my socks off, of course," she added.

Maggie chuckled quietly as she looked at Syed. "I can see why," she smiled back and then looked through the gap in the hatch to sneak a glance at her son. She sighed softly before smiling brightly at Rowan. "So, what besides Mexican food, muffins and this chicken stuff that we're having do you cook here?" she asked. "Though I doubt I'm going to get a chance to sample everything, as much as I'd like to," she grinned.

"I cook some traditional stuff, bangers and mash, steak and kidney pie, pasties...that kind of thing. But mostly, it's food I grew up eating. Things like chicken fried steak, ham and beans, meatloaf, cornbread..." she trailed off and shrugged. "On some Friday nights, I do a themed buffet. We do all the baking and I sell a lot of the stuff we bake to Jane to sell at the cafe. This place is a bit of a walk from the Square and apparently my baked goods were missed when I came here," she said with a laugh.

"Everything seems so super-sized," she said. "The fridge, the oven," she smiled. "I've never been inside a restaurant kitchen before," she said.

"Yeah, we cook for a lot of people. I've worked in restaurants all my life. My mother ran a little restaurant like this back home, a diner, and she would sometimes take me and my sister Lily into the kitchen to help out," she said and then swallowed hard. Sometimes she missed her mother badly.

Maggie smiled at Rowan warmly and patted her arm gently. "How long since you've seen your Mam?" she asked softly.

Rowan frowned and then smoothed her face and swallowed hard again. "A long time, not since I was 14," she whispered. "They um...they had gone to visit some friend of my Daddy's and there was an accident. We didn't even know at first. It was in winter and there'd been a bad storm and the phone lines had gone down. A week went by and they hadn't returned. Gem got Sheriff Clay to get on the CB and see if he could find out what was going on..." she trailed off and looked down with a sigh, then looked back up at Maggie.

"There's a load of empty space in the mountains, no one knew where the accident might have actually happened, no one knew which way they'd gone..." she felt her throat close and swallowed hard again. "It was three years before the bodies were finally found. My sister and I stayed with Gem that whole time. My sister disowned me at the funeral. I took the money my parents had left me and left town, went to University. Met someone, moved here, married him, he turned out to be a monster," she shrugged and sniffed and forced a smile.

Maggie listened attentively as Rowan spoke, once she was done she wrapped her arms around Rowan and pulled her into a gentle hug. "I'm sorry," she murmured gently. She knew how it felt to lose your parents but couldn't imagine the grief it would cause at such a young age.

She was glad that Rowan and Ray had found each other and after hearing about Rowan's past she couldn't help but feel for her. She rubbed Rowan's shoulder gently then drew back a little way and squeezed her hand. "Come on, chin up. Ray's gonna be wondering where we've got to," she smiled.

Rowan hugged Maggie back.

She gave her a watery smile and then chuckled. "He's more likely wondering if we're going to come back with the food."

Maggie laughed.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Gene came out of his office when he noticed the delivery man from the Chinese restaurant putting the box of food on Debbie's desk. She handed the man the money and glanced at Gene as he walked up.

She hurriedly fished out his and Alex's food and handed it to him.

"Ta, love, and look, those budget reports need typing. Can you come in on Sunday and take care of that for me before my meeting?" he said, trying to keep the disgust from his tone. He wanted to be out catching villains, not stuck in meetings with poncey bureaucrats most of the day. Not that Walford seemed to have many of those lately. He missed the action. He was keeping an eye on that Sean Slater; a lot of people had told him that Sean was trouble.

Debbie nodded. "Sure, Guv, no problem," Debbie chirped and pulled her food from the box and sat down to eat.

Gene carried the food into Alex and put the container down on her desk before grabbing the chair from the nearest desk and dropping into it to sit with her and eat.

Rhys noted they had their food and got up to go and get his then went to sit outside at the table where the smokers went to eat. He could put up with it to get out of the office.

Alex took the food from Gene greedily and smiled happily at him as he sat down with her and cleared a space for him amongst her paperwork, she didn't really want drops of sauce all over her forms.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

When lunch was over, JT went upstairs to find Roxy.

"What time do you need to go to the club for that delivery?" he wanted to know.

Roxy looked up at JT as Amy crawled off her lap and towards him. She looped her hair behind her ear and smiled up at him. "In about an hour," she said. "The delivery gets there around 4, I want to be there early to run through some stuff and double check all the papers," she explained.

"Good," he said and leaned over to press a quick kiss to her lips. "Then I can sit and relax with my two favorite girls in the whole world," he said and dropped onto the couch with a sigh.

"For as many places as there are to eat here, you wouldn't think it would be so busy at lunch, but it is a Friday, I s'pose," he commented as he lifted Amy up onto the couch next to him.

Roxy leaned against him happily as Amy climbed onto his lap and started to play with the buttons on his shirt. She looked up at him and shrugged. "The food here isn't so bad, and if the Cafe's full then here is the ideal place, especially seeing as you can get a decent drink here," she said. "If the market traders are drinking coffee and tea from the Cafe all day then they are going to want a change at lunch time aren't they," she smiled.

"Yeah, well, I'm glad it's over and I have a chance to rest before putting myself at your disposal," he said to her with a grin and slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close for a kiss.

JT sighed and looked at the clock.

"Guess we should head over there now," he suggested. They didn't want to be late for the delivery. He hauled himself to his feet and put Amy on the floor after giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and went to make sure Peggy was still in the kitchen.

She looked up from the newspaper she was reading as JT came in.

"We're heading over to the club now to get the delivery. Amy's in the front room," he told her and she nodded and stood up before folding the paper. She picked up her cup of tea and a sippy cup of juice for Amy and went in and sat down on the couch.

"See you later," Peggy said and patted Roxy's leg before turning her attention to Amy.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Rowan led Maggie back to the table when she noticed their food was nearly ready.

Syed gestured at Nora to take the food over to Ray, Rowan and Maggie, which she did, asking Ray and Maggie if they wanted anything else to drink as she put the plates down.

Maggie shook her head at Syed as she took the place. "No thanks, I'm fine with water," she smiled as she raised her half-full glass. Ray nodded. "Couldn't get us a beer could you Nora?" he asked.

Nora gave Ray a cheerful smile and brought him back the beer he'd requested and went to busy herself cleaning and resetting the tables.

Ray looked up at Rowan and Maggie as they came back and chuckled as Rowan got back up and left again.

She slid onto the booth next to Ray with a sigh and then groaned and got back up again.

Ray accepted the beer from Nora with a grin and gulped a large mouthful back almost immediately. He pulled his plate towards him and started on his food eagerly as it was placed before him, much to the amusement of Maggie who was sitting opposite him. She looked down at the meal in front of her and shrugged to herself before tucking in.

"Be right back," Rowan said, trying to keep the annoyance from her tone. She was really getting tired of having to constantly go to the bathroom.

Maggie shook her head with a small smile. "I remember that," she said and Ray frowned.

"Remember what?" he asked and she smiled.

"Having to go to the toilet every 5 minutes when I was pregnant with you," she replied as she looked over to where Rowan had vanished. "Is she getting cravings at all?" she asked and Ray shrugged.

"None that I've really picked up, she's just been a bit OCD about cleaning recently since we knew you wanted to come down. But she has gone a bit girly recently," he sighed. "She never used to wear dresses or curl her hair, then suddenly it's like she's morphed into Alyssa," he grumbled.

"Her sister?" Maggie asked.

Ray nodded. "They see each other as sisters, they're really close and they tease Alyssa's husband Jack mercilessly when they're together. Poor guy can't catch a break, but he does set himself up for it," he chuckled. "But Lyss is a proper girly girl, she works in a Salon and everything, never a hair out of place and all that," he grinned. "Suddenly Rowan just seemed to turn like that, not that I mind now, but at the time it was a bit of a shock," he smiled and shook his head.

Rowan came back and nodded before sitting back down next to Ray again. She glanced at Ray and ran a quick, teasing hand over his thigh while his mother was looking out the window and smirked at him before casually picking up her fork and starting on her food. She really hoped the recent barrage of kicking that she'd had to endure the past two nights didn't happen tonight. She'd had to sleep with headphones on her belly to get any rest the past two nights. She was well looking forward to making up for lost time tonight.

Ray's leg twitched involuntarily at the touch of Rowan's hand and he looked at her briefly out of the corner of his eye, he was glad she had stopped, he didn't want any awkward situations in front of his Mam.

Rowan kept back her smile when she felt his leg twitch. She was glad to see Syed had given her small portions of the chicken and wild rice; she still couldn't eat much at one time. She ate her food and idly glanced around the room, her attention settling on Molly. There was something different about the way she was acting, but Rowan couldn't put her finger on it.

"So, we'll have the big grand tour tomorrow and the big dinner tomorrow night," Rowan began. "Any thoughts on what you'd like to do tonight?" Rowan asked. She had some nice playing cards, and some good movies, and there were always the photo albums and things. Rowan was hoping Maggie would want to stay in. She was tired from being up so early and wanted an early night so she would have plenty of time to ravish Ray before falling asleep in his warm arms.

Maggie looked over at Rowan across the table and smiled. "Well, seeing as the Grand Tour is tomorrow I'm going to want to be awake and able to made it around everywhere," she smiled. "So if you don't mind I'm gonna be wanting an early night," she said and Ray shook his head. "We don't mind, Mam," he assured her with a smile before pushing more food into his face.

Ray looked between them both. "So, quiet night in?" he asked and Maggie nodded agreeably. "Mind you.." Ray continued. "That's not such a bad idea," he said as he looked back at Maggie. "Give you time to settle in and unpack," he grinned.

Rowan nodded in agreement. "We can watch a movie or play cards or something," she suggested and glanced at Ray then shrugged and looked at her food again. She still couldn't believe she'd told Maggie about her parents. She had an idea that Gem might have told Ray, but Rowan herself hadn't told him the whole story. She'd thought about it, but she couldn't bring herself to. She knew how uncomfortable it made him when she cried.

She watched Ray eat out of the corner of her eye and worked her way through her own food. Yes, he was crude and rough edged, but he was a decent man and he was good to her and she loved him.

Ray shrugged noncommittally as he ploughed through his meal. Movies meant cuddling with Rowan on the sofa, and cards meant enduring his Mother's competitive streak. He didn't mind which.

Maggie smiled and glanced at Ray, she wondered if he knew as much about Rowan's past as she had just been told. She figured he had to. She nodded at Rowan, a night in with other people would be nice, she was used to sitting on her own with Tabby on her lap.

Rowan pushed her empty plate aside and leaned back in the booth and toyed with her napkin to keep herself from touching Ray.

"I can show you the pictures from our trip to Virginia," Rowan offered. "It was such a nice trip," she remarked and gave Ray a glance. A nice trip for more than one reason. "And he heard all the horror stories about me growing up and didn't jump on the next plane home," she teased and took his hand and squeezed it when he'd finished eating.

Ray swallowed his last mouthful and grinned at Rowan. He still remembered that trip.

Maggie nodded amiably. "I'm all for seeing pictures," she smiled. Ray chuckled and leaned over to Rowan. "Mam's never been out of England, in fact, she rarely leaves Manchester."

Maggie folded her cutlery on her plate and looked at Ray indignantly. "I'm here now aren't I? Does this look like Manchester to you!" she retorted. "And I don't leave England because I don't trust aeroplanes," she added. "As you well know."

Rowan held back a laugh.

"Well, he," she said and nodded her head in Ray's direction, "didn't look too terribly happy about flying in Junior's Cessna, but it was fine wasn't it?" She smirked at him then shrugged. "Cars make me nervier than planes," she added with a sigh.

Ray sniffed dismissively. "I was fine," he said in response as he looked between his Mum and Rowan again. He was curious to know what they had been talking about in the kitchen earlier, but wasn't going to ask, he got the idea that some of it would be about him and he wasn't sure he liked that idea.

She gestured at Nora to come take their plates and then pushed herself out of the booth.

"I still sometimes think I'm going to get stuck in there,"she joked and stepped back so Ray could get up. She thanked Nora then walked over to the cash register, counted it out and left a note for Syed how much she wanted left in the drawer for Saturday opening and to put everything in the safe, she'd do the books later.

Ray grinned at Rowan as she let him out and ran a hand down her arm as he waited for Maggie. He looked at Rowan as she went over to the cash register and took his Mum upstairs.

Maggie sat down on the arm chair in the front room as Ray took the sofa.

"You wanna coffee or something Mam?" he asked and she shook her head. "I'm fine," she replied and he nodded as he took up the remote and turned on the TV.

Rowan glanced over as Ray took Maggie upstairs and finished bundling the receipts and sticking them on the shelf under the register and then headed up. She saw Maggie sitting in the comfortable chair and Ray already switching on the TV. She shook her head and walked over to the desk in the corner and pulled out the photo album. She brought it over and handed it to Maggie and perched on the arm of the chair to answer questions and point things out in the photos.

She had almost forgotten how many photos there were. She also told Maggie about some of the stories from when she was growing up as she pointed out photos. Glancing over at Ray to encourage him to add anything.

She avoided some of the more embarrassing ones about herself that Ray had been told, however.

Maggie looked at the photos with interest, pointing at people she didn't know and asking curious questions about the people and places. She listened attentively to the stories that Rowan told her and found herself laughing.

Ray rolled his eyes at the pair of them but couldn't help the smile plastered all over his face. He listened idly to Rowan retelling parts of their trip, then sat back and relived certain parts in his head. He caught Rowan looking at him expectantly and chipped in, spilling out parts Rowan had missed and telling some of his own favourite parts.

Rowan looked up after they'd gone through the album and realized her mouth was dry. She got up and went to get herself a lemonade from the fridge and grabbed a beer for Ray.

"Maggie, would you like anything to drink?" she asked as she reached into the cupboard for a bag of crisps. She fought back a yawn. She thought she could manage one movie maybe before she wouldn't be able to keep her eyes open anymore.

Maggie shook her head. "No thanks, dear," she smiled as she settled back into the chair and looked at Ray expectantly. Ray sighed and tossed her the remote. "Don't put any gardening rubbish on," he told her as Maggie went straight to the movie channel and chose a Western.

Ray looked over his shoulder at Rowan and held his hand out for the beer she brought over and took the crisps off her too. He dumped them on the table and waited until she had put the lemonade down before pulling her into his arms on the sofa next to him and kissing her forehead. He dragged the table closer so they could reach without moving much and sighed contentedly.

Rowan smiled as Ray pulled her onto the couch and held her close. She leaned her head against him and sighed softly before taking a drink of her lemonade. She put it on the table and watched the TV blankly, trying to keep her eyes open, but Ray's warmth and presence was making it very difficult.

She sat for awhile and realized she simply couldn't stay awake. She sat up and looked at Ray.

"It's been too long a day for me, acuisle," she told him softly. "I'm going to bed."

She stood and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before walking over to Maggie and giving her a quick squeeze. She kissed the woman's cheek.

"Good night," she said to her and headed for the bedroom. She went inside the bedroom and closed the door behind her softly before stripping off the dress and unpinning her hair. She pulled on her oversized shirt and climbed into bed. She would wake up when Ray came to bed.

"Night, Ro," Ray called after her as he watched her walk away and Maggie waved at her.

Ray looked briefly at Maggie before turning his attention back to the TV.

Ray eventually let out a huge yawn as the film finished and looked over to see Maggie stretching and standing. He smiled as he gathered up the glasses and empty packets and took them through to the kitchen, then embraced Maggie and set off to the bedroom. He undressed, leaving his clothes in a heap on the floor and crawled into bed beside Rowan. He ran a hand down her side before pressing against her back and pulling her to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple before closing his eyes sleepily.

Rowan's eyes opened as she felt Ray climb in next to her. She reveled in the feel of him against her back and shivered as his hand traced down her side. She shifted and turned herself so she was facing him and gave him a long, soft lingering kiss. She broke it off, keeping her lips brushing his and kissed him again, harder. She put her hand on his cheek, sliding it back into his curls and then trailed her hand down to his bare chest.

Her lips moved to his neck as she pressed her palm flat against his chest. "Oh, Ray," she breathed in his ear, pressing her lips back to his neck and sliding her hand lower, down his belly and to his thigh, grazing her fingers teasingly across him as she did so. After two days, she wanted him so badly.

Ray shifted uncomfortably as Rowan kissed him. He didn't want to do this, his Mum was in the next room, he didn't feel comfortable with doing this with his Mum in the house. He gently reached down and pulled her hand off him. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Not now, Ro, I'm tired," he said softly as he gently pulled out of her grasp.

He was willing to hold her while they slept, in fact he wanted to hold her while they slept. He didn't sleep very well when she wasn't in his arms. He shifted so that his arms were around her and kissed her lips softly. "Sleep, Rowan," he told her drowsily.

Rowan slipped from his arms, propped herself up and gaped at him. Since when was he ever tired? She furrowed her brow and studied his face. He was teasing her, like he sometimes did. That was it. Her lips curved into a smile as she leaned over and began to slowly kiss her way down his chest. If he was going to play hard to get, she knew how to make him give in.

Her hands trailed down to his waist and slipped into the waistband of his pants and she began to inch them down as her lips reached his belly.

"Ro!" Ray protested as he reached his hands down and yanked his boxers back up. No matter how much his body was responding to her he couldn't do this, not with Maggie in the flat with them. It made him feel uneasy and he didn't like it. He just wanted to sleep in the same bed as her. He gently stopped her kisses and eased her back and away from him. Ray shuffled down the bed until they were face to face under the covers and looked at her seriously. "I don't want to with my Mam in the next room" he whispered to her

Rowan widened her eyes at him. He couldn't be serious!

"You are joking?" she hissed back in disbelief. "All the places we've ever...that I've let you...Ray how old _are _you? How can...this is our home..." she trailed off and shook her head.

"Do you think she doesn't know how this happened?" she asked him and put his hand on her belly.

She knew she shouldn't be upset, but she could not believe what she was hearing. She gazed at him steadily, trying to keep the dismay from her face.

"Of course she knows how you got pregnant," he told her patiently. "She's been pregnant too, you know. I just don't feel comfortable with having her in the house while we're..." he trailed off and frowned.

"I just can't Rowan, okay," he told her and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry."

Ray shuffled in the bed until he was back up by the pillows and sighed as he shut his eyes. Maybe this time she'd let him sleep.

Rowan nodded slowly. She accepted it, but wasn't sure about what he'd said. Surely that couldn't be the real reason. She moved back to her pillow and glanced over at his back. Why wouldn't he have said something ahead of time if they couldn't while she was here? A warning would have been nice.

It must be something else she decided. It must be. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder and laid down and closed her eyes and hoped his mother's presence was the real reason. As odd as it was, she could handle it. It was the alternative she didn't want to think about.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Brett dug out his phone to check it just in case and frowned when he saw he had a text. Why hadn't he noticed? He sighed as he realised his phone had been on silent and read the text from Whit. He sent one back saying he was definitely up for it, then went back to his work.

Whitney read Brett's reply and sent off a text to Fatboy to tell him that Brett was up for the party. She then fired off a text to Molly about the party before finishing the clean up.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Molly finished stacking the dishwasher as she felt her phone go off in her pocket. She hastily pulled it out and read Whitney's text. She thought for a moment then sent one off to Peter seeing if he wanted to come, too.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Peter grinned and texted Molly back that he was up for anything with the love of his life and quickly shoved his phone back in his pocket as he walked into the chippy. He waved at Fatboy and went behind the counter to get the night register ready.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Molly rolled her eyes at Peter's text but smiled brightly as she set about emptying the dishwasher.

Whitney finished washing the last glass and sighed.

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Tracey," she said and headed out of the pub. She walked in the direction of the chippy, pulling her phone out of her pocket as she walked.

"Done working see you soon xx W," she sent to Brett and waved at Peter and Fatboy as she walked into the chippy.

"So, what about this party then?"

Fats grinned at Whitney.

"Sunday night innit," he said happily. Not only were he and Mercy going but Peter and Molly and Whitney and Brett. He had his little crew. Who needed Zsa Zsa, Lucy and Leon.

Whitney looked at Fatboy quizzically.

"I thought it was tonight, Fats," she said.

"Nah!" Fatboy shook his head "This weekend, Sunday," he said.

"Fatboy!" Whitney cried. "I thought it was tonight? So, now we have nothing to do tonight!" she complained. She took her phone back out. "And I told Brett it was tonight," she grumbled and sent him a text that the party wasn't until Sunday.

Fatboy grinned. "You shoulda checked first Whit," he grinned at her.

Whitney shook her head. "You were at the pub with me for your whole lunch, Fats, you should have said."

Fatboy grinned. "That's no fun though Whit," he told her.

"Sometimes, Fats, I hate you," Whitney snorted and gave his shoulder a playful shove before turning around and leaving the chippy.

"Come get me and lets find something to do," she texted to Brett.

Peter looked at Fatboy.

"I can't believe you did that, Fats," Peter admonished his friend. "For that, you can make yourself scarce tonight so I can have Molly over and the house to myself. You owe me," he said and leveled his finger at Fatboy.

Fatboy snorted as Whitney left and then waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Peter.

"Make myself scarce? Why P-dog? Whatcha planning?" he said with a knowing smile.

"Nothing, Fats, get your brain out of the gutter. I just want to spend some time alone with Molly without you and your mates banging around," Peter snorted and began to wipe the counter.

Fatboy grinned. "Suuuuurrreeee," he replied sarcastically and winked knowingly at Peter.

Peter rolled his eyes at Fatboy, but kept silent.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Roxy nodded at Peggy and kissed her cheek lightly before waving at Amy and grabbing a jacket as she went to meet JT downstairs. She took his hand and smiled at Whitney as she led JT outside the pub and started across the square

Sean looked up as he spotted Roxy come out of the pub and he made to sit up. He collapsed back against the bench with a scowl as the tall figure of JT followed Roxy. His gaze fell on their joined hands and his arms folded across his chest as he stalked them with his eyes.

Roxy felt herself tense slightly as she felt Sean's glare before she spotted him. She held her head high and ignored him as much as she could, clasping JT's hand as they crossed the square towards the club. She was glad that JT was coming with her.

Roxy let go of JT's hand as they reached the club and pulled the keys from her pocket to open the door and let the delivery guys unload their van into the Club. She picked her way downstairs and opened the office to go and check the paperwork.

Sean watched the pair of them disappear from sight, the scowl fixed on his face. Making a decision he stood and walked away from the bench.

JT felt Roxy's hand tighten on his and squeezed back and smiled down at her.

He watched her walk to the office and then turned to watch the delivery men bring in the crates and looked over the list and checked in the order. He signed off on it and took the invoice into the office and handed it to Roxy, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.

Roxy smiled up at JT and wound her arms around his neck as she kissed him. "I'll be done in a minute," she told him as she let him go and looked at the invoice she nodded, wrote a cheque and handed it back to JT.

"Will you give that to them please?" she asked him with a smile

Sean watched the delivery as it got unloaded, he knew JT was in the club with Roxy and he knew it would be unwise to try anything with JT around. Well, at least until Janine got her claws into him. He wanted JT well away from Roxy. Sean skulked toward the entrance to the club and followed one of the men down the stairs, watching out for JT or Roxy. He passed the office and peeked through the window then scowled in disgust at the sight of Roxy kissing JT. He clenched his fists but held his temper. He wandered past the unopened boxes and leaned against the bar.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

JT nodded and handed the delivery man the check and waved him off then turned and noticed Sean leaning against the bar. He kept his expression carefully neutral as he walked over.

"The club's not open yet," he told Sean, keeping his tone even and calm.

Sean looked at JT with immense dislike as the man paid the delivery guy and looked around the club interestedly. He smirked as JT spoke and held back the scowl as he looked at JT with a bored expression.

"I know," he said flippantly then grinned. "Is my wife around?" he asked.

"Roxy," JT called back at her. He had no intention of turning his back on this man to go and get her. "Someone to see you."

Roxy sighed as she heard JT's voice calling her. If those delivery guy were moaning about her cheque again then she was going to have a go, nothing else for it. She was not paying cash. She heaved herself out of the chair and made her way towards the bar. Why couldn't they just accept what she gave them, it was the right amount. She just wanted to get this stuff finished and go home with JT. She looked up as she came out of the office and felt her breath catch at the sight of Sean. Her steps didn't falter as she made her way to stand next to JT.

"What do you want Sean?" she asked warily.

"A job," he replied with a smirk.

Roxy frowned and folded her arms. "What makes you think I'd employ you?" she answered and Sean's smirked widened. "Because Rox, I've worked here before, I know what I'm doing and I look good behind the bar," he grinned.

"I don't need new staff," she said quickly and Sean shook his head. "Oh please, Roxy, I've been in her the last few nights and every time there has been one girl struggling to keep up with the amount of punters in here, you need new staff," he told her smugly.

Roxy unfolded her arms and sighed, he was right of course, she did need new staff. But she didn't want to hire Sean.

"And, if you don't agree to at least give me a try then I'll have no choice but to get onto the courts for discrimination," he said.

"Discrimination?" she gaped at him.

"Yes, you don't want me working here because you don't trust me, or rather, you don't trust yourself around me," he grinned. "I take it you haven't told him," he said waving vaguely at JT. "About our little meeting in the alleyway?" he said with a grin.

JT furrowed his brow. Since when did Roxy need more staff? He knew Doug and Sarah still worked at the club, Ronnie had said both were good, and James still willingly gave extra cover anytime they needed it since he wasn't working early mornings at the restaurant anymore. Ffion had taken over doing that.

This was just Sean trying to worm his way in. No doubt Sean thought Roxy was here all the time, which she wasn't. He fought the urge to forcibly remove Sean from the club.

His eyebrows went up at the mention of the alleyway and he looked at Roxy and then back at Sean. He'd had enough.

"You can leave now," JT said, his deep voice rumbling as he fought his temper. He wrenched Sean's arm behind his back and frog-marched him to the door and shoved him out.

"She has a full staff and she also has the right to refuse service. I suggest you stay away," JT warned and his hand clenched as he waited. He wouldn't hit the man first, but he would defend himself if Sean attacked. He let the door slam shut behind him and stood in front of it to block Sean trying to go back inside.

Sean struggled in JT's firm grasp and scowled as he was thrown outside. If JT hadn't had been there then he would've got the job! Sean sneered at him as he moved forward.

"I don't suppose she's told you what happens whenever she bumps into me has she?" he said. "You might think that she doesn't want me around, but actually, she does. She wants me and she's scared of how much she wants me," he told him.

He looked back at the door that JT was guarding then smirked as he turned and walked away.

Roxy watched JT marched Sean out and went to sit on the nearest bar-stool. She leaned on the bar, closed her eyes and sighed. She hadn't told JT about what had happened in the alley, she'd avoided the subject like the plague, and JT hadn't pressed the subject either. She knew Amy had mentioned it because she had been getting inquisitive questions from her daughter about Sean; questions that she had answered as truthfully as she could; questions that she had discouraged.

She opened her eyes as she heard the door slam shut and looked towards it, waiting for JT to come back. Nothing. She supposed he was still outside. With Sean. Roxy sighed again as she slid off the barstool and headed back to the office to finish up. She wanted to go home.

JT watched Sean finally walk away and let out the breath he'd been holding.

He slipped back into the club, firmly locking the door behind him and went over to Roxy.

"He's gone," he told her. "Don't let him scare you anymore, Roxy. I won't let him hurt you. Tell me if he bothers you or Amy again. If the police won't do something to keep him from harassing you, I will," he promised and pulled her close.

Roxy leaned against him and fastened her arms around his waist. JT seemed to have got this idea into his head that Sean wanted to hurt her. She knew that wasn't what Sean wanted to do. What Sean wanted was her, her and Amy. Sean wanted life to be like it was before he kidnapped Amy, and before he faked his own death. She couldn't go back to that just because he'd decided to turn up after so long! She had moved on, she had JT! She wasn't sure that she wanted that life back.

She buried her face into JT's chest and breathed him in as she hugged him tightly. He wanted her to tell him whenever she ran into Sean? What if something else happened between her and Sean? She couldn't tell JT about that! Roxy pulled away from him and gave him a weak smile

"I'll just finish this and we can go," she told him as she turned back to the desk and put all of the papers back into order. She turned to him once everything was filed again and slid her hand into his. "Home?"

JT held her close and sighed.

He looked down at her and nodded. "If he scares you or bothers you at all, let me know, Roxy."

He watched her as she worked and then smiled when she was ready to go. He opened the door and smiled as he saw Sarah and Doug standing there, Sarah holding up her keys.

"Hiya, JT, hiya, Roxy," Sarah greeted.

"Hey, Sarah, hey, Doug," he said to them and slipped past.

Doug gave JT and Roxy a quick wave and headed inside.

Roxy sighed as he stopped the hug and nodded at him mutely. "Okay," she told him with another attempt at a smile.

She smiled at Sarah and Doug and waved at them briefly as she took JT's hand. She glanced around for Sean and felt calmer when she couldn't see him around.

JT slipped an arm around Roxy and held her tight as they walked back to the pub. He felt greatly relieved when he didn't see Sean around. He was beginning to get worried about Roxy. He didn't like how she looked almost ill when Sean was around. He pondered over Sean's parting words. Did she look like that because she did want him back?

He quickly led her upstairs when they got back to the pub and pulled her into their room and sat her down on the bed. He sat next to her and touched her cheek to make her meet his gaze.

"Roxy, do you..." he trailed off and took a deep breath. "Sean gave the impression that...well...I just want to know...do you want him back?"

Roxy took a sharp breath in at JT's question and met his gaze. She stood up off the bed and moved to the door, pausing once she'd reached it and pulling it open a fraction. She turned to look at him and bit her lip as she studied his face.

"Please don't ask me that," she whispered. She opened the door wider and slipped out of her room and went to look for Amy.

JT stood up as she rose and watched her as she walked to the door, feeling ice begin to creep through his insides.

'Please don't ask me that,' echoed in his head as he watched her leave the room and felt the ice close around his heart. That was as good as a yes. He sighed and dropped onto the bed again. He stared at the wall and then got to his feet and headed out of the room. He went downstairs and out of the pub without a word to anybody and began to walk.

Roxy found Amy and swept her daughter into her arms. She hugged the girl to her tightly until Amy began to struggle and protest in her embrace. Roxy put the child back down on the sofa where she was sat watching cartoons and went over to the window. She had heard JT go downstairs and could see him now, outside. She was confused about what she wanted. IT was all Sean's fault, if he hadn't turned up then she would still be happy with JT. She _was _still happy with JT, or had been until he had asked her the question that she had been dreading. The question that she didn't have a clear answer to.

She looked over at Amy and went and joined her on the sofa. Amy climbed into Roxy's lap and sat there happily as Roxy focused on plaiting Amy's hair to keep her mind off JT and Sean.

JT walked around the Square, head down, hands shoved in his pockets. He thought about going to the restaurant to talk to Aunt Rowan, but she had Ray's mother over and no doubt she didn't need the intrusion right now.

He walked to the cafe, sat down and drank cup after cup of coffee until he knew the pub was closed, then walked slowly back and crawled into bed without a word to Roxy.

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Ffion felt a great relief wash over her once Bradley came home. She rushed over to him and flung herself at him, much to his surprise.

He wrapped his arms around her and tilted his head to look at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, yes, just glad you're home," she murmured against his chest. She raised her head and looked at him.

"Let's move to Cardiff," she blurted out.

Bradley's eyes widened and he looked at her.

"What?"

"You heard. Come on. You can start up a mini-cab there, I'm sure a couple of my brothers will help you get started. There's some lovely places around where my family lives we could rent...or even buy a little house," she said, trying to keep the desperation from her tone and merely sound excited. "C'mon, what do you say?"

"Ffion, I don't know, that's a big step. Can I think about it?"

"Sure, sure," she replied quickly. She couldn't pressure him about it or he'd want to know why. "I'll make us something to eat."

/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\

Brett looked down at his phone with a grin at Whitney's text and went and got in his car. He drove to Walford and parked up outside the pub and texted Whitney where he was.

Whitney grinned as she ran up to Brett and hurriedly climbed into the car.

"Let's go have some fun. I need a night out."


	26. Chapter 26

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale****  
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**Chapter 26**

Rowan woke up and looked at the clock with a sigh. She sat up and reached over and patted Ray on the shoulder.

"Ray, it's time to get up. It's Sunday, you have to go to work," she said. She got up and pulled on her dressing gown and padded across to the bathroom and quickly brushed her hair and splashed her face before going into the kitchen to make breakfast.

He'd slept with his back to her again last night. She guessed he didn't want to give her the wrong idea, but it still hurt a bit.

Taking Maggie around Walford had been fun though. The dinner had gone well, too. Syed and Christian had been their usual selves and between them and Rhys' antics, she was sure Maggie's face was a permanent shade of red. She really couldn't believe them sometimes.

Maggie had opted to take the train home, so Rowan offered to drive her to the station since Ray was working although Rowan had been more than willing to drive Maggie home. No doubt Ray was worried about her being pregnant and driving all that way back to London alone. She sighed at the thought.

She pulled eggs, bacon, diced potatoes and flour tortillas out of the fridge to make breakfast burritos. That way if Ray took too long getting ready, he could take breakfast with him.

Ray grumbled quietly as she moved out of the bedroom and hugged the covers closer. He didn't want to work today. He wanted to wait until Maggie was gone and then do what he had been dying to do all weekend. But he couldn't, he would have to wait until he got home, or see if he could get an extended lunch hour.

He was half-glad that his Mum was leaving to go back up to Manchester, though she had promised to come back down after the baby was born. It meant that he wasn't so uncomfortable about being with Rowan. He wasn't so opposed to the idea of people hearing them, but when it was his mother it was a different kettle of fish altogether.

He sighed and rolled out of bed, hitting the floor with a soft thump. Ray picked himself up and padded through to the bathroom drowsily to start getting ready for work. He didn't want to go in today.

Maggie was woken by the sounds of people moving about in the flat and smiled at the sound of someone hitting the floor in the room next door. She pulled herself out of bed and looked down at her neatly packed bag. She'd done everything last night to make sure there was as little hassle as possible today. And now all she had to do was get dressed and washed and pack her remaining things into her little suitcase. She would be sorry to leave, she found that living with Ray and Rowan to be a more enjoyable experience than she had anticipated. After the awkwardness had gone she found talking to Rowan to be a very easy thing to do.

Maggie pulled on her dressing gown and slippers and opened her bedroom door to go through to the kitchen. She smiled at Rowan as she headed for the kettle and made herself a strong cup of tea to wake herself up.

Rowan smiled cheerfully at Maggie.

"Hope you're hungry," she said and put a plate with a breakfast burrito on the table for her, placing a knife and fork next to the plate. She put a plate down for Ray and then made a small one for herself and put it on the table. She reached into the fridge and got the milk out for Maggie and put it on the table then sat down to eat.

She tilted her head as she heard the bathroom door shut and the shower start and glanced at the clock.

"So, I think if we leave here around 10 we can stop at the station for a quick goodbye to Ray and get to your train in plenty of time. I know the quickest way," she told Maggie and chuckled.

She toyed with her burrito a moment and then looked back at Maggie.

Ray dried his hair with a towel and hurried to the bedroom to get dressed. He scowled at the time as he realised his was bordering on being late and hastily tucked his shirt into his trousers before grabbing up his jacket. He walked briskly into the kitchen and leaned down to kiss Maggie's cheek and Rowans lips. He spotted the burrito on the plate and winked at Rowan as he grabbed it

"I'll see you later Ro, bye Mam, safe journey," he called as he half-ran for the door, taking a strategic bite of burrito as he did so.

Maggie chuckled as she waved and finished up her breakfast. She picked up her empty mug and plate and then Ray's unused plate as an afterthought and put them next to the sink. She patted Rowan's shoulder as she passed her. "I'm going to get ready," she smiled as she headed back to her room to get her towel that was folded and waiting on the top of her suitcase.

She looked up at Ray as he kissed her and watched him go with a small sigh before turning to Maggie with a bright smile.

"Okay, I'll shower up after you're finished," Rowan said agreeably and went to wash the dishes. She quickly finished tidying up and when Maggie was finished in the bathroom she grabbed a pair of jeans and a top and hurriedly showered and dressed. She braided her hair back and slipped on her shoes.

Maggie showered quickly, aware that Rowan would want to use the shower too, and got dressed smoothly. She zipped up her case and made sure that she had everything, if she didn't then she could collect it when she came back next time. She certainly intended to come back, she liked spending time with her son and Rowan. She was definitely looking forward to spending time with her new family once the children were born.

Rowan went into the kitchen and picked up her bag after a quick glance at the clock. She snatched the car keys off the hook and looked over at Maggie.

She wheeled her case into the front room and sat down at the kitchen table as she waited for Rowan.

"I really enjoyed you visiting this weekend, I was so nervous you know," she gave a chuckle. "Now I can't wait for you to come back when the babies are born."

Maggie smiled at Rowan and shook her head with a grin as Rowan turned around and walked to the door. "I've enjoyed myself, too," she smiled. "I'm looking forward to meeting my grandchildren," she smiled at Rowan as she followed her outside. She grabbed her case up as she went and followed Rowan downstairs.

Rowan wrapped Maggie in a hug and leaned her head on the woman's shoulder briefly before letting her go.

"Okay, ready?" she asked, her eyes bright with unshed tears, but kept a sunny smile on her face as she headed for the door.

She opened the trunk and held it for Maggie to put her case in and then climbed in and drove to the station when Maggie was ready.

Maggie settled herself comfortably in the car and smiled at Rowan as she started up the car and drove.

Debbie got to the station just before 9 and got busy typing up the things the Guv had given her. She wondered if he would come in today. Chris and Shaz had left the station right after they'd arrived to go and investigate some minor crimes around Walford, most of which were probably teenagers being crazy on a Saturday night. She knew Ray would be here, but he could be got around. She wanted Gene all to herself.

She smiled as her fingers flew across the keyboard, not even aware she was humming.

JT left the spare room and went to make breakfast. Roxy was still avoiding him, refusing to talk about Sean. JT was finding it very frustrating, he deserved to know! He loved Roxy and if she loved him back even the least little bit, he deserved to know the truth.

She blanked him instead. He wasn't sure how to deal with it. Girls back home were a lot simpler. He ate breakfast with Peggy and then headed downstairs to get things ready for lunch.

/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Roxy sighed as she woke to the empty space next to her. JT was still sleeping in the spare room and wasn't talking to her very much, granted she was still avoiding talking to him about Sean and her feelings towards the both of them. She conveniently found something that needed doing every time he brought up the subject. It looked like he had given up, for now anyway. She wasn't stupid enough to think that he had dropped the topic completely.

She missed him. She wanted to be waking up in his strong arms, not lying cold and alone in her bed. She pulled the covers tighter around her then sighed as she caught sight of the clock. Amy had morning playgroup today. She pulled herself out of bed and went to get Amy ready for the day. Once the toddler was washed, dressed and eating breakfast in the kitchen Roxy went to sort herself out

Roxy picked Amy out of her chair and made her put her shoes on as she finished doing her make-up. She still had 10 minutes and if Amy was going to insist on walking then she would need that 10 minutes.

"Come on, Amy," she said with as much of a smile as she could manage.

Amy made her way downstairs with Roxy cautiously walking behind her, ready to catch her if she stumbled. Once they were at the bottom of the steps Amy began to toddle towards the kitchen. Roxy frowned.

"Where are you going Amy, it's this way," she said gesturing to the back door. Amy shook her head. "Bye to JayTeeee," she said as she confidently pushed open the door to the kitchen and disappeared inside. Roxy huffed out a breath, it seemed she was going to have to face him this morning. She opened the door to followed her daughter. A sad smile crept onto her face as she saw Amy latch onto JT's leg and hug it tightly, looking up at him with her happy little face.

JT looked up as Amy came in and smiled down at her. He quickly picked her up and lifted her over his head.

"Are you off for play time?" he asked her and glanced over at Roxy. He hoped she would talk to him after taking Amy to her group. He walked over to Roxy and put Amy down next to her mother then fixed his eyes on Roxy's.

"I'll see you later," he said to her earnestly, his gaze boring into hers.

Roxy watched JT and Amy and watched his face as he looked at her. She nodded slowly as Amy beamed up at the pair of them. What she really wanted to do was throw herself into his arms, but she wasn't sure how he would react to that and she didn't want to be pushed away. So she took Amy's hand and smiled at JT as she led the little girl away.

Amy held Roxy's hand tight as they crossed the square. "Mummy, why are you not talking to JayTee?" she asked curiously. Roxy sighed and stopped to lift Amy into her arms so they could talk better.

"Mummy and JT have had a bit of an argument, Amy," she replied softly and Amy's face immediately went worried. "Iz he going to go like Daddy?" she asked quietly and Roxy hugged her tightly. "I hope not sweetheart, I really hope not."

Amy clung to Roxy the whole way to the Community Centre and Roxy had to pry her off. "Amy, come on, gimme a smile," she said and Amy tried. Roxy sighed as she swept her hair from her forehead. "Would you like JT to pick you up today?" she asked and Amy nodded eagerly. Roxy smiled and kissed her cheek. "Okay then, I'll make sure that he does," she said and hugged Amy one last time before leaving.

Roxy felt the anxiety well up inside her as she crossed the square back to the Pub. She knew that Amy loved JT, she knew that she loved JT, she just was unsure whether what she felt for Sean was want for what they had had before, or genuine want for him. She needed JT to understand how she was feeling but if she was unsure herself then how could JT possibly understand? She sighed as she pushed open the door and headed directly for the kitchen.

Roxy stood and watched JT for a moment, admiring him from afar. She cleared her throat to get his attention and went to sit on one of the empty worktops, if she was standing she would pace. She didn't want to pace, and if she was sitting then she was less likely to run out again. They needed to talk this through and if she ran out then they couldn't.

"Amy wants you pick her up today," she told him, searching his face.

JT looked at Roxy and smiled. He put the knife down and walked over to Roxy and without a word, folded her in his arms.

"Please, tell me what's going on," he pleaded with her. "I love you so much," he told her. "But I need to know what's going on."

Roxy wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck. She held him tightly with her eyes shut and just enjoyed the feel of him for a moment. She lifted her face to look up at him and sighed

"I love you, JT," she told him. "And I don't know what it is that I'm feeling for Sean," she told him as she rested her head on his shoulder.

JT took her face in his hands and made her look up at him.

"I'll fight for you, Roxy, if you want me to. I've never met anyone like you and I do not want to give you up. I love Amy, too."

He leaned down and kissed her softly. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you'll let me. I won't leave you and I'll take good care of you and Amy. I won't ever give you reason to be afraid of me," he promised.

Roxy felt the tears start to well up and moved to hide her face in his shoulder again. No one ever wanted to stay with her. They all moved on and left her. But JT wanted to stay with her, forever. She clung to him tightly and got control over herself before pulling her face from his shoulder and smiling up at him. She slid her hand up his neck and pulled his face down to hers. She kissed him fervently for a moment then pulled away and hugged him again.

"I love you, JT," she whispered.

"Well, that's good," JT remarked with a smile and held her tight. "I'd really like to take you upstairs right now," he breathed in her ear and then without warning, picked her up, slung her over his shoulder and carried her to their room, kicking the door shut behind them.

/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Ray walked to the station as he ate his burrito. He rushed into the station, ignoring Adams amused chuckle. Ray didn't want the Guv on his case for being late again, neither did he want Alex's teasing. He collapsed into his seat with a sigh and looked from the closed office door to Debbie.

"He in yet?" he asked as he straightened his clothes.

Debbie looked up and smiled at Ray as he came in.

"No, Guv's not here yet. Chris and Shaz are on the other side of town checking into some minor break in. I'm just here to type up these reports so won't be bothering you for too terribly long," she gave him a smile.

She watched him sit down and wondered why he seemed so out of sorts. She went and got him a cup of tea and put it on his desk and leaned on the desk.

"You look a bit out of sorts," she said in a soft tone. "You all right? Can I help at all?" she wanted to know and stepped around behind him and began to rub his shoulders.

Ray sighed, a quiet day today then. And if Debbie wasn't hanging around then he would be on his own. He would have to find some way of entertaining himself while he was alone, then.

Ray shook his head at her, but couldn't help leaning back into her clever hands. "I just was in a rush this morning," he told her as he closed her eyes.

"You're very good at that you know," he told her.

"Awww thanks, aren't you sweet," Debbie chuckled and leaned over. "I took a course, years ago, before I signed on," she told him and looked up as the door opened.

/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Rowan drove them to the station and climbed awkwardly out of the car.

"We can say a quick goodbye to Ray and then be off to the train," she said cheerfully and headed inside. She gave Adam a quick nod and hurried down the hall ahead of Maggie towards Ray's office. She reached out and nervously put her hand on the doorknob, took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face as she opened it.

Ray went to say something else but his attention was distracted as the door opened. The sight of Rowan and Maggie made him beam happily until he saw the look on Rowans face. He frowned, what was wrong?

"Thought we'd drop in so Maggie..." she trailed off at the sight of Debbie, standing behind Ray, her hands on his shoulders and leaning over him. Her jaw dropped and she stared at them.

"What...what is going on?" she gasped out. She felt her breath begin to come harsh in her throat as her brow furrowed and she stepped towards the desk. "So this...this..." she stammered and gestured at Ray and Debbie, "this is why..." she paused, her accent beginning to thicken as her voice rose an octave.

She moved to the desk and stopped in front of it and faced Ray, her breath heaving. She looked at Debbie, her face a thunder and Debbie snatched her hands away from Ray's shoulders and backed up a step.

"Rowan, I wasn't doing anything..." Debbie began.

"Shut up," Rowan snapped and looked at Ray. "It was nothing to do with your mother being in the flat...you've got something going on with HER!" she accused and jabbed her finger first at Ray, then at Debbie. She felt the tears spill down her face.

"How could you do this to me?" she choked out in a small voice.

Maggie noted the look on Ray's face and wisely stayed out of the situation, she wasn't going to interfere.

Ray sat there in shock for a moment, she thought he hadn't been sleeping with her this weekend because he was shagging Debbie? No! Ray hurriedly stood up and moved around the desk, staying a little away from her in case she decided to hit him, or worse.

"I haven't touched her, Ro!" he said. "I promise, I wouldn't!" he protested desperately. She needed to calm down, stress wasn't good for their baby!

"She gives everyone massages Ro, not just me," he added as he took a cautious step forwards, that wasn't technically a lie, Debbie did give massages to Gene, too but he didn't know if she gave them to the rest of the team. He supposed she didn't, but it wasn't _just _him!

"Please, don't cry, Rowan," he said softly as he reached for her hand.

Rowan jerked her hands back and stepped away from Ray. She glanced at Debbie, back at Ray and then turned and stalked down the hall. She turned a corner into another hallway and walked down it a ways before stopping and leaning against the wall.

How could he let her touch him? And Rowan had warned Debbie off! Apparently the woman was just that desperate. Rowan covered her face and leaned the side of her head against the wall and sobbed. She was big as a house and he didn't want her anymore.

Debbie watched Rowan storm off and gave an inward sigh of relief. She'd been half-convinced Rowan would come after her for trying it on with Ray. She walked around his desk and gave his shoulder a push.

"Go after her," she hissed and retreated behind her own desk and sat down. She didn't want Ray thinking she'd been trying anything with him, even though she'd been considering it. Gene was leading her on a merry chase and Ray had given her the impression of going after anything with breasts. Clearly, she'd read that wrong. She looked at her typing, trying to avoid looking at Ray's mother and sighed. She stood up.

"Can I get you a cup of tea?" she offered to Maggie in a soft voice.

Maggie looked at Debbie and shook her head at the offer. "No, thank you dear," she said as she observed the woman that had provoked such a reaction from Rowan. She couldn't help but dislike her for that. She went and sat at Ray's desk, arms folded and looked over it, smiling slightly at the picture of Rowan and him next to his computer. It looked like one of the ones from their trip to Virginia, the surroundings certainly looked similar. The picked it up and looked at it curiously: this one hadn't been in the album Rowan had shown her.

Debbie nodded politely and turned back to her computer. Well, there went that down the drain. That Rowan's timing was uncanny. No bother. It was Gene she wanted anyway, she thought and smiled.

Ray watched Rowan walk away, helplessly. His jaw dropped and he looked at Maggie who raised her eyebrows at him.

"I didn't do anything, Mam!" he told her earnestly. "Honest! I wouldn't...I...I couldn't," he stammered as he moved his gaze back to where Rowan had vanished.

Debbie's push on his back jolted him into motion and he bolted after Rowan, calling her name as he went. He dashed to Adam and asked if he had seen Rowan and he shook his head. Ray felt slightly relieved, she hadn't left the station then. He asked Adam not to let her leave if she passed him and then dashed off again. Ray turned a corner and felt his heart judder in his chest as he saw Rowan against a wall, crying. He moved towards her and laid a hand on her shoulder and eased her hands from her face, he gently wiped her tears and cupped her face to make her look at him.

"Listen to me, Rowan," he told her as he stroked her hair from her face. "I didn't touch Debbie, I will never touch another woman, not while I have you!" he said harshly. "I don't know what to say to make you believe me!" he said.

Rowan gazed at him. She wanted to believe him.

"Then why did you let her...she was all over you, Ray," she whispered. "Couldn't you see what she was doing and you just let her. You were enjoying it. What else was I supposed to think, especially after you didn't touch me all weekend."

She sniffed. "Do you think it wasn't weird for me, when we stayed at Gem's? But I didn't say no, did I? And I'll tell you what, our room may have been on the other side of the house from hers, but she knew full well what was going on," Rowan told him.

"I just couldn't believe..." she looked down and sighed. "And that Debbie. You know I don't trust her," she finished in a small voice.

Rowan wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. "There better not be," she replied softly.

Ray grinned at her and pressed his lips to hers. He had had no qualms with kissing her in front of Maggie, but anything else had been a big no-no! He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her happily. He buried his face in the top of her head and closed his eyes. She didn't seem mad at him anymore and it looked like she believed him. Good. He had done nothing wrong.

"There's no one else but you, Ro," he murmured quietly into her hair. Ray inhaled deeply, breathing her in, then let her go. Lunch Time couldn't come quickly enough for his liking. He smiled at her. "I'll see you at lunch, just gonna go and say bye to Mam," he told her as he took her hand and led her back to the office.

Maggie looked up and replaced the picture as Rowan and Ray walked back in and smiled happily at them, it looked like they'd sorted whatever they had been sorting out. She smiled at them as she stood up from Ray's desk and went to hug the pair of them. She kissed Ray's cheek and ran her hands through his hair. "You be good CurlyLocks, don't go getting into any sort of trouble," she told him and he scoffed. "I won't, Mam," he told her as he kissed her forehead. "Safe journey," he smiled.

Rowan followed Maggie out of the station. She sighed as she climbed into the car and gave Maggie a smile as she started the car and drove her to the train. She made sure Maggie had everything and saw her safely to the platform and watched the train pull away. When it was out of sight, she walked back to the car and drove back through the snarl of afternoon traffic to Walford.

She glanced at her watch as she finally got back to the Square and pulled up in front of the station. Just past noon. She quickly fired off a text to Ray. "Where are you? If at work, am outside ready to take you home, if at home, get ready cause I'll be there soon."

Ffion clung to Bradley's arm as they walked to the car lot, her eyes darting around to watch for Sean Slater. She breathed a sigh of relief when they made it to the car lot with no sign of him.

She looked at the couch apprehensively for a moment before sitting down and starting on Bradley's paperwork while he worked the dispatch radio.

His phone rang and he quickly answered it.

"Okay, sure, no problem, yeah bye," he said and flipped the phone shut.

"Can you work the radio for about an hour?" he asked her. "Steve's running a bit late so I need to go pick up this fare."

"But..." Ffion began.

"Lock the door behind me. I'll take my keys, you'll be fine. Call if you need me okay?"

She gazed at him a moment and then nodded and followed him to the door. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and left, pulling the door shut behind him. He gave a quick glance around and then climbed into the cab and drove off.

Ffion put her forehead against the door and make sure it was securely locked before going to sit back down at the radio. She glanced up at the blinds, glad they were closed so no one could see she was alone and then bent her head back to the column of sums in front of her.

/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Sean watched interestedly as Bradley drove off. He turned his gaze to look through the windows of the car lot and smirked when he saw the blinds all close. Ffion was in there then. Good.

Sean stood up from the bench that was quickly becoming his permanent spot and made his way towards the Car Lot. He tried the door and was half-annoyed to see that it was locked. He knocked loudly on it and waited.

Ffion jumped at the sound of someone knocking on the door. Who could it be? No one was supposed to know she was here. It could be Bradley looking for Max, she considered and bit her lip. She pulled out her phone and considered calling Max to see if it was him. She stood up and crept to the door and pressed her ear to it as she pressed Max's number. She didn't hear a phone ringing out there and quickly shut her phone. Someone else then. Rhys maybe. She didn't want to see him. She backed away from the door and stayed silent, hoping whoever was out there would just go away.

Sean listened intently, he could hear careful footsteps. He grinned and knocked again.

"I know you're in there, Ffion," he murmured loud enough for her to hear. He moved around the building and tapped on a window, then moved again and drummed his fingers on the next window.

"You can't stay in there forever," he told her through the door as he came back to it.

Ffion jumped and gasped at the sound of Sean's voice. She went to the corner, her back pressed against the wall and slid down into a crouch. She huddled in the corner and stared at the door. She'd apologized. Why couldn't he just leave her alone!

She bit her lip and looked at her phone. She wanted Bradley back here now! She stared at the phone, wincing at Sean tapping on the windows and began to slowly type a text to Bradley.

"Please come back," she finally sent.

Ffion walked over to the door.

"Leave me alone, Sean. I'm not going to let you in and I'm not coming out. If you don't go away I'm going to call the police," she called back.

"And what are you going to tell them Ffion?" he laughed incredulously as he leaned against the car lot and folded his arms. He scanned the square idly as he stood.

"I just want to come in and book a cab," he told her as he rattled the door again.

"Fine, you tell me where and I'll get on the radio. You don't need to come in here for that," she told him, her voice shaking slightly. She backed away towards the radio and bit her lip, wondering if the door lock would hold the way he was slamming against it. He was right. He could say he just wanted a cab and they would probably believe him. Especially Rhys. She waited next to the radio, gnawing her lip again as she stared at the door which seemed all too flimsy.

Sean heard the door rattle with satisfaction. "Don't make me break this door down Ffion, it's so much easier if you just open it for me. How on earth will you explain a broken door to your beloved Bradley?" he inveigled.

Sean slammed his fist onto the door. "Just open the door Ffion, I want to come in and talk to you."

Ffion looked at the phone clenched in her fist. No reply from Bradley. She jumped and bit back a sob as he slammed his fist against the door and slowly walked over to it.

"Promise you just want to talk. Promise you're not going to hurt me," she said, she could hear her voice shaking with fear, but could do nothing to stop it.

Sean's lips curved in a triumphant grin as Ffion gave in. He was making no promises of any kind. Instead he hammered on the door once more to hurry her up.

She slowly reached out and flipped the lock and opened the door, huddling behind it in case he came in swinging.

"Please, don't hurt me," she pleaded.

Sean stepped smoothly into the car lot as the door swung open, he turned and shut the door behind him then raised his eyebrows at Ffion's cowering figure. He smirked as he reached out and took her arm. Sean marched her to a chair and placed both hands on her shoulders, pushing until she sat. He stood behind her, his hands on the arms of the chair and moved his lips to her ear.

"So Ffion," he murmured, his lips still curved in his malicious smirk. "I think you're scared of me," he breathed as he moved his lips closer to her ear. "I think I frighten you."

Ffion whimpered as Sean pushed her into a chair.

She shivered as he spoke in her ear. Yes, she was terrified. She leaned and turned her head to look at him, her eyes blinking slowly as she met his gaze and held it. She could feel her heart beating in her throat and swallowed hard, trying to stay calm.

"Rhys isn't going to bother you, I promise," she whispered as she searched his eyes. She gripped the arms of the chair to stop her hands shaking and took a deep breath. "I told him you didn't do anything, I told him and he didn't believe me."

She knew she sounded like a broken record, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. She swallowed hard again and found her gaze drawn to his lips. Before she realized what she was doing, she grabbed his face and pulled him to her, kissing him deeply.

Sean raised his eyebrows in amusement and surprise as she kissed him. He kissed her back and pulled her out of the chair and sat her on the nearest desk. He pulled away from her lips and kept her caged where she was by keeping his hands either side of her legs.

"Well, well, well," he sneered at her. "That _was _unexpected," he told her.

Sean's hands moved to her waist and pulled her closer to him, making sure he was standing in-between her legs. He bent his neck so that his lips were next to her ear once again. "You can't be scared of me and want me Ffion, it doesn't work like that," he told her and gently bit her earlobe, tugging it before releasing. "So which is it?" he asked as his grip kept her pressed against him.

Ffion turned her head slightly to meet his gaze.

"Why don't you just shut up and kiss me," she whispered harshly and pressed her lips to his, her arms winding around his neck as her legs wrapped tight around his waist.

Sean smirked into the kiss as she wrapped herself around him. He wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He pulled her even closer and tangled his hands in her hair, holding her head in place.

Sean detangled his hands from her hair after a moment and slid them up her legs and under her skirt. His fingers hooked under the waistband of her knickers and yanked them off her. He kept her in place with one hand as he other flew to his trousers and he undid the buckle and dropped them and his pants to the floor.

/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Bradley saw the text from Ffion and hurried back to the car lot as fast as he could in the snarl of relaxed Sunday drivers. He pulled up and ran to the door, but stopped short at the noises coming from inside. He grabbed the doorknob, worried for Ffion's safety, but then the nature of the sounds hit him. He quietly turned the knob and peeked inside, then shut the door again.

Clearly Ffion hadn't been afraid of Sean at all. He slowly walked across the Square towards home and threw open the wardrobe, grabbing Ffion's clothes out and throwing them on the bed. He ransacked the flat until he had all her belongings together and then began stuffing them in her big carry-all bag.

He hefted the bag, went back to the car lot and threw open the door.

/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Ffion clung to Sean limply when they finished. Why couldn't she rid herself of this need for the thrill? Bradley was so wonderful to her, and yet here she was, walking into the flames again. She simply couldn't resist.

She raised her head from Sean's shoulder and then gasped in shock and horror as the door flew open. Her hand flew to her mouth and stifled her shout of "Bradley".

"You want her, you can have her," Bradley snapped and threw the bag with Ffion's things in it to the floor. He saw Ffion's keys next to her bag on the desk and snatched them up then looked at Ffion in disgust.

"Don't come back," he told her coldly, then turned and left the car lot. He'd go back when they'd gone.

Ffion let out a low moan at Bradley's words and buried her face in her hands.

Sean smirked to himself and unwound himself from Ffion. He hoisted his trousers back up and winked at her.

"See you round," he told her as he sauntered out of the car lot.

Sean looked around the square for a moment. What had originally been an unsuccessful morning had become a very productive afternoon. He grinned to himself as he walked.

Sean frowned as he spotted Janine's flat. He hadn't heard from her since they made their arrangement. He made his way towards her door and rang the bell insistently.

Ffion barely nodded at Sean as he left. How could she have been so stupid? But she hadn't been able to resist. She found the danger that radiated from Sean irresistible. She sat a few moments after Sean left, then stood and pulled on her knickers before grabbing up her bag and the carry-all that Bradley had given her. She trudged outside and saw Bradley leaning against the fence and watching the car lot.

She looked at him hopefully and he deliberately turned his head. She looked down at the pavement and realized she'd likely never get Bradley back. She walked slowly and blindly across the Square, unaware of the tears that had begun to fall, just aware that she needed to get away.

/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Ray looked down at his phone as it went off and read Rowan's text.

"On way out 2 car now - you can gimme a life :)"

He stretched before getting out of his seat and grabbing his jacket off the back of it and then took his phone from the desk. He turned and looked at Debbie. "I'm off out for lunch, see you later," he grinned at her before heading out of the office. He waved at Rowan as he spotted their car and headed over. He smiled as he climbed into the passenger seat and strapped himself in.

"Ray, I'm really sorry about earlier," Debbie said. She couldn't apologize enough for her mistake. He probably wouldn't have gone for it anyway; he seemed overly enthralled with that Rowan. Fair dos. There was still Gene to consider and he was the far better prize in her book.

Ray nodded at her. He was grateful for her apology, as nice as her massages were he didn't want to risk his relationship with Rowan for them. He loved Rowan too much. He left the office with one final wave at her.

"Home, please," he smiled. "I'm starving," he told her with a wink.

"I'm sure I can find something for you to eat," Rowan said blandly as she pulled away from the station.

"I got Maggie safely on the train. I only just got back. The traffic was a nightmare. I'm glad she chose not to drive back to Manchester . No telling how long I'd have been on the road," she remarked.

Ray nodded. "I didn't want you driving all the way up there anyway. Being stuck in a car for ages isn't good for anyone, least of all you," he said gesturing vaguely to her stomach. "With being pregnant and all."

She pulled up in front of the restaurant and went inside. She gave Syed and Nora a quick wave and headed upstairs. She'd had Trevor make up some pasties before she left and they were in the fridge in the flat. She walked into the kitchen and then turned to face him and gave him a sultry smile.

"So, lunch first…or dessert?" she asked him coyly.

Ray followed her inside and upstairs dutifully and grinned at her. He moved forward and lifted her off her feet and into his arms. "How about we break with tradition and have dessert before the main course?" he said with a grin as he carried her through to the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them.

"I'm all for it," Rowan replied with a giggle as he carried her to their room.

/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\

"I'm gonna head back down and get to work," JT said to Roxy and stroked her cheek before he finished getting dressed. He was glad they seemed to have worked things out for now.

Roxy smiled at him as he left the room and pulled the covers over her. She rolled onto her side and gazed at the sunlight streaming through the window. She felt a whole lot better now that had been sorted, and now Amy would see that they were okay again too. She smiled and checked the time. Amy's group finished in another hour. She sat up and got dressed then went downstairs to man the bar.

JT leaned on the pass-through window after waving to Peggy when she came into the kitchen to watch over it while he picked up Amy.

"Hey, Rox, ready to go pick up Amy?" he asked her and then left the kitchen to wait for Roxy by the bar.

Roxy grabbed a towel and dried her hands as she turned to nod at JT. She smiled and winked at Tracy as she skipped out from behind the bar and beamed at JT.

"Come on, or we'll have an annoyed toddler on our hands because we weren't there in time to pick her up with everyone else," she smiled at him as she led him out of the pub.

/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Rowan sighed and rested her head on Ray's chest. "That was glorious," she purred. "Are you absolutely sure you have to go back to work?" she wondered, her tone slightly petulant. She glanced at the clock.

"Yeah, Mr. Hunt is probably there by now," she answered herself with a sigh. "Guess I should heat up the pasties."

She kissed him and pulled away reluctantly to climb from the bed and pull on her dressing gown as she headed into the kitchen.

Ray sighed as she walked away. He really didn't feel like getting up now. He just wanted to stay in bed and cuddle her. Sadly it seemed as though that wasn't going to be an option. He dragged himself up and dressed again. It seemed as though he was going to have to go back into work. Gene had got the morning off though, as had Alex. Ray grunted, 3 guesses what they had been doing all morning.

Ray padded out to the kitchen and got himself a glass of juice before settling at the kitchen table to watch Rowan.

Rowan quickly heated up the food and slid a plate in front of Ray then sat across from him to eat.

"So, what would you like me to make you for dinner?" she asked him curiously.

Ray reached for a pastie and bit into it as he thought carefully. He grinned through his mouthful and swallowed it down before answering her.

"Bangers and Mash," he told her. "With gravy," he added with a broad smile at her.

"I suppose I should have guessed," she teased and put her empty plate in the sink. She moved behind him and draped her arms over his chest as she leaned down and kissed his cheek.

"And watch out for that Debbie. I don't trust her a bit," she told him and then put her hand on his cheek to turn his head so that she could kiss his lips.

"I'm going to have a bath, I'll see you when you get home," she said and kissed him more thoroughly before heading to the bathroom.

Ray sighed as he watched her walk away and stood up. He drained his tea and left the mug in the sink. He grabbed up the car keys and his jacket.

"See ya, Rowan," he called out as he shut the door to the flat and got into the car.

/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\

Debbie looked up and smiled at Gene finally arrived. She watched him go into his office and then hurriedly went to get him a cup of tea and a plate of Garibaldi's.

"Ta, Debbie. How are the reports?"

"Nearly done. It's been quiet today. Ray's at lunch, he should be back soon enough," she told him. He nodded.

"So, how's your day been?" she asked brightly.

"Horrible. That Molly is still acting overly happy for a teenager and Sam's got a cold or something and was crying most of the night," he complained.

"I'm so sorry," she said, her tone one of commiseration.

"Yeah, well, so am I."

He drained his tea and pulled the bottle from his desk drawer and poured some into the tea mug and drained it with a satisfied sigh.

"Here, let me help," Debbie said briskly and stepped behind him and began to massage his shoulders. Gene gave a groan of contentment and leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Oh, that's brilliant, love," he breathed.

"Thank you, sir," she replied. She worked her way over his shoulders and then up the column of his neck.

"Just relax," she leaned down and whispered in his ear and he nodded.

"If you like, I can really help you relax," she offered, her tone low and slightly seductive.

"Really?" he asked curiously, half-asleep from her ministrations.

"Oh yes," she agreed and slid a hand over his chest and she leaned around and kissed him.

/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\

Ray wandered back into the office. He felt a lot better now that he had eaten and spent time with Rowan. She had forgiven him anyway...not that he'd done anything. Ray glanced at Debbie's vacated desk and shrugged to himself as he slung his coat on the back of his chair then pushed open Gene's office door. He supposed it was best to let Gene know he was back from his lunch break.

"Heya, Guv," he greeted as he pushed open the door. "I was..." he trailed off at the sight of Gene with Debbie stood behind him, leaning over his shoulder, kissing him. He cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. His face set in a hard frown. So, according to Rowan, Debbie had been coming onto him, clearly not as successfully as she was doing with Gene!

"What's going on?" he demanded to know then held up his hands. "You know what? I don't even want to know! But if you're going to do stuff like that then at least make sure you lock the door!" he growled. He wondered how long this had been going on for...Poor Alex!

Ray stalked past his desk and headed for the kitchen, he needed a strong cup of tea to help him think.

Debbie jerked and stood up sharply, covering her face with her hands. Damn Ray and his timing! Gene sat and gaped as Ray stormed away and then stood up and looked at Debbie.

"What the bloody hell are you playing at woman?" he demanded.

Debbie took her hands from her face and looked at him. "I'm so sorry, I just...I don't know," she half-wailed and threw her hands up.

Gene folded his arms and frowned at her. "What sort of game are you playing?"

Debbie huffed out a breath. "It's not a game," she protested and grabbed him and kissed him hard before letting him go. "I want you," she said, her voice low as she kept her eyes fixed on his.

"I'm going now," she blurted and walked to her desk. She yanked her bag from the drawer and rushed out, leaving Gene to stare after her in confusion. If he was more awake he might have been able to process what had just happened. But he didn't have a clue. He shook his head and sat back down with an annoyed sigh, reaching out the bottle again to fill the mug.

JT swung Amy up onto his shoulders and looked at Roxy.

"Maybe we should go to the p-a-r-k and get some i-c-e-c-r-e-a-m," he suggested and winked.

Roxy grinned at him and nodded conspiratorially. She glanced up at Amy's happy face as she played with JT's hair and watched where they were going. Once she recognised the park, Amy began to get excited and Roxy reached up to help JT put her down. Amy hurried over to the swings and waited next to them pleadingly. Roxy laughed and went to sit Amy in one of the swings and pushed gently.

JT chuckled at Amy and went to get the ice cream.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\

Ray stood in the kitchen and sipped his tea as he thought. Debbie and Gene clearly had something going on. Alex clearly didn't know, the whole station would know about it if Alex Hunt knew her husband was cheating on her. She would be in here right now, shouting the odds. And Gene would not be in one piece. He snorted in frustration and kicked a cupboard. Ray leaned off the counter and carried his mug back into the office, he noted that Debbie had vanished and raised his eyebrows at Gene before sitting at his desk with his back to his DSI.

Gene noted Ray's look and frowned. He'd done nothing. He stood up and walked over to Ray's desk.

"You have no right to give me that look, Raymundo. She kissed me, I didn't kiss her. And if I wasn't half asleep from Sammy keeping us awake all night, she wouldn't have got that far," he said, his tone full of his repressed anger. He leaned on Ray's desk and pointed at him.

"So, you just keep what you saw to yourself, because it was a mistake and I'm not having Alex worry over something like that."

He kept his angry gaze fixed on Ray for a few minutes and then stalked from the office to go and smoke.

He was even more furious with Debbie. No matter how nice that kiss had been, she'd had no right. He snorted and shoved the door harder than necessary to open it and stepped outside with a sigh. Ray would keep his mouth shut, he was sure of that.

Ray sighed as he watched Gene go. Who was he to argue with his Boss? He sighed. He couldn't tell Alex, the atmosphere in CID had been so lovely recently, if Alex found out that Gene had kissed Debbie then that atmosphere would vanish. He shook his head: he would keep his mouth shut.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\

Chris led Shaz tiredly back to the station. That supposedly simple break in had turned out to be one annoying long day, especially when after interviewing a multitude of witnesses and watching hours of the video footage, it turned out there hadn't been a break-in at all.

He glanced at Ray as they passed the Guv's office and frowned. "You go on, Shaz, I'll be right there," he said and walked in.

"What's going on, mate?" he asked and gestured at Ray's expression. "Bad day?"

Ray looked up at Chris.

"Nuthin, Ro came in when Debbie was calming me down and got the wrong end of the stick. We sorted it though," he sighed. "Apart from that..." he trailed off with a shrug.

"What about you two?"

Shaz sighed. "Turns out that what we were told was a break in was a massive hulabuloo about nothing." she grumbled sourly then drummed her fingers on Rays desk before returning to her own to fill in the forms.

Chris watched Shaz walk off and then turned back to Ray.

"You know, Rhys has had a lot to say about that Debbie. He dated her once and he said she's not as nice as she seems," he told Ray and then leaned forward conspiratorially.

"Rhys reckons she got where she is on her back. He reckons she'll try to get herself promoted here the same way," he confided softly and then straightened up. "So I'd be careful around her if I was you."

He grinned then. "Anyway, mate, paperwork to do," he turned to leave and then stopped. "Hey, how do you fancy the pub tonight? Me, you, Rowan and Shaz? What do you reckon?"

So that was it. Debbie wanted to shag her way into a promotion. He snorted, it looked like she was going the right way about it. He would keep his mouth shut though.

He nodded readily at Chris. "Sure. I'll text Ro, see if she's up for it," he grinned as he dug out his phone and fired off the text.

"Nice one," Chris said and pointed. "I should get on the paperwork so we can leave then," he said and hurried off to his desk.

Chris looked at Shaz when he finally had his paperwork done.

"I said maybe we could go to the pub with Ray and Rowan, is that all right with you? We haven't hung out with them in a while," he said. He sometimes missed goofing off with Ray. Ray rarely seemed to go out anymore now that Rowan had gotten big.

Shaz nodded amiably. "Sure."

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Ffion looked up and found herself outside the restaurant. She would have to tell Rowan she was leaving. She went inside and hurriedly slipped to the hallway that led to the stairs. She climbed up and knocked at the door.

Rowan turned her head at the sound of someone knocking and put down the potato she was peeling. She opened the door and gasped at the sight of a distraught Ffion.

"Fee, what's going on? Come in," Rowan ushered her inside and shut the door.

"I'm so sorry, Rowan, but I have to leave. I've done something...well...Bradley will never forgive me now. He's chucked me out."

"Oh dear," Rowan said and folded the sobbing girl in her arms. She held her tightly a moment and then led her to the kitchen and sat her down and began to make her a cup of tea. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

Ffion lifted her tear-streaked face. "He...Bradley...he walked in the office at the car lot when...well...that Sean Slater showed up and I don't know how it happened..." she trailed off and Rowan sighed and nodded. She handed Ffion the tea.

Ffion thanked her and then at the look of concerned encouragement on Rowan's face, spilled the whole story. Rowan listened. She let out a long breath when Ffion had finished and squeezed the girl's hand.

"Where will you go?"

"Back to Cardiff. I can't stay here. I'm afraid of Sean, but I want him, too, but I love Bradley. I've made such a mess. I suppose it's what I've always been good at," she said softly and sipped her tea.

Rowan patted Ffion's shoulder and went into the bedroom. She pulled the cash box out and counted out Ffion's pay and then a bit extra and carried it in and handed it to her.

"I think you should stay and try to fix things, but I'm sure Bradley needs time to cool off and so here," she said and held out the money. "Your pay, plus a bit extra to help you out. I do hope you'll come back, Ffion."

Ffion stood and took the money and shoved it in her pocket. "Thank you, Rowan. You've been a completely lush boss, really. I hate to leave here, I love working here, but I do have to go, for awhile at least. Thank you for everything," she said. She'd never forgotten Rowan had saved her life.

She hugged Rowan tightly and kissed the woman's cheek. Rowan gave her a sad smile and patted her on the shoulder and walked with her to the door.

"Take care of yourself," Rowan said as Ffion left.

Ffion nodded and headed down the stairs.

She knew she was near the High Street and headed for the tube station.

Rowan sighed. She went and looked out the window and noted Ffion was not going back in the direction of the Square. Which meant she wasn't telling her brother, or anyone else in all likelihood, that she was leaving. Rowan pulled on her shoes and headed out of the flat.

JT caught sight of Rowan as she crossed through the park to get to Rhys' flat.

"What's up with Aunt Rowan?" JT wondered aloud to Roxy and grabbed Amy's legs to keep her steady on his shoulders as he hurried over.

"What's going on? You look like you're on the warpath," JT said as his long legs easily caught up with Rowan's

Rowan paused and looked at him. "Ffion's leaving. Seems that Sean Slater has been at her again. I need to talk to Rhys. She clearly isn't going to say anything to him and from the sound of things, this is partly his fault. No, Ffion shouldn't have had an affair with that...that...Sean, but her brother didn't help matters by trying to charge him with rape when he'd done nothing wrong," she blurted.

She folded her arms and looked at JT and Roxy, unable to keep the anger from her tone or expression.

"Do you know, Ffion told Rhys that Sean hadn't done anything and Rhys arrested him anyway. So, Sean's been harassing Ffion about it. I guess he went after her today and things went bizarre and Bradley walked in on them together...you know...," Rowan paused and waved her hand dismissively. "Anyway, I'm going to give Rhys a piece of my mind," she stated and turned away before JT could utter another word.

JT looked down at Roxy, unable to keep the shock from his face. "Well, cut off my legs and call me Stumpy," he breathed and snapped his mouth shut.

Roxy watched Rowan curiously, then ran after JT. She listened to Rowan and her fists clenched angrily. Sean had been harassing Ffion as well as her? She felt a little put out and jealous, Sean was supposed to be chasing after her, not Ffion!

She watched Rowan march away and made a small humming noise in response to JT as she lost herself in her own thoughts. Roxy turned her head after watching Rowan dash off and caught sight of Sean standing outside Janine's. He was trying to win her back? He was going completely the wrong way about it! What was he doing hanging around with all these other women if he was trying to get her!

She left Amy with JT and marched over to Sean, her anger evident.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\

Janine got up reluctantly, her attention still focused on the TV as she picked up the receiver.

"Yeah, who is it, I'm busy," she snapped.

Sean grinned. "Me, lemme in" he told her.

"SEAN!"

He turned as a familiar voice bellowed his name and smiled smoothly at the sight of Roxy marching towards him.

"Hey, Roxy," he smiled as he stepped out from Janine's front path

Roxy strode right up to Sean and slapped him round the face. "Is it not enough that you're making my life a misery that you have to go and ruin other people's lives as well!" she spat at him.

Sean pressed a hand to his cheek, the force of her unexpected slap had made him stumble. He turned to her, fury radiating from him. "Your life is only a misery because you are forcing yourself to believe that you have a future with that gorilla!" he snarled. "We both know that if you came back to me then everything will go back to how it should be!"

Roxy almost screamed at him "When are you going to get it Sean? I love JT! "

"But you're mine!" he retorted possessively "He doesn't deserve to even look at you Roxy!"

"Just go away Sean! Go away and leave us all alone!" she told him before turning her back on him. He reached out and latched a hand onto her wrist, pulling her back to him so that their lips met. She pushed at him furiously and broke free.

"Stop doing _that_! I love JT! I don't belong to you! I don't belong to anyone," she told him before running off.

Janine smiled and left her flat and opened the door just in time to see Roxy smack Sean hard. Her mouth dropped open.

JT gaped again as he saw Roxy march off away. He lifted Amy off his shoulders and tucked her against him and ran after her when he saw she was heading for Sean. That could only be trouble.

JT looked at Janine as she opened the door he met her eyes in surprise at the slap. JT nearly grabbed Sean as he tried to kiss Roxy, but stepped back as she pushed Sean away. JT turned as Roxy ran off. JT looked at Sean steadily for a moment before going after Roxy.

"Well, well, well, trouble in paradise?" Janine asked her tone one of feigned concern. She smiled at Sean.

"You'll never get her back now," she giggled and folded her arms.

Sean scowled at her as he pushed past into her flat, nursing his aching cheek as he went.

"You're not exactly helping are you" he snapped at her "What have you done to help?" he went on "Nothing, you bumped into JT once. _ONCE_. And that's it" he growled at her

"You, Janine, are supposed to be making it so that JT sleeps with you, or appears to, so that Roxy comes running into my arms," he told her. "You just haven't bothered," he grumbled.

"Yeah, well…it would be a lot easier if they weren't together all the time," she huffed at him. "It's not exactly the easiest thing in the world. Although, she seemed pretty jealous to me, so maybe something will come of that and I'll have a chance. It's not like you've been making it worth my while."

She looked him up and down and then turned and went back into her flat and shut the door.

Sean snorted. She should try harder then!

He grunted to himself and made his way home, he wanted Roxy and JT broken. He'd tried pulling Roxy away from JT and clearly that wasn't working, he'd tried getting Janine onto JT so that Roxy would come rushing to him, that hadn't worked. He needed a different tactic, though he had to admit, casting doubt into JT's mind about Roxy's true feelings was highly amusing. Sean knew that Roxy wanted him, deep down, she couldn't deny herself forever. She'd come to him.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\

JT caught up with Roxy and put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down.

"Roxy, why does it matter if he was with someone else, since you say you don't want him back?" he asked her curiously. He couldn't help but wonder. She'd clearly been jealous that he'd been with Ffion. Did she only push away from the kiss because JT and Janine were both there?

He put Amy down next to him, holding onto her hand so she wouldn't wander off and looked at Roxy.

"If that Janine and I hadn't been standing there would you have pushed Sean away?" he asked her softly.

Roxy sighed, she hadn't wanted JT to come after her. She had wanted to be alone, to get her head straight. She glanced down briefly at Amy as she turned to face him and looked up into his face. "Yes" she told him firmly. "Because I don't want him near me," she muttered.

Roxy bent and scooped Amy off the ground and into her arms.

"Come on, you," she smiled. "Dinner's waiting at home," she smiled.

"Ice Ceeaaamm," Amy pleaded and Roxy shook her head. "No, you've already had one," she said with a tone of finality. Roxy smiled as she saw Amy's face fall in disappointment. "But," she whispered to her daughter. "I think there might be strawberries for afters if you're very good."

Roxy started off towards the pub and glanced back at JT as she went.

JT watched Roxy walk away. He wasn't sure he believed her. Something Sean had said about an alley crossed JT's mind and he began to wonder if Sean wasn't trying to stir up trouble. The glance back did nothing to ease his mind, but he followed her into the pub and upstairs anyway.

He watched her as she cooked, but chose to remain silent. He wasn't sure what to say if he was being honest.

He waited until after dinner and Amy was safely distracted with strawberries. He took a deep breath.

"Roxy, he said something to me…he said I should ask you about the alleyway. After what I saw today, I have to wonder if maybe I shouldn't. You seemed awfully jealous of Ffion, don't think I didn't notice your face when Rowan was talking," he told her.

Roxy glanced down at Amy and then looked back up at JT.

"He cornered Amy in the alleyway and had a _chat _with her," she explained. "I found them, it was after Nursery one day," she said to put it into context for him. "And I sent Amy home with Abi and..." she trailed off. "I stayed to tell him to stay away from her. It ended up.." she paused again and looked up into his eyes. "He caged me in against the wall and kissed me," she said then closed her eyes. "And I didn't push him away, I didn't want to push him away JT. It scared the shit out of me," she admitted and looked sadly back up at him. "I suppose part of the reason that I don't want him near me is because.." she trailed off again and took a deep breath. "because I'm scared of wanting him," she whispered.

JT looked at Roxy steadily.

"Or you want him and you're scared to admit it," he added. "Roxy, you have no idea how hard this is for me. To see the look on your face when you heard Sean was having an affair with Ffion, to wonder what's going on, this is so hard..." he trailed off.

"I'm going for a walk, I'll be back later," he said and stood up. "You really need to make up your mind, Roxy. Decide what you want and face him decisively and tell him, because right now, you're just playing hard to get."

He stepped around her and left.

JT crossed the Square, his hand shoved in his pockets as he wandered aimlessly. He caught sight of Rowan in the cafe, but the didn't want to bother her with this, even if she was family.

As night fell, he stopped wandering and decided to find somewhere to sleep. He didn't want to go back to the pub. He wanted to give Roxy her space. He considered the restaurant, but Rowan and Ray might want the flat to themselves after having Ray's mother for the weekend. He headed for the B&B.

Janine left her flat and noticed JT heading for the B&B. Had there been a row? She smiled and ran over to him and bumped into him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry..." she began and looked up. "JT, please forgive me," she said then tilted her head at him.

"How about that scene earlier huh?" she asked curiously. JT looked at her and let out a long breath.

"What about it?" he asked her in a dark tone.

"Well, you know, if you need someone to talk to, I'm more than happy to. My husband left me for someone else, so I can understand how painful it can be," Janine told him, her voice heavy with sympathy.

"Look," she went on at the expression of doubt on his face. "I've got this I was going to have it myself, but why don't you do what you're going to do and we can have a drink together, what do you say. You can tell me everything," she offered as she held up a bottle of wine.

JT shrugged and went into the B&B, Janine following right on his heels. Kim eyed the pair of them as they went over to sit in a quiet corner in the front room and began to share a bottle of wine Janine had. She went to the pub with Denise and when they returned, JT and Janine were gone. Kim pursed her lips and looked at Denise.

"I think that fella of Roxy's is up in his room with Janice," she said and looked at her sister. Denise snorted and shook her head before heading upstairs to bed. Kim went over and picked up the empty bottle and the glasses JT had borrowed and put them in the kitchen before heading upstairs herself.

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Rowan pounded on Rhys' door until he answered.

"Rowan, what?" he asked her in confusion.

"You should know Ffion is leaving town. Apparently, Sean was harassing her because of your little fiasco arrest. And somehow it ended with them…well….I don't think I need to spell it out for you," Rowan said shortly. "Suffice to say, Bradley walked in and chucked Ffion out. So she's leaving," she finished coldly.

Rhys' eyes widened. Ffion left?

"I'm sorry…" he trailed off.

"I'm the wrong person to apologize to," she shot back. She glared at him furiously a moment longer and then turned and stormed away.

Rhys watched her go and went back inside and tried to call Ffion. No answer. He tried again and again, but she clearly wasn't going to answer. He sighed and began calling the family.

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Rowan strode furiously back across the Square and heard her phone go off. She read Ray's text and looked at her watch. It was already after 4, where had the day gone.

"Am at café, what time?" she sent back and headed towards the café. She saw Roxy and JT looking like they might be having some sort of problem, but she wasn't interested. She'd had enough of drama today. She went into the café, got a cup of coffee and a large piece of chocolate cake from Bianca and began to eat her way through it.

Bianca noticed Rowan seemed upset and walked over to her.

"You alright?" she asked. Rowan looked up at her.

"Just tired of today," she replied. "It seems to be nothing but drama, some of it my own."

Bianca laughed and dropped into the chair across from her.

"You think you've got drama now? Wait till that's over with," Bianca told her and pointed at Rowan's belly. "You'll have more drama than you can shake a stick at once you've got kids."

"Oh, thanks, Bianca, I feel so much better now," Rowan said tartly and took another bite of her cake.

"Happy to help," Bianca teased and got back up when more people came in.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\

"Once we're done with work. Will text and meet you in the pub" Ray sent back then pulled his paperwork towards him, determined to finish it

"Okay, am consoling myself with chocolate cake. Will see you then," Rowan texted back.

Rowan finished her cake and sighed as she pushed the plate away. She got up, waved goodbye to Bianca and headed for the pub. It was nearly time for Ray to be finished. She went to the bar, got herself a lemonade and then sat down at a table, leaning back comfortably as she sipped her drink.

She smiled and nodded at people she knew, but stayed where she was. She picked up her phone and sent off a text to Ray. "At pub. See you soon."

/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\

Roxy was left with an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach as she acknowledged the truth in his words. She didn't want to feel like this for Sean, she couldn't help it. The jealousy had surprised her at the time but had made her angry as well, angry that he was sleeping with other girls, and angry that she felt that way.

Amy watched JT leave and looked to Roxy. "Where JayTee go?" she demanded to know and Roxy turned and took the empty bowl away. "He's gone for a walk Amy, he'll be back later," she told her. Amy nodded and climbed off the chair. She toddled through to the front room as Roxy watched her carefully. Satisfied that Amy wasn't going to injure herself, Roxy set about sorting the kitchen, and her head.

Would sleeping with Sean help? Or make everything worse? She knew that if she had to choose then she should choose JT, he was the ideal bloke, strong, kind, good with Amy, he loved her and promised not to leave her or hurt her. She loved him.

But Sean...Sean just made her feel things that she really thought that she shouldn't. She wanted him, and still loved him. He would be a rubbish father, she could see his temper flaring and him lashing out if Amy did something wrong. She didn't want to live in fear of what he might do to Amy or her. But she couldn't extinguish what he made her feel. She shut the fridge with more force than was strictly necessary in her frustration.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Shaz smiled and looked over her shoulder towards the other office.

"Oi, Ray" she called to him "You ready to go?" she asked.

They hadn't spent hardly any time with Rowan and Ray recently. She supposed that was because the pair of them were constantly locked away in the Restaurant.

Ray grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair and checked the text from Rowan. He grinned as he came out of his office and looked at Chris and Shaz. "Come on slow coaches, there's drinking to be done, and a small blond woman already in the pub waiting for us," he told them as he headed towards the doors.

Shaz rolled her eyes and stood, then slipped her hand into Chris' as they walked through the station and out to their car.

Ray pulled up outside the pub and didn't wait for Chris and Shaz to catch up before hurrying into the pub and instantly spotting Rowan. He made his way over and dropped a kiss on her lips before leaning against the bar.

"Been a while since we've done this," he commented.

Rowan looked up and smiled as she saw Ray come in. She nodded and leaned back in her seat.

"Yes, it has," she agreed and waved at Chris and Shaz as they came in. "I'll have another," she told him in a slightly cheeky tone and pointed at the fact that Tracey had come up behind him.

"Go ahead and sit down, Shaz, I'll get our drinks," Chris told her and headed for the bar. He got their drinks and then went and sat down next to Shaz and handed over her drink.

"Was it nice having your mum around?" Chris asked Ray curiously.

Rowan smiled. "I like her. She's planning to come back after the birth."

Ray grinned at her and nodded at Tracey.

"Another lemonade and a pint please, Trace," he smiled at her then turned back to Rowan. "So, what else did you do today?" he asked as he paid Tracey and brought their drinks over. He sat down beside her and smiled before taking a hefty gulp from his pint.

Shaz nodded at him with a smile and took the seat next to Rowan with a grin at her friend. She looked back up at Chris as he came back and took her drink from him with a word of thanks.

"Oh, it was a banner day," Rowan said tartly. "Ffion's left, she may not come back. She stopped by to tell me just before she left. So, then I went and gave Rhys an earful."

Chris laughed and Rowan raised her eyebrow at Ray.

Ray looked at her. Ffion left? Why? He decided he would ask her later if the moment came up, or if he remembered. No doubt it would be all round the square soon, some gossip would get hold of the information and the stories would soon be flying around. He shrugged inwardly as he stared at a beermat through the clear brown liquid of his pint.

Shaz frowned. "I'm getting sick of Rhys," she grumbled to herself. "He's doing my head in."

"Yeah, well, a lot of Ffion leaving is his fault, if he'd just listened to her..." Rowan trailed off. "Sean was harassing her about what happened, but somehow, um, things changed. Bradley walked in on them in the office at the car lot. So he tossed Ffion out," she told them. "That poor girl."

Ray nodded. "Yeah, it's nice to have her around for a bit, any longer than that and I think I may have gone crazy, though," he commented. "I realised how much I miss her though," he shrugged.

"You would have gone crazy? You?" she snorted and rolled her eyes and looked at Shaz. "No details, but lets just say, someone has issues," Rowan explained and then glanced back at Ray.

Ray grunted. "I don't have issues," he grumbled quietly.

Chris glanced at Ray, but said nothing, simply took a drink of his pint.

Shaz looked between them interestedly, then focused her attention on Ray. "So why do you have issues Ray?" she asked curiously, a grin on her face.

Ray scowled at her. "I don't have bloody issues," he muttered back.

Rowan gave Ray a look.

"Well, I don't recall me having the same problem in a similar situation," Rowan reminded him. "And sometimes, I probably should have."

She took a drink of her lemonade and let the subject drop.

Chris looked from Ray to Rowan and shrugged. Clearly nothing more was going to be said. He glanced over at the dart board and stood up with a gesture at Ray.

"C'mon, we can have a normal game without Jack and the Guv here," Chris suggested and headed off.

Ray chuckled at Chris, he was glad that Rowan had dropped the subject, he didn't really want to discuss it in front of Chris and Shaz. He would have to endure teasing if either one of them found out. He looked at Rowan then grabbed up his pint glass and followed Chris to the dart board. Maybe this time he'd win.

Shaz' face fell. "If he had just listened to her in the first place!" she grumbled. "And he went and arrested Sean without a warrant! I _told _him before he went storming off," she said in frustration. "I could strangle him, I really could."

She looked back up at Rowan. "Is Fee okay?" she asked. "I mean, do you think that she did the right thing?"

Shaz looked at Rowan. "So, why have you two not been socialising with us lot recently?" she wanted to know. "Surely we can't be that horrid to hang around with," she teased.

Rowan shrugged. "I don't know. She's sure Bradley won't forgive her and take her back and I don't blame her for not wanting to stay around here, what with the Sean situation, she probably is better off going back to her family, for awhile anyway."

Rowan made a face at her. "Yeah, cause I don't invite you over at all," she teased back. "I don't mind going out, but I'm storing up quiet nights in. We'll have so few of those in a short amount of time."

"And sometimes, I'm just too tired to bother moving. I tell Ray he can go out, though, and sometimes he actually does."

Shaz smiled. "To be honest, our hours are terrible, I seem to be getting all the rubbish shifts recently," she sighed.

Shaz looked over at Ray. "I can imagine him being quite protective of you, especially as you're getting near your due date," she commented as she watched Chris and Ray set up the dart board. She looked back over at Rowan's stomach and raised her eyebrows. "You're due in what? October?" she asked.

"I just don't want him to feel he can't socialize because I'm tired. He's got his phone, if anything happened he'd be the first person I call," Rowan said. "Yeah, roughly late October, but I really hope I'm early. When you start having kids, do not have twins, whatever you do, one of them is always awake," Rowan groaned.

After a couple of hours, she looked at her watch and yawned.

"I should get home. He's going to want feeding," she said with a gesture at Ray. "Let's have a show marathon this weekend, I'm going to pick up the new Torchwood DVD," Rowan suggested. "We can kick the boys out and drool over Captain Jack,"' she added with a grin then caught Ray's eye and tapped her watch.

Shaz nodded in agreement. "Text me a time and I'll be there," she smiled as she drained her drink. If Ray and Rowan were leaving then no doubt Chris would want to be fed.

Ray glanced over at Rowan and caught her expression. He nodded as he turned his head to look at the dart board and grinned at her as he drained his pint and left it on the bar. He followed Chris back over to Rowan and Shaz and glanced at Shaz briefly before holding out his hand to help Rowan up. He smiled at her and waved at Chris and Shaz as he led Rowan outside to the car and drove home.

Chris noted the direction of Ray's gaze and took his final throw. "Well, you win that one mate. But looks like you're leaving, so we'll get you next time. Hungry anyway, I'll have to see if Shaz'll feed us," he chuckled and slapped Ray on the arm before heading over to Shaz and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Ready, love?"

Shaz looked up at Chris and smiled as she stood. "So, take-away or am I cooking tonight?" she asked as she grabbed up her jacket.


	27. Chapter 27

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale****  
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**Chapter 27**

JT flipped the bacon with a sigh. The past week or so had been quite a strain. He would almost prefer out and out fighting to the uncomfortable silences and awkwardness they seemed to have instead.

Roxy seemed no closer to figuring herself out and JT was getting tired of sleeping in the spare room or going to Rowan's. He had no intention of going back to the B&B, especially not with the way Kim seemed to look at him all the time. He could not figure out what was up with that woman.

He plated up the food, made himself a bacon sandwich and then headed downstairs to prep the food for the day.

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Janine sat in the cafe, toying with a mug of tea and staring unseeing at the magazine she had open on the table in front of her.

"So, here you are, Janice," Kim said and quickly sat down across from her. Janine looked up in annoyance.

"I'm busy," Janine said huffily.

"Yeah, I can see that," Kim observed sarcastically and leaned over. "Now, what was the story with you and Roxy's bloke at the B&B the other week? Don't think I didn't see you two, over there in the corner all...intimate."

"We were just talking and sharing a bottle of wine. He and Roxy were having some troubles that's all and he wanted advice," Janine explained dismissively.

"Right...advice, from you," Kim shook her head in disbelief. "Nuh-uh, you tell me and you tell me now. Did you sleep with him?"

Janine gasped in indignation. "Kim! What kind of question is that?"

"A perfectly reasonable one," Kim replied and spread her hands. "Well?"

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response," Janine told her haughtily and stood up and left.

Kim watched her go. "I think that was a yes."

Kim grinned. She couldn't wait to tell Denise. They'd been arguing about it for days.

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Rhys walked into the station and sat moodily at his desk. He was leaving for Cardiff again that evening to try and convince his family and Ffion that he was sorry. He rubbed his face and sighed. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid and now the whole family was against him because of what had happened. He had spent his days off in Cardiff since Ffion had left, but it didn't seem to be helping and he had no idea how to make things right.

He tapped a pen idly on his desk as he thought. Maybe he should just not go this time. He hadn't seen Tanya in a while. Maybe he'd just call her and see if she wanted to go out this weekend and stay away from the family, let things cool off a bit more. Maybe if he stayed away, it would help. Maybe. Worse was the fact they kept blaming him. He wasn't the only one at fault. Sean Slater had had a lot to do with it. Sean was the one Ffion had been shagging after all.

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Peggy watched JT work in the pub kitchen for a few moments and shook her head with a sigh before going to open the pub. She wanted to shake her niece, but was trying to keep out of it. They wouldn't appreciate her interference at all. She went to the door to open the pub and smiled at Whitney who had been about to knock.

Whitney thanked Peggy and headed behind the bar to get things ready. She hadn't meant to be running late, but she had had to wait around to keep up appearances. The theory had been great, the practical, not so much.

"No, go on, Jack. Molly doesn't mind walking to the restaurant, she said so," Whitney had nearly begged.

Jack had looked at her a few minutes, but had finally nodded and left. Whitney had sagged with relief. She'd had to wait until he had driven away and then nearly ran to the pub so she wouldn't be late to work.

She pulled out her phone and sent off a text to Molly.

"Your back is covered but you better get to work-Jack was murder to get rid of!"

She shoved her phone back in her pocket and glanced around the pub, glad it wasn't that messy. She would easily get the place ready before they opened.

Peter looked at Molly sleeping and heard her phone going off. He poked her in the shoulder.

"Hey, your phone's beeping. You should get that," he said. He still couldn't believe they'd worked out for her to stay the night. He just hoped they wouldn't get caught. He got out of bed and pulled on his pajamas before looking at the clock. He walked back over to the bed, sat next to her and tapped her on the shoulder again.

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Molly mumbled under her breath. She didn't want to get up, Peter's bed was so comfortable and he was so warm. She cracked open an eye and smiled sleepily up at him. "I don't want to get up," she sighed as she snuggled into his pillow. "I want to stay in bed with you," she said softly as she closed her eyes again.

"And you should hurry up and get ready or you'll be late to work," he told her and gently pulled some of the hair back from her face.

Molly growled quietly as her phone let off another warning beep and she rolled over and grabbed it. She sighed as she read Whitney's text and looked at Peter. "Seems that Whit also thinks that I should get up," she sighed and quickly sent back a thank you text then pressed her lips to his softly. "Can I use your shower?" she asked as she climbed out of his bed.

"Yeah, well, enjoy it now. You've only got one month till school starts up again," Peter said and stood up so she could get out of the bed.

He nodded. "Sure, I'll use it after you. I can go in later, so it's good. Lucky you can eat when you get to work. All that good food to pick from."

He gallantly turned his back and handed her a spare dressing gown she could wear, though he knew Fatboy had already gone to work.

Molly took the dressing gown off him with a smile as she tied it around herself, she didn't understand why he even bothered to turn away, it wasn't like he hadn't already seen everything.

"I'll only be a minute," she told him as she left his room and crossed the hall.

Molly had a speedy shower and picked one of Peters spare towels and wrapped her hair up. She supposed that he didn't have a hair dryer, she would have to plait it or something.

Molly returned to Peter's room and dug around in the bag that she had packed, she pulled out the spare clothes she had brought with her and dressed herself in them. She unwound her hair from the towel and brushed it carefully before tying it back, it was damp but it would dry.

Molly made her way downstairs and spotted Peter. She went over and kissed him. "I'll text you later, I need to go or I'll be late for work," she smiled at him and gave him a hug.

Peter chuckled. "Oh, now you're worried," he teased and kissed her back. He took a sip of his tea. "I'll have to think of something to get Whitney to thank her for covering you like this."

Molly pulled back with a smile and kissed him once more before leaving by his back door. She hurried down the street with her bag over her shoulder and made her way to work, making sure to avoid going by a route where she would be seen by someone she knew.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Roxy lay in bed. Alone. Again. She could hear JT's footsteps as he went downstairs, she'd been awake for the best part of an hour, but couldn't bring herself to get up while JT was around. Things weren't good between them and she knew why. But she had no solution to this! She couldn't find a way through it. It was doing her head in.

She groaned to herself as she rolled onto her front and buried her face into her pillow, she screamed out her frustration into it. Roxy panted as she finished screaming. She kept her head hidden in the pillow as she tried once again to find a solution to all of this.

She could see what it was doing to JT and she hated it. But she couldn't help the way she felt about Sean. She wished he'd never come back, she wished she and JT were still as happy as they had been before their trip to America to meet his kin. She wanted everything to be okay between them again. She silently berated herself, wishing solved nothing, there was no point in it at all. She rolled back onto her back and stared unseeingly at the ceiling. She would go and see Sean, tell him exactly what she was feeling then tell him to bugger off and leave her alone. He'd twist it no doubt, but she would stay strong, she wanted him gone and she wanted her life back to normal.

Roxy finally climbed out of bed and dragged herself into the bathroom. She showered and frowned at herself as she once again weighed JT against Sean. That didn't work, they were both so different and she loved them for different reasons!

She dressed and went into Amy's room to see the little girl on the floor, with her clothes on, buttons done up wrong and quite happily playing with her dolls. Roxy went and knelt beside her and buttoned her clothes up right. She was glad that Amy was learning to get herself ready in the morning, but she really did need practice with buttons. She looked down at her and grinned as she noticed that Amy had even brushed her hair, and had put various clips in it. She chuckled as she led Amy to get some breakfast and sat her down before making up her Weetabix.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Kim watched JT bustling around in the kitchen and looked at Denise as she and her sister stood at the bar.

"I'm telling you, Dee, Janice as good as admitted it," she whispered to her sister. Denise snorted.

"I've known Janine a lot longer than you, you can't believe everything she says," Denise cautioned and Kim rolled her eyes.

"Look, you can disbelieve me all you want, Dee, but the plain fact is, that JT spent the night with Janice in his room and I'd put money on it," Kim retorted.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Roxy made sure that Amy was safely upstairs watching TV and went downstairs to check on the bar. She made a point of not looking in the kitchen, she couldn't bear to look at JT and see that expression that he seemed to wear around her constantly. She would have to tell him that she was going to go and see Sean at some point today, just so that he would look after Amy while she was gone

Roxy stiffened as she caught the end of Kim and Denise's conversation. JT had spent the night with Janine? She moved towards them and stood with her hands on her hips

"What did you just say?" she asked her tone shaky and cold.

Denise's eyebrow went up at her sister and she folded her arms and watched her sister. Kim looked like she was going to choke. Kim cleared her throat and turned to face Roxy.

"Look, I'm not repeating something someone told me, yeah?" Kim prefaced. "But a while back, there was that night your fella stayed at the B&B and Janice came in with him. They shared a bottle of wine. One minute, they were sitting there talking, the next they were gone. Now, I can only guess that she went to his room with him," Kim said and spread her hands.

"And Janice herself pretty much admitted it in the cafe this morning when I asked her about it," Kim added as an afterthought, idly rubbing her thumb across her fingernails as if to shine them.

"So, that's all there is to that."

She looked at Roxy, then at Denise and hurried out of the pub.

Denise looked at Roxy and shook her head. "I don't believe it," she said in a low tone and turned to follow her sister out of the pub.

Janine left the Minute Mart and saw Kim and Denise hurrying away from the pub, Denise seemed to be berating Kim, who was waving her hands around, supposedly defending herself. A slow smile crept across her face and she hurried to the pub and slipped quietly inside, edging behind a group of people so she could see what was going on, but not be seen herself. She had a feeling the show was about to begin, and she didn't want to miss it.

/\/\/\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\

Roxy watched Kim and Denise leave and mulled over their words as much as she could. JT and _Janine_? She hadn't cheated on him, she was just confused about her feelings, yet he felt it acceptable to go and sleep with the local whore! She'd see about this!

Roxy turned and left Tracey to man the bar as she marched into the kitchen. She stood with her hands on her hips as she watched JT work, then took a deep breath and let rip

"So, just because I'm confused over my feelings towards Sean you think that you can go and sleep with that whore?" she growled at him. "The only thing that happened between me and Sean is a kiss, not that I even wanted to kiss him! Is this your idea of revenge or something JT, I know how much this is hurting you, it hurts me too! But you think that you should go and hurt me even more?" she said angrily "Well done! You did it!" she said as she turned to leave.

"And don't even think of trying to deny it! Kim saw you, I know you slept with Janine," she said bitterly and on the verge of tears as she hurried from the kitchen and out of the back door of the pub. She walked unseeingly through the market, it was times like this when she needed Ronnie! She muttered an apology as she bashed into someone and looked up to see Sean.

His brow creased in concern as he noticed her tear filled gaze and then wrapped his arms around her and held her to his chest as she started to sob. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and held her close. So Janine had managed it then. He smirked to himself silently before turning his attention to the woman clinging to him and led her away from the market place.

Jack looked at Alyssa as he carried another box of product out of the storage for her. He sighed and glanced at his watch, nearly lunchtime.

"Did Whitney seem overly nervous to you this morning?" he asked Alyssa. "She couldn't seem to push me out of the house fast enough."

/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Alyssa shrugged. "She seemed a little jumpy," she said. "I'm sure she's fine though, we'd know if there was a problem wouldn't we?" she said.

"I didn't say there was necessarily a problem, just that maybe something was up."

He leaned on the counter and stuck his chin on his hand.

"Also, you should know, Declan's been in touch the past few weeks, groveling. We are family and he hates the idea that we might not all be pals anymore. He's sworn that he's over you, in fact, it seems he's got back together with his ex-wife. Anyway, he's been begging, wants to know if we would like to go north and visit. His treat to show how sorry he is. He says we can either stay on the estate or he'll put us up in the B&B, our choice, no pressure. I said I'd talk to you."

Alyssa tensed at Declan's name but pushed it away. She looked up at Jack's face and ran a finger down his cheek. "I don't want to be the cause of a rift between you and your family," she told him. "If you want to go up there then I'll come with you," she smiled at him and kissed his forehead before going to unload the stock from the boxes that he had brought out for her.

"Okay, then I'll see what and when we can sort out," he told her. "There's no pressure."

Alyssa nodded as she looked up from restocking the nail varnish display. "Okay," she nodded with a smile.

/\\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Rowan sighed and dropped tiredly onto a chair. She really needed to find a replacement for Ffion soon. It wasn't so bad just now with Molly helping, but in another month, Molly would be back at school. Rowan ran a hand over her gravid belly, and she would be having the babies soon enough, just over two short months to go.

She smiled gratefully at Syed as he brought her a glass of water and stuck her feet up on the other chair and leaned back as she tried to think who might need a job.

Rowan went into the bathroom and brushed out her hair and re-braided it then headed off to the Square. She'd look around and see who would be good to hire. She sent off a text to Ray as she went to let him know where she would be.

Ray glanced down at his phone as he saw the text from Rowan. He sent back the single letter 'K'

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

JT turned from his cooking and felt his jaw drop at Roxy's accusations. Slept with Janine? Since when did sharing a bottle of wine mean that? Kim had seen them? How? She hadn't even been there! What in the world was he supposed to do?

He opened his mouth to speak and suddenly she was gone. How was he supposed to defend himself, or was he to be given no choice? He rubbed his face and then swept his arms across the counter, knocking everything to the floor in a sudden fit of fury and stormed out of the kitchen. He had an idea who had set this up.

First, he went to see Kim to convince her to explain to Roxy she hadn't actually seen anything because she hadn't been there when JT had gone to his room alone, and Janine had left. He went looking for Janine, but couldn't find her and went back to the pub. He went upstairs and sat on the couch. Even if he found Janine, if she was working with Sean, she was unlikely to admit she hadn't slept with him.

He needed to do something drastic to get Roxy's attention so he would have a chance to explain.

\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\

Sean guided Roxy to the allotments and sat her down in Charlie's Garden House. He kept her held close to him as she clung to his shirt and sobbed. Sean stopped stroking her hair after a moment and pulled her off his shirt to look at her face. "What happened, Rox? Why are you crying?" he asked.

Roxy wiped at her tears and looked up at him. "JT's been sleeping with Janine," she murmured and Sean growled angrily. "Bastard," he muttered as he pulled her close to him again and held her tightly."I told you Rox, he's no good for you," he said firmly. "I love you, Roxy!" he told her harshly. Roxy hid her face in his chest and hugged him tightly.

"Have I ever cheated on you Rox? No," he said. "Come back to me," he told her as he pulled her away from his chest again and caught her lips in a fierce kiss. Roxy wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, much to Sean's delight. He broke the kiss after a moment and looked at Roxy.

"Go home and kick that oversized idiot out," he told her and Roxy bit her lip. Sean frowned. "What?"

Roxy sighed. "I love him, Sean," she told him with a sigh and Sean scowled. "You love me," he told her and she nodded.

"I love you both," she said and looked back up at his face and he pulled her back to his chest. "You're married to me," he told her possessively and she nodded.

"I know."

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

JT rummaged around and found the guitar he'd bought a few weeks ago. He checked the tuning and then began to practice a song he'd heard that he would sing to Roxy to try and win her back.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Sean let go of Roxy and kissed her forehead. "Pub," he said. "Go pack a bag," he told her as he moved her into a standing position. "You're staying at mine tonight," he elaborated at the look on her face.

Roxy nodded and rubbed at her eyes with her wrists then moved out of Sean's embrace completely and climbed out of Charlie's shed. She glanced back at Sean as he followed her out then caught her into another lingering kiss. He smiled at her as he let her go and watched her walk out of the allotments.

Roxy avoided talking to anyone as she made her way back to the pub.

JT lurked near the bar until he saw Roxy come back in and rushed over to her.

"Roxy, I did NOT sleep with Janine. She showed up when I was staying there, yes, but we only sat at the table and drank some wine. I don't even know how Kim says she saw me take Janine anywhere because Kim wasn't even there. She left after Janine showed up."

He grabbed hold of her shoulders and met her eyes. "I would not cheat on you, Roxy. I love you. And if you even think I could look at another woman, then you don't know me very well."

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips and looked at her again. "My whole world changed when I met you, Roxy," he said and straightened up and grabbed hold of the guitar which he had slung across his back and began to play...

"Someone turned a light on, inside my soul the moment that you walked in the room

Just around the corner, a cloud had broke and I could see the moonlight come through

It's all too crazy, I thought that maybe I'd not fall in love

For years I doubted, wrote songs about it, I never knew that…."

He smiled as he began the chorus. "Something happened to me that day that I woke up, call me all the things that you want and I'll walk home. Call me all the things that you want, I'm not alone…."

Roxy stood, gob-smacked, as JT sang to her. She felt her feelings of anger and betrayal waver. How was she supposed to stay mad at him when he was doing this for her? She knew that she should trust him, that he was probably telling her the truth about Janine.

He ignored everyone else in the pub and focused entirely on Roxy as he sang his heart out to her. When he finished, he un-slung the guitar and put it on the bar and touched her cheek.

She waited for him to finish and bit her lip as he touched her face. She threw her arms around his neck, doubt still in her mind, but unable to stay angry at him. She hugged him tightly and buried her face in his neck as she clung to him.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Rowan wandered around the Square, wondering who she could bring in. James wanted to switch to coming in earlier in the morning so he could work the earlier shifts at the club. He told her he'd never been a night person, but a morning person, so he would prefer it. And he didn't mind helping in the kitchen. There was a girl he wanted to impress, it seemed. That meant Rowan needed to find someone who could work before lunch to closing time.

She got a lemonade from Jane and sat outside the café, watching everyone walk by, and thought.

She saw Roxy heading for the pub and wondered at the expression on the woman's face. She stood up and took the bottle inside to throw away and got to the pub in time to hear JT singing to Roxy. They must have had a fight. She wiped furtively at her eyes at the scene and leaned against the bar to see what would happen.

She pulled out her phone and noted Ray's reply to her text.

"JT is singing to Roxy in the pub, it's lovely," she sent to Ray and turned on her video to record it to play for Ray later. She clapped along with everyone else when he'd finished and winked at JT when he glanced over at her before turning to look around. She caught sight of Whitney and Fatboy and walked over to them.

"Hi, um, you don't happen to know anyone looking for a job do you?" she asked them quietly. "You see, Ffion's left and I have to replace her. James wants the early shift so I need someone reliable and friendly to work the late morning to closing shift."

Whitney shook her head. "I can't think of anyone offhand, but I'll keep an eye out."

Rowan nodded at her. "Thank you," she said and turned to Fatboy hopefully.

Fatboy caught Rowan looking at him and shrugged.

"What bout Merce?" he said and looked at Whitney "She's finished College and she's gonna do an Open Uni course," he explained and looked at Rowan with another shrug. "She's gonna need a job."

"Yeah, I think Mercy would be a good idea," Whitney agreed with a smile.

"Do you know where she is?" Rowan asked. Mercy would be a good idea. She was polite and seemed quite reliable.

Whitney looked at Fatboy and shrugged. "Not sure..." Whitney looked at Fatboy again.

Fatboy raised his eyebrows as Whitney looked to him again, why did everyone think that he knew everything about Mercy? He did, but it was a little irritating to say the least. He nodded. "The Community centre, she's helping out there today with some sort of Holiday Club thing," he said.

"Thank you," Rowan said and patted his hand. It seemed everyone knew Fatboy and Mercy were a couple, except Fatboy. She shared a wink with Whitney and turned and headed out of the pub.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

She waited until the singing and public display was over and quietly approached Roxy before the woman disappeared.

"Can I have a word?" she said as she softly touched Roxy's arm.

She led Roxy through the double doors to stand by the steps so they would have some privacy.

"You should know, the other night, I was out taking a walk and I saw Janine follow JT into the B&B and then she left just before Kim and Denise got back. I thought you should know," Stacey said and slipped away.

Roxy stayed where she was as she took in Stacey's words. So JT couldn't have slept with Janine. She hated rumours and the damage they did! She gulped, she had agreed to stay with Sean tonight, she wasn't going to do that now. Not now she knew that JT had done nothing wrong. She needed to apologise.

Roxy headed back into the pub and headed straight for JT, she took his hand and looked up at his face "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have just assumed and not given you a chance," she said apologetically.

She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I'm going to go and check on Amy, she's probably been drawing on the walls again," she sighed then smiled at him and squeezed his hand before letting go and hurrying upstairs to check on her daughter.

JT could only smile at Roxy and gave her a quick squeeze. "Especially when they come from Kim," he reminded her and watched her head upstairs before going back into the kitchen.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Sean frowned as he watched Roxy walk back to the pub. She was no doubt going to run into JT, and he would try to defend himself and tell her it wasn't true...

Sean's fists clenched and he stalked after her, she wasn't going to get pulled in by JT's apologies and claims that it wasn't true. Sean watched Roxy disappear into the pub and followed slowly, trying to stay calm. He frowned, if he couldn't hear Roxy screaming at JT then it meant that she hadn't bumped into him, or he was telling her lies. Sean hoped it was the former. He pushed open the door to the pub and heard JT singing to Roxy. He scowled darkly.

Sean snarled quietly as Roxy threw herself into JT's arms. He watched them darkly, his arms folded as he stayed away and over the other side of the pub.

He watched Roxy hurry upstairs with a scowl. He'd tried convincing her, he'd tried making JT look back. Neither had worked. He had one option left. He watched JT return to the kitchen and followed him cautiously.

Sean silently entered the kitchen, pleased to find it empty apart from JT. He shut the door quietly behind him and made sure that it was locked so no one would come in and disturb them

"You need to let Roxy go," he growled at JT. "She's married to me, she's my wife and if you don't leave her then I'm going to have to do something drastic," he said conversationally. "You've got someone I love and it's hurting me, so, I might have to take someone you love and hurt you," he said with a malicious smirk.

"I hear that that pregnant woman that owns the restaurant is your Aunt," he said. "Would be a shame if she suddenly slipped and lost her baby wouldn't it," he added as he turned back round and unlocked the door to the kitchen and opened it.

"Let Roxy go," he said threateningly before leaving the kitchen and departing the pub.

JT spun around at the sound of Sean's voice behind him and gaped at the man as he started making threats.

He took a step towards Sean, he wanted to hit him, but then the man slipped out the door. JT put a hand on the counter and felt himself shaking with anger. Of course, Sean could threaten Rowan, but he clearly didn't know her very well. And where Rowan was, Ray usually was, too.

It didn't stop JT from worrying though. He wasn't going to give up Roxy, but he didn't want Sean to try hurting Rowan. He picked up the mess in the kitchen as he considered the problem. For one thing, he couldn't tell Rowan. He just wished he could decide if he should tell Roxy or not.

/\/\/\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\

"Look, D, I said I was sorry," Kim said as she burst into the salon.

"Yeah, well, you better make sure you apologize to Roxy and all. Why do you cause so much trouble?" Denise cried in exasperation.

Kim's reply was a shrug.

"Hey, Ally-Baby, sorry I'm late, I got side-tracked, yeah," Kim said in a rush and hurried upstairs.

Jack looked at Kim, then Denise and then at Alyssa as Kim spoke and rushed off.

"Can we go to lunch now?" he asked Alyssa.

Alyssa looked up at Kim as she finally turned up and nodded her head with an amused smile, then turned to Jack.

"Oh, yes," she said with a grin as she grabbed her bag and looked at Maddie as she came out of the back room. "Maddie, I'm going to lunch," she smiled and Maddie nodded as she took over the front desk.

Alyssa went round the desk and took Jack's hand and led him out of the Salon.

"So, I take it that this trip up north is going to be soon?" she asked. "Because you've got school starting up again in a few weeks or so," she sighed. "Which means that I'm going to lose your brilliant company during the day."

"Actually, I was thinking we could just go for a weekend sort of thing. I don't want to go and stay too long and have you end up uncomfortable," Jack said as he slung his arm around her shoulders. "So, actually we could go anytime."

Alyssa fitted her arm around his waist and nodded. "Okay," she said thoughtfully. "You pick a weekend with Declan and I'll make sure I've got someone to cover the Salon," she told him.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Roxy sighed as she got a cloth and cleaned the wax crayon off the wall. Why she left Amy alone with crayons she did not know. She sat Amy down with a sketch pad and then took a seat on the sofa as she pondered what to do

Sean had been so lovely and supportive just now, but JT had done nothing wrong. She debated texting Sean and telling him that she wasn't coming but decided against it. She didn't want to contact him now, she wanted to stay in her own little bubble and pretend that everything was how it was before Sean came storming back into her life. Just her, JT and Amy.

She sighed and curled tighter into herself as she watched Amy carefully drawing out something. Next thing she knew a piece of paper had been deposited on her legs. She picked it up and looked at the picture. Amy clambered up to sit next to her and pointed.

"This JayTee," she said as she pointed at the overly tall green man. "This Mummy," she said as she pointed to the pink figure holding hands with the green man. "And me," she said as she pointed to the small yellow person. Roxy sighed and looked at Amy. "It's beautiful, Amy," she smiled.

"Can we put it on the Frige?"

"Fridge," Roxy corrected "Fur-id-ge" she said slowly and Amy copied carefully. Roxy nodded. "Now say it quicker."

"Friiiidddge" Amy said then started singing. "Fridge, frrrrriiidge, Fridgggeee"

Roxy chuckled and stepped off the sofa, taking Amy's hand and led her singing daughter into the kitchen and grabbed one of the magnets and stuck the picture to the fridge. Amy let go of Roxy's hand and moved away. Roxy frowned when she heard the creak of the stairs.

"Amy!" she called as she went to see where her daughter had gone.

"Wanna show Jaytee," she said as she sat down on a step and proceeded to ride down the stairs on her bum. Roxy stood at the top of the stairs and watched Amy open the kitchen door downstairs.

"JAYTEE," Amy cried happily at the sight of him as she went up and clung to his leg. "I drew piccyture," she smiled.

JT stopped what he was doing and swung Amy up into his arms and looked at the drawing.

"I think that's about the best drawing I have ever seen in the whole wide world," he told Amy seriously and turned to walk out of the kitchen. It was still a bit of a mess and he didn't want Amy to hurt herself.  
>He went to the stairs and looked up at Roxy and smiled at her, feeling his heart swell. He loved Roxy and he wanted her in his life. He wondered if she knew Sean considered her something like a possession, something JT would never consider. Roxy was her own person, and he felt very lucky she chose to stay with him. He hoped she always would. Sean was bad news and he hated the idea of that man being around Amy.<p>

He carried Amy up the stairs and stopped in front of Roxy. "I've told Peggy I'm not doing food today," he told her. "So we can do whatever you want today. I didn't sleep with Janine, but I did have a drink with her while she gave me mostly useless advice. So, I want to make that up to you. We'll go wherever you want and do whatever you want."

Roxy smiled at him and nodded as she took the drawing back from Amy and went to stick it on the fridge. She looked at it for a moment with a small sigh. Amy's world seemed so wonderfully simple. She turned back to JT and looked at Amy in his arms.

"I'm all for a movie night tonight," she smiled and Amy clapped her hands excitedly.

"In Mummy's room?" she asked and Roxy nodded. "Yes, in our room with the big bed and a bowl of popcorn," she said and Amy laughed happily and nodded her head enthusiastically.

"So," Roxy said with a smile. "We're having a movie night tonight but that leaves us the whole of the afternoon free," she said and looked at JT as she thought. She didn't really want to drag JT and Amy round the shops and the cinema was pointless if they were having a movie night.

"We could go swimming," she suggested. "See if we can get Amy into the big pool this time."

"Sounds good," JT remarked. "Swimming with the girls and then an evening with popcorn and princesses, best day ever for me."

He grinned at her and jerked his head towards the hall. "Suppose we should get ready then."

He draped Amy over his shoulder and carried her to her room. He picked up her little carry bag and handed it to her. "Pack it up," he said cheerfully to Amy and headed down the hall to Roxy. He slipped his arms around her waist and bent to kiss her neck.

Roxy sighed softly and turned in JT's arms to pressed her lips to his. She slid her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. "Come on, towels and costume," she grinned. "I think I'm going to like going swimming with you," she murmured with a smile. "Means I get to ogle you with wet hair," she told him quietly and kissed him once more before releasing him and going into her room to dig out her swimming costume.

Roxy made sure that Amy's little bag had everything she needed in it and then ushered everyone into her car.

JT watched Roxy and Amy frolic in the water and sighed. From what he'd heard about Sean, JT knew he probably couldn't take the threats Sean had made lightly. He tapped his phone as his mind churned.

He should tell the police. But he hadn't recorded the conversation, and it had only been the two of them. Easy enough for Sean to deny what he'd said. They might not take it seriously. Or, considering what had happened with Ffion and her brother, they might overreact.

He should tell Rowan, but she had enough to worry about. Besides, he didn't want to put anymore stress on her just now, not in her condition. He opened his phone and took a breath.

He would compromise, he decided and punched in Ray's number.

"Sean made threats against Rowan if I don't leave Roxy. Had to tell someone. Can't tell police. Can't tell her."

He sent off the text and took a deep breath. That was done, but he didn't feel any better. But he loved Roxy. He had no intention of leaving her.

Roxy left Amy sitting on the bench in the changing room, playing with her arm bands as she sat at one of the small mirrors and grabbed a hair dryer. She blasted her hair, keeping an eye on Amy as she did so. Roxy sighed, she was losing her patience and decided that her hair was as dry as it could be if she wanted to move. It was damp but she wasn't bothered. She picked up her bag and made sure that Amy had everything as she took her daughters hand walked her out of the changing room to go and find JT.

JT waved as he saw Roxy and sauntered over to her.

"Suppose we're ready for movie night now?" he said and walked over to pick Amy up. He looked at the little girl.

"Time to go home."

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Rowan walked across the Square and saw Jack and Alyssa and waved at them as she smiled hugely.

Jack grabbed Alyssa's arm and pulled her over to Rowan.

"Hey, we're just going to lunch, you should come," Jack said.

"I have to go see a potential employee first, but where are you going and I'll meet up with you."

Jack looked at Alyssa. He hadn't thought beyond wanting to eat food.

Jack shrugged. "I couldn't think much past eating."

Rowan laughed at him and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa laughed at the look on Jack's face. "I'm not sure, I don't think either of us had planned where to go," she admitted with a shrug. "Probably just wherever takes our fancy, I'll text you when we finally decide though," she smiled and looked back up at Jack, her face full of laughter.

"Okay, I'll look out for it. Better go now."

"Good luck with your potential employee though," she smiled as she looked back at Rowan.

"Thanks, might need it," Rowan said. She hugged Alyssa and headed off to the Community Center.

Alyssa watched Rowan head off and looked back at Jack. "So, you hadn't actually got anywhere in mind?" she asked.

Jack waved at Rowan and sighed.

Rowan opened the door of the Community Center and slipped inside. She glanced around at the people and caught sight of Mercy and made her way over to the girl.

"Hi, Mercy. Um, I know you're busy, but your friend Fatboy said you might be looking for a job and well, Ffion left a few weeks ago and I really need to get someone to replace her."

Mercy looked up at Rowan in surprise and managed to dislodge herself from one of the children. She nodded. "I'm going to need a job," she agreed. "I'm pretty open with hours," she added hopefully. "What will I have to do?" she asked.

"Waiting tables," Rowan replied. "You'd be working from 11 in the morning until around 5 or 6 in the evening, five days a week. I make the schedule two weeks in advance so you would need to let me know ahead of time which two days you want off. So, what do you say? We do good business at lunch time, so that means good money, and you get a meal thrown in."

She leaned against a nearby table. "It's mostly all regular business. And there's working the occasional Friday buffet."

She looked at Mercy hopefully. "So, what do you say?"

Mercy nodded eagerly. "Sure," she beamed. "When do I start?" she wanted to know.

"Any chance you could start tomorrow? You'll have a fairly relaxed day to learn on while it's the weekend," Rowan told her. "The weekdays can sometimes get a little busy."

Mercy nodded. "No problem," she grinned happily. "Thanks so much," she added and waved at Rowan as she left before turning her attention back to the group of children.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

"What about..." Jack trailed off as he glanced around the Square. "You know, we haven't had a curry in a long while. Why don't we go to the Arghee Bhaji?" he suggested.

Alyssa nodded agreeably and moved in that direction with a smile. She pulled out her phone and fired off a text to Rowan telling her where they were. She dumped her phone back into her bag and walked into the Restaurant with Jack.

"I'll have a beer and she'll have a white wine and we're waiting for one other person," Jack said cheerfully as Tamwar led them to a table. Jack sat down and took Alyssa's hand.

"So, would you prefer to stay at the B&B or on the estate?" he asked her.

Alyssa looked down at their joined hands and chewed her lips as she thought.

"I don't know," she admitted with a small shrug of her shoulders and returned her gaze to his face. "If I'm honest I don't know how I feel towards Declan," she sighed. "I mean, I liked him well enough before he had me kidnapped," she elaborated. "Then, well..." she trailed off. "So, I suppose I'd be more comfortable in a B&B but I don't know," she said with another shrug. "It just feels like we should stay on the estate," she finished.

"Then we'll stay at the B&B," Jack said and patted her hand. "We are under no obligation to stay on the estate. He won't be hurt and offended, trust me."

Rowan gave Mercy a smile as she left and headed for the Arghee Bhaji, sending a text to Ray to let him know what she was up to as she walked out the door of the Community Center. She headed over to the restaurant where Jack and Alyssa were and walked inside. She spotted them and moved over to sit down.

"Well, seems I've hired Mercy to replace Ffion," Rowan told them happily.

Alyssa smiled up at Rowan as she sat down and beamed at her news. "I was wondering how long it would be before you found a replacement," she smiled.

"I was beginning to think I never would," Rowan replied. "But Fatboy suggested Mercy and she was more than happy to do it. So I'm going to start her tomorrow while it's the weekend and get her trained a bit while it's easy."

Alyssa smiled at Rowan. "I'm glad you've found someone to replace Fee," she grinned. "Do you think that she'll be up to the job?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, I think she'll be fine," Rowan replied.

Rowan looked up and gave her order when Tamwar came back over and then looked at Jack and Alyssa. "And what are you two plotting?"

Alyssa nodded at him and looked up at Tamwar as he brought their drinks over. She took the wine from him gratefully and took a measured sip.

Alyssa squeezed Jack's hand briefly then looked back at Rowan. "We're going to go up North for a weekend to see Declan," she told Rowan.

Rowan raised her eyebrows at Alyssa's news. "Even after...well...you know?"

Jack nodded. "He's paying for us to stay at the B&B. Wants to try and rebuild bridges and all that. He's got back with his ex-wife so I'm confident there won't be any trouble," he said to Rowan, but his attention was on Alyssa.

Alyssa nodded as Jack spoke, she could feel his gaze on her so kept her eyes trained on Rowan instead.

"So we're going up there for a weekend at some point," she added then looked back at Jack. "Did Declan mention a date or is he leaving this up to us?" she wanted to know as she reached for her wine glass again and took a another sip from it.

Jack shook his head at Alyssa's question.

"No, we're just supposed to let him know when we want to go and that's it."

"I'd love to go up north again," Rowan remarked.

"It will be nice and quiet, I'm sure," Jack told her and looked up when the food arrived.

Alyssa smiled back at Rowan and looked at Jack with an amused expression for a moment before tucking into her own food. Maybe a weekend in the country wouldn't be so bad, she didn't have to be around Declan all the time at any rate. She wasn't sure how she was going to react to seeing him again, she knew she wasn't looking forward to it.

Rowan shook her head and glanced at Alyssa with a grin as Jack stopped talking and started eating.

"Well, I better get home," Rowan said when lunch was finally over. She stood up and leaned over Alyssa to give her a hug. "Come over next weekend. We'll see about having a girl night."

Alyssa smiled and nodded. "Of course," she beamed back. They hadn't had a girly night in ages, Alyssa was beginning to miss them. Sure she liked spending time with Jack, but sometimes it was her sister's company she wanted, not her husband's.

Rowan patted Jack on the head. "Take care and I'll see you later." She swung her bag over her shoulder and headed out of the restaurant, sending off a text to Ray as she did.

"Bye, Ro," Alyssa waved her off and then looked at Jack once the bill had been paid.

"Come on, then," she smiled. "I need to get back to work before something disastrous happens," she told him with a grin as she stood up. "Are you coming with me or going to do something else?" she asked as she picked up her bag.

"Going with you I suppose, oh light of my life," Jack quipped and followed her out the door.

/\/\/\\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\

Janine watched Sean leave the pub and moved quickly in his direction.

"Well, well, well, any chance we can celebrate your victory?" Janine purred. "I did my bit, with a little help from Kim," she added and stepped close to him.

"Now, shall we go to mine and have a bit of play during your last few hours of freedom?" she asked him with a sultry smile.

Sean scowled at Janine. "No," he said shortly. "I don't think so," he snapped at her.

"It didn't work! Roxy went straight back to that oversized ape," he growled as he shook her off him. He looked at her in disgust. "What kind of person does favours just for sex?" he sneered at her. "Are you really that _desperate_!" he added with another disgusted look at her. "No wonder your husband left you for my sister," he finished and stalked off.

Janine gasped in outrage and glared after Sean.

"OH yeah?" she yelled after him. "Clearly he's the bigger man than you...in _all_departments."

She huffed out a breath and stomped home. She'd teach that Sean Slater a lesson. No one treated Janine Butcher that way. No one.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Bradley watched Janine cozy up to Sean from his vantage at the car lot and frowned. So, he'd been getting Ffion and Janine while making a play for Roxy. Bradley shook his head and went back to his desk.

He missed Ffion, he missed her terribly. But she'd gone back to Cardiff. "Who's fault was that?" he asked himself. Partly his own for giving her the boot, but she'd been shagging Sean. He was tired of women cheating on him. Stacey and now Ffion. He sighed and glared at the top of his desk. A lot of this was the fault of Sean Slater. Why did that slimy criminal ever have to come back to Walford?

/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\/\

Gene sat at his desk, glad that Debbie wasn't around. He didn't mind that she waited on him hand and foot, it was her job as far as he was concerned. But Alex was around and that could make things slightly awkward.

He glanced through his office door at Ray and frowned. At least Raymundo had kept his big mouth shut, so far at any rate. He tapped his pen on his desk and then stood up and left his office and headed down the hall to see Alex. He pushed through the doors at the end of the hall and grinned at her as he approached.

"Let's go home early," he whispered in her ear.

Alex smiled up at Gene and nodded at him. "I'll just get my stuff," she told him as she smiled up at him and then made her way down the hall and back into the office. She smiled happily at Ray as she glimpsed him from his office.

Alex threw on her jacket as she walked back to Gene and took his arm. "Home?" she smiled as she tugged lightly on his arm and led him outside to the Quattro.

Gene pulled Alex to him for a kiss and slid into the car and drove them home.

"Been awhile since we've had the place to ourselves," he observed and pulled her to him and kissed her hard. They didn't get the chance to do this as often as he liked anymore. Not nearly as often since Sammy had been born.

Not that he would cheat on Alex. No. Debbie was young and pretty, yes, but that kiss had been a mistake. He thought maybe he should see if there wasn't someone else who could do Debbie's job so he could replace her. Though, if she kept her distance, did he really need to bother?

He pushed the thoughts away and focused on Alex in his arms.

"Too long," she breathed as she moved her hands to his neck and unfastened his tie.

Alex sighed happily as she wound her arms around Gene's neck and pulled him down to her. They never seemed to get enough time for this any more and she relished it when they did. She had been tempted last night with Molly being out, staying at a friends, but with Sam being only in the next room she had decided against it.

But Sam was out with the childminder, Molly was at work still. They had time along together and she wasn't going to waste it.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Ray watched Alex pick up her stuff and then leave. He was torn between letting her know what Gene was doing and keeping her in the dark. She had been in such a good mood recently and he didn't want to be the one who ruined it. He slammed his fist down on his desk, he felt guilty because he knew and she didn't: but he'd feel just as guilty if he told her and crushed her. He growled in his throat as he pondered and struggled to find a way through his dilemma.

A distraction came in the form of a text from Rowan and Ray smiled, she'd taken to texting him to let him know where she was. He was glad that she did, he liked to know that she was safe, and if he knew where she was then it made it easier to find her if something happened. He replaced his phone and drummed his fingers on his desk.

Ray looked down at his phone again. Third time today. Rowan was certainly moving around a lot. His eyebrows flew up as he saw the text was actually from JT, and he frowned as he read the text. His fists clenched. Sean Slater had threatened Rowan! He growled low in his throat as his gaze was drawn to the picture of her that he had placed on his desk. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. He looked back down at his phone and sent back a quick thanks to JT.

He rubbed his hand over his face, he couldn't tell Rowan, she would get upset and worried and he didn't want her working herself into a state. He'd have to keep an eye on her, a close eye. He sighed and pushed the anger away as much as he could. He'd keep an eye on Sean Slater, too.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Bradley stepped out of the cab and then held out his hand and helped Ffion climb out. He was relieved he'd managed to talk her into coming back. He'd found himself missing her more and more as the weeks had passed and finally given in and went to get her and bring her back. He led her into the flat and paid the driver.

Ffion sat down on the couch and looked around. The flat looked much the same. She still wasn't sure about being back. It was unnerving to say the least.

Peter sat at the table drinking his tea and sent off a text to Molly.

"Have a good first day of school!"

Gene finished getting ready and sighed.

"I'm off, Bolly, got a meeting this morning then I'll be at the station," he called out as he left.

"Alright," Alex called back as she stood in the kitchen in her dressing gown, feeding a grizzly Sam. She sighed as she put the bowl in front of him.

"Are you going to eat today? Or keep up your game of wearing your food?" she asked him as he plunged the spoon into the bowl of mushed up Weetabix.

Molly smiled at Peter's text.

"Will do :) Love you xx"

She grabbed up her bag and hugged her Mum briefly, then she kissed Sam's head and dashed out of the house. She hoped that even though this year she would have even more homework to do that Alex would still let her go and spend time with Peter.

Alex watched Molly go and shook her head, then turned her attention back to her son and raised her eyebrows at him as she sat down opposite him with her cup of coffee. "Just you and me for a bit then Sammy," she told him.

Debbie came into the station and sat behind her desk. She'd been doing her best to be professional and not overly friendly with the Guv. She didn't like the looks she still occasionally got from Ray.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Ray held Rowan as she slept, burying his face in her hair. He knew that he had been a little more over-protective recently, ever since JT had told him about Sean's threat. But he couldn't help it. He didn't want anything to happen to her. He loosened his grip slightly and rested a hand on her belly curiously; he sighed, no kicking. He knew it caused Rowan some discomfort when the baby started playing football in her tummy, but he liked to feel the kicks, and, he had to admit, he liked singing to soothe the baby, too. He found he couldn't wait until the child was born so he could try out the lullabies that he had found on the internet. He'd even bought a big book of Nursery Rhymes so that he could find something new to sing to it.

He sighed and pressed a light kiss to Rowan's neck as he let go of her and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling. He didn't have to be in work yet and supposed that he should get up. He swung his legs out of bed and wandered into the kitchen. He got himself a cup of tea and went back into the bedroom. He sat down on the bed in his usual place and sipped his tea thoughtfully as he listened to the gentle sound of Rowan's breathing.

Rowan opened her eyes and saw Ray sitting on the edge of the bed. She smiled at him.

"Morning," she greeted him softly and shifted closer to him as she sat upright. She leaned over and kissed him and then settled her head on his shoulder with a soft sigh. "It's a shame you have to work today," she remarked.

"Mercy's been training for three weeks now and I think she's ready to go it alone, so I intend to be a lazy cow," she said and looked up at him. "If you didn't have to work we could spend all day in bed together, watch the telly you bought and enjoy ourselves," she said as she gestured at the aforementioned appliance. He'd bought it two weeks ago and at first she wasn't sure, but now she rather liked being able to fall asleep while watching a movie in bed, instead of on the couch and having to be woken up to go to bed.

It served to remind her how close her due date was approaching. But nerves over that had been cast aside while she spent the weeks after hiring Mercy training the girl. She was smart though and had caught on fairly quickly, but Rowan had still put a lot of time in to get her ready. Especially now that Molly would be gone back to school.

It had taken time she would rather have spent with Ray, especially on his days off. She sighed again and leaned back and curled up on his side of the bed, wrapping her arms around his pillow. She nudged him with her knee.

"I suppose you better get ready, don't want to be late."

Ray nodded at Rowan and smiled at her.

"So bloody bossy," he told her affectionately as he stood up off the bed and headed towards the bathroom.

Ray showered quickly and then got dressed. He stole a kiss from Rowan and left her in the bedroom. He detoured to the kitchen and pulled a bagel from the cupboard. He shrugged inwardly, he could eat that and drive.

"SEE YOU, RO," he yelled as he left the flat and thundered downstairs into the Restaurant. He got into his car and drove to work.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Gene walked into the station after the meeting and dropped a folder on Debbie's desk.

"Type those up for me, will you love," he asked and kept walking into his office. Debbie bit her lip, looked over at Ray's empty desk, then stood up and followed him.

"Did the meeting to all right?" she asked curiously. Gene turned and looked at her. Why would she want to know? He shrugged.

"Boring as usual," he grunted and Debbie laughed.

"Of course," she said and turned to leave his office. "OW!" she yelped as she stumbled.

"You all right?" he asked.

"Yes," she half-moaned. "Stubbed my toe on the desk there," she said and looked up at him with a small smile.

"Well, straighten up then," he snorted and held her arms as she did so. "Good girl," he said.

"Thank you," she said and then pulled him to her for a kiss.

Gene's eyes flew open wide as Debbie's lips fastened on his and her hands went around his waist and she was pressed so close!

He tightened his hands on her arms and pulled her away. "Debbie," he gasped and gaped at her.

"Gene...I..." she began.

"GENE!" Alex managed to choke out. She couldn't believe it, she'd just walked into the office to see Gene kissing Debbie! She held back a sob as she glared at them and felt her emotions go into turmoil. She knew that Debbie was younger than her and prettier and hadn't had two children, but she still didn't think that Gene would go and...

Alex couldn't look at them, she turned on her heel and marched straight back out of the office, bumping into Ray as she did so.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she tried to move past him, but he caught her arm. "Alex!" he said and made her stop.

Ray took one look at her face, and the tears welling up in her eyes and knew that she knew. He patted her arm awkwardly. "I'm sorry Alex, really, I wanted to tell you but Gene made me promise that I wouldn't," he said and watched her face as it flashed from anger to hurt. "I wanted to tell you Alex, really! But then you always looked so happy and I didn't want to spoil your mood," he added apologetically.

"How long Ray?" she asked him, her voice quiet and shaky.

Ray sighed. "I caught them a few weeks back," he said gently.

Alex's face hardened. "A few weeks!" she echoed angrily. "This has been going on for..." she trailed off and looked at him reproachfully. "You didn't think that this was probably something that I deserved to know," she said. "Did you not think that I was probably entitled to know that my _husband _was _cheating _on me with his _secretary,_" she snapped and marched out of the Station and into her car. Alex drove back home and rested her head on the steering wheel for a moment before going inside.

Joanna looked up in minor confusion.

"Mrs. Hunt?" she said cautiously. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon," she added as she wiped Sam's mouth.

Alex composed herself and attempted a smile. "I'm sorry, Joanna, mix up with the shifts," she said apologetically. "Seems I'm at home today after all."

"Oh," Joanna smiled as she held out Sam to Alex.

"I'm sorry for the mix up," Alex said as she took her son and hugged him, praying Joanna would leave quickly. As soon as she was gone Alex looked down at Sam despondently.

"Why me, Sammy? Why do I always choose the cheating bastards?" she asked as she sat on the sofa with her son on her lap and finally let the tears fall.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Ray watched Alex go and sighed heavily, now she was blaming him because he knew and hadn't told her. The guilt in his stomach wound itself tighter. He knew he should've told her! Ray continued into the office and then knocked his fist on the door frame of his office to alert the Guv and Debbie that he was there.

"Whatever you're doing, either shut the door or stop," he grumbled as he cautiously made his way inside and sat down at his desk. He looked glumly at his computer screen and resolutely refused to look behind him at Gene's office as he set about doing his work.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Gene recovered from the shock of Alex's reaction and roughly shoved Debbie aside and stumbled across the office.

"Alex!" he bellowed and glared at Ray. "I'm not doing anything," he snarled at his DI and stabbed his finger in Debbie's direction.

"I want her out of here. I have no desire to work with someone who is trying it on with me every time I'm here alone."

He slammed out the door and stormed down the hall.

Debbie pulled herself up and staggered into the outer office and looked at Ray. How could things have gone so horribly wrong? She bent down carefully and picked up her bag. She paused and then stood in front of Ray's desk and looked at him.

"Nothing happened. Not that I didn't try. I...it...it was all me. I tried you, too, but that didn't work. That was the second time I'd kissed him, he didn't do anything."

Debbie hung her head and then looked back up at Ray again.

"We weren't having an affair, despite my best attempts to do so," she admitted and then turned and left.

Ray watched Gene leave and sighed heavily. By the looks of things work was going to be a horrible place for a while, until they got this sorted.

Ray scowled after Debbie as she left. Chris was right then, she slept with her bosses to get to the top! He snorted in disgust and looked at her desk. He grabbed up all her stuff and dumped it uncaring into a box and then took it to Adam.

"This is Debbie's," he said sharply. "She's no longer a member of CID," he said as he left the box with Adam and stormed back to his office. He sighed, if Alex had still been in the same office as him then this wouldn't have happened.

Ray looked down at his phone and sighed in relief. Rowan hadn't gone out then; no text. He smiled as he sent her one.

"Home for lunch?"

He was going to need to get out of here for lunch anyway, working with the Guv was going to be hell and he had no intention of hanging around Gene for lunch, too.

Gene drove home and noted Alex's car already there. She must have driven hell-bent for leather. He walked up to the door of the flat and let himself in.

"Alex," he called out. "That was nowt to do with me, what you saw. That's the second time that woman has tried it on with me. There's nothing going on."

He stood in the kitchen and waited for a reply.

Alex swore in her head as she heard Gene come in. She felt herself tense, she should have pulled the chain latch on the door to stop him getting in. She kept Sammy in place on her lap and refused to look at Gene.

"Get out," she coolly as she kept her gaze fixed on anything but him. She couldn't look at him. She should have known he would have tried to wheedle his way out of this! She wasn't going to let him deny it. Ray had told her this had been going on for a while now and she wasn't going to forgive him so easily. It hurt too much.

"Look, Bolly, she tried it on with me..." Gene began, her anger beginning to stir his own. He hadn't done anything. Even if he had wanted to, and was he sure that way deep down a little part of him hadn't, he wouldn't do that to Alex. They were meant for each other.

Alex turned her head and saw him still standing there. She put Sam onto the sofa and stood up, hands on her hips.

"Why are you still standing there!" she hissed at him. "Get OUT!"

Alex glared at him.

He strode over to her and put his face close to hers. "I'm still here because you're not listening. I didn't do anything. I-did-not-have-an-affair," he snapped, biting off each word precisely.

"I've sacked her for this," he said and folded his arms as he watched Alex, waiting for her to get his words through her thick skull.

"I told you to GET OUT!" she said again, her fists clenching as her anger bubbled inside her. She wasn't going to just believe him like that, what did he take her for? She wasn't that gullible, she'd been cheated on before and she wasn't going to put up with it again.

"I don't want to know what you've done with her!" she snapped. "I want you to get out of my home, I've lived with a cheating husband before and I don't intend to do it again!" she told him as she picked up Sam and marched away from him, she put Sam down in his playpen and then headed straight through to the bedroom and locked herself in the bathroom.

"PISS OFF," she yelled out once she was sat on the edge of the bath.

Gene huffed out an aggravated sigh. Damn the woman. There was no talking to her. He followed her into the bedroom and began to slam through the closet and the drawers, pulling clothes out and shoving them into an overnight bag.

He walked over to the bathroom door and hit it once with his fist.

"This isn't over, Alex, I've had it with being accused of something I didn't do. I'll be around when you finally see reason," he called through the door and then turned to leave. He tossed the bag into the Quattro and drove back to the station. What a mess! He stormed inside and noted that Ray was gone. Good. He wanted to be alone. He slammed the door to his office and pulled the bottle out of the bottom drawer and began to drink.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Rowan watched Ray go and snuggled back under the covers. She buried her face in Ray's pillow and breathed in the smell of him. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling a moment before getting up. She would walk to the Square today and visit Alyssa. She hadn't gone for a walk in weeks. She quickly showered and dressed in jeans and a top and headed downstairs.

She said a quick hello to everyone, watched Mercy as she moved competently around the dining room, and then pulled on her jacket before heading out into the cool September morning.

She headed for the Square, stopping at the cafe for a cup of coffee and some toast.

Jane walked over and sat down with Rowan.

"I saw Bradley getting out of a cab this morning with Ffion."

"Really? Hmmm, wonder how long for," Rowan mused.

"No idea," Jane shrugged and got up to serve more customers.

/\\/\/\\\\/\\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\

JT yawned and went into the kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee. He sat down at the table and rubbed at his face. So far, Sean hadn't done anything to Rowan. He was sure some of it had to do with Rowan simply not being around the Square while she was busy training Mercy at the restaurant. And, she rarely came to the Square without Ray. JT was sure that Ray's presence had something to do with it.

In any case, he was relieved that she seemed safe so far. Roxy hadn't seemed to be acting strangely, so either Sean was leaving her alone, or if not, Roxy was doing a much better job of hiding it.

He got up and rummaged in the fridge, looking up as Peggy came in. She gave him a smile and made herself a cup of tea. She stood and sipped it as she watched JT cook breakfast.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Sean kept his gaze fixed on the pub from his bedroom window. JT still hadn't left Roxy! He'd kept his distance from Roxy for a while but JT was still in that pub! He snarled to himself as he pulled the curtain back across the window and felt his hands clench into fists. He'd have to make good with his threat then. He smirked as he planned it through in his head and hurriedly got dressed. He grabbed a jacket and slammed out of the house.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Roxy woke up to an empty place in her bed, she moved her hand to pull JT's pillow towards her and smiled, it was still warm. He can't have been up long. She pulled herself out of bed and went to the window to open the curtains. Roxy looked down at the street and felt herself tense as she saw Sean. She clenched her fists as he winked at her, then smirked.

Roxy moved away from the window, she was sick of him messing with her! She just wanted to be with JT and Amy! Why couldn't Sean leave her alone. She pulled on her dressing gown and went into the kitchen to get herself a strong mug of coffee.

"Morning," she muttered to Peggy and JT as she fixed her coffee and sat down at the table with it. Something was going to have to be done about Sean. She was sick of this.

"Hungry?" JT asked as he held up a couple of eggs. He moved to the table and put a plate down in front of Peggy and then kissed the top of Roxy's head.

She looked a bit odd this morning, he thought. He wondered why. He put the eggs down and put a hand on her cheek.

"You feeling okay?" he asked her, slightly worried.

"You do look a bit peaky, darlin'," Peggy agreed.

Roxy looked up, a little startled. Surely her mood wasn't that obvious? She smiled at the both of them and nodded at JT's offer of breakfast.

"I'm fine," she told them as she sipped her coffee. She looked around the kitchen and sighed. "I'm gonna go and wake Madam up," she said as she stood up and headed to Amy's room to wake her daughter.

JT nodded at Roxy and shared a look with Peggy, then shrugged. He hoped she wasn't worrying over Sean again. He was doing enough of that for both of them. He cracked the eggs and got breakfast going for Roxy and grabbed out a little plate to put some food on for Amy.

Roxy came back into the kitchen, a sleepy Amy carefully balanced on her hip. Roxy sat her down in front of the plate that JT had prepared for her and handed the girl her little knife and fork, then went and sat back down where she had been sitting before and gulped down another mouthful of coffee.

She smiled at JT and thanked him for the food as she began to eat.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Rowan drained her coffee and stood up. Alyssa should be at the salon by now, she reckoned. She stopped as she heard her phone beep and smiled.

"At cafe now but on way to see Lyss. Will see you at lunch. Cannot wait xx" she sent back and stuck her phone back in her bag. She waved at Jane and headed out of the cafe. She meandered across the Square towards the salon, taking in the bright day. She had missed her daily walks, although, she had to admit, the reason had been worth it.

She glanced over at Bradley and Ffion's flat. If she was back for good, Rowan wondered if she'd want to come back to the restaurant. When the babies were born, it was going to be hard for Rowan to help cover at all when the restaurant was short-handed. She'd deal with it later. For now, she was going to visit Lyss. She wondered if Jack and Alyssa had decided when to go up north. Rowan found herself wishing she and Ray could go, too.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Ray read Rowan's text and felt himself go cold. She was on the Square? On her own? He gulped and stood up. He grabbed up his radio and marched straight past Chris and Ginger in the outer office. He had the perfect plan to keep his eye on Sean and Rowan and still look like he was working. He went to the PC's department and looked at the schedule. He grunted as he tried to figure it out.

"Right," he said, getting their attention. "Who's doing the community rounds today?" he demanded to know. One PC strode forward confidently and Ray nodded shortly. "Right, I'm coming too, CID is doing an inspection," he added as he strode out of the office. He frowned when he realised that the man hadn't followed.

"GET A BLOODY MOVE ON," he called out impatiently. The longer they delayed here, the more anxious he got. He nodded once the PC finally caught up and they made their way out.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Sean noted Rowan making her way steadily around the Square and smirked to himself. His gaze was drawn to the pub once again as he contemplated going and giving JT one last chance to leave Roxy before he went ahead and hurt Rowan. He leaned against the wall as he thought, his gaze fixed securely on the pub.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Rowan stopped at the fruit and veg stall, finally buying some apples as she chatted idly with Billy. She stuck the apples in her bag and continued on towards the salon.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Stacey stood outside the house and watched Sean as he lurked around and watched the pub. She shook her head. His behavior really was becoming too much. She began to feel like she didn't even know him anymore. She probably didn't. Who knew where he'd been or what he'd been doing while he was gone.

She frowned and wondered if she and Ryan shouldn't just go ahead and go. She'd stayed with the idea of getting her brother back on track, but he seemed determined to have none of it.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Alex sat on the bath and let herself slip into it. She curled into a ball and began to cry again. He didn't even have the balls to admit it. Why couldn't he just tell her the truth! She knew he'd packed his stuff and was relieved. He clearly wasn't staying here tonight. Good! She didn't want him to, she didn't want to be around him. Alex looked up as she heard Sam begin to wail and she climbed out of the bath and wiped her eyes on the back of her arm. She unlocked the door and felt her temper flare at the mess Gene had left in the bedroom! He really had no consideration for anyone else!

She went through to the front room, composing herself as she went and lifted Sammy out of the playpen. She cradled him to her chest and kissed the top of his head. "Shhhhh, Sammy, it's okay" she soothed him, she was dying to let everything out to her infant son. She chose not to, he was beginning to repeat phrases now and it wouldn't be wise. She contented herself with not saying what she thought of his father and vented it all mentally. Her mind screaming silently.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

It didn't take long for Ray to spot Rowan, he sighed in relief as he saw her at Billy's stall. She was fine. He nodded and then looked around the market surreptitiously again. He held back the growl as he spotted Sean Slater. He was too close to where Rowan was and Ray didn't like it one bit. Ray sidled closer to where Rowan was as the PC he was with chatted on and on about nothing. Ray nodded randomly as the man spoke eagerly. His attention was fixed on more important matters: namely the safety of Rowan and his unborn child.

Rowan glanced back as Billy said her name and she turned and caught sight of Ray. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face and walked over to him, nodding politely to the PC he was with.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon," she said to Ray brightly. She tilted her head as she looked up at him.

"You don't look right, what's wrong?" she wanted to know and glanced at the PC. The young man barely nodded at Rowan's look and walked away. She took Ray's hand and after a quick glance around, led him across the street and made him sit on one of the benches. She settled herself next to him and held his hand in both of hers.

"What's happened?" she pressed.

Ray sat himself down and looked at her. "Nothing's happened," he told her as he eased his hand out of hers and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a hug. "And nothing's going to happen, I'm not going to let it," he murmured quietly into her hair. He kissed the top of her head and then looked down at her.

"Anyway, where was my text saying you were going to see Alyssa?" he asked curiously, doing his best not to sound over-protective.

She studied his expression, but said nothing more. She didn't believe him, though. He seemed very tense. She let it slide.

"I could have sworn I told you I was going for my walk. Now that Mercy is trained, I had to get out of there. I hated being cooped up in there. All that solicitude was driving me crazy," she smiled at him.

Ray smiled down at her. "I don't think you did tell me, not until I texted you asking about lunch," he said with a small sigh.

"I'm sorry if I'm being a little protective, Ro, I just don't want anything happening to you," he said softly as he brushed her hair out of her face and looped it behind her ear. "Either of you" he added with a glance down at her tummy.

"I don't mind, not considering how close I'm getting. If I go into labor it's best you know where I am," she said, her tone slightly teasing.

"Did I tell you I've decided on a boy's name?" he added with a smile.

Her expression changed to one of surprised delight and she looked at him excitedly. "You did?"

Ray nodded, if she was thinking that that was the reason why he was so paranoid about where she was then she was half - right, but he wasn't going to tell her the other reason. He wasn't going to have her worried. "My thoughts exactly," he smiled.

Ray nodded at her. "Yup, you gave me the idea actually, when you told me to use a football player's name," he said. "What d'you think of Denis? After Denis Law?" he asked.

Rowan smiled. "I think Denis is a fine name," she replied softly and pulled him to her for a kiss.

Ray smiled broadly as he broke the kiss. "Good thing too, considering how long it took for me to come up with that, if you didn't like it then no doubt the kid wouldn't have a name until Christmas," he joked with a grin as he pressed a kiss to her temple happily.

Rowan shook her head at him. "You're rotten."

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Sean scowled darkly as he spotted Ray. That buffoon was supposed to be at work. He couldn't go through with his plan with that man around! He was a police officer for Christ's sake! Sean looked up at the pub and made a decision right there. He wandered forward and pushed the door open, he grinned as he went up to the bar and batted away Tracy's feeble attempts to stop him

"I just wanna talk to Roxy, Trace, I'm not going to start anything," he told her as he brushed past and made his way up the stairs. He leaned against the door to the kitchen.

"Well, this is cozy," he sneered.

Roxy looked up at Sean and scowled. "Get out!" she told him as she stood up and Sean pouted. "But Roxy..." he wheedled.

"Just get out, Sean," she snapped at him and he frowned at her. She shouldn't be pushing him away! She should be throwing herself into his arms. His glare flew to JT and his face darkened.

"He _cheats _on you and you go back to him!" he growled. "That wasn't how it was supposed to go!" he added with a small snarl as he glared at JT.

Roxy frowned at him, then her face changed as she finally cottoned on. "You planned it," she gasped. "That's why you were outside Janine's that day! You've been..." she trailed off and glared at him. "You bastard," she snapped at him and Sean grinned. "Finally caught on did you?" he teased and Roxy's face hardened angrily.

"Get out," she repeated "Get out of my home, get out of my pub and get out of my life!" she told him.

JT moved out into the hall and stood behind Roxy.

"You heard the lady," JT told him, his voice low and slightly menacing. "Get out of here, now, before I throw you out. Don't think I won't," JT added as he glared at Sean.

Stacey watched Sean as he made his way to the pub and sighed as she set off after him. She went inside and saw the look on Tracey's face and groaned inwardly as she pushed through the door to the stairs. She heard the raised voices and hurried up and grabbed her brother's arm.

"Sean, let's go, now," she snapped at him and jerked hard on his arm to pull him away and towards the stairs.

Roxy did her best not to shiver at the tone of JT's voice. She hardly ever heard him get mad and it scared the shite out of her. She focused her attention on Sean and felt a little relieved as Stacey came up behind him and tried to pull him away. She took a step back and into JT, feeling herself relax slightly just knowing her was there. She slid her hand into his and squeezed gently.

Sean growled and shook Stacey off him. "Leave it, Stace," he told her as he turned. "I'm going," he said and looked at JT, he smirked and turned to go downstairs. The guy had had his chance, now Sean was going to go ahead with his drastic measures.

Roxy watched them go and squeezed JT's hand again before letting go. She wanted to make sure that Sean left her pub this instant, she wasn't having him hanging around!

/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\

Gene drank his way steadily through the bottle and then fished in his drawer for another. He growled. Only the one! He stood up and slammed his way out of the station, heading for the Square. He wanted another drink and wanted it now.

He noticed the pub and yanked on the door and went inside. He strode over to the bar and slammed his money down on the bar. "Scotch, single malt, now," he demanded. Tracey looked at Gene nervously but picked up a glass and turned to get his drink.

"No, love, I'll have a bottle," he told her. "But you can give me that glass you just poured and all," he added and gestured at her for the glass. She handed it to him and then pulled out an unopened bottle and put it on the bar. Gene pushed the money over and grabbed up the bottle and shoved it in his pocket, his head turning at the sound of the raised voices drifting into the pub. He frowned and walked over to the doors that led to the stairs.

Gene stepped back as Stacey burst through the doors with her brother, Stacey screaming after Sean to calm down. He noted JT and Roxy hurrying down the stairs and followed Sean out of the pub and grabbed hold of him.

JT caught hold of Roxy and held her near the doors to keep her from throwing herself into the middle of the everything. He didn't want her getting hurt. Roxy looked at JT but let him pull her away, as long as Sean got out of her pub she would be okay. She didn't want him around any more, she'd made her choice.

"You causing trouble again?" Gene snarled. The fight with Alex and now his mild drunkenness was not helping his attitude at all.

"He's not doing anything yet," Stacey tried to defend him. "I'm getting him out of here before he can."

Gene looked at Stacey, his expression sour and looked back at Sean and the defiant expression on his face.

"Go on, give me a reason to lock you up," Gene sneered.

Rowan heard the yelling across the street and stood up, yanking Ray's arm to make him stand.

"Something's going on. I knew it, what the hell is wrong with Mr. Hunt?" she glanced at Ray accusingly and then hurried across the street.

She took in Roxy and JT standing there, and Sean and Stacey. Clearly something was going on there, but she looked back at Gene, who had clearly been drinking. She glanced back and gestured at Ray to hurry up.

Ray took one look at Gene and sighed heavily, clearly he and Alex had had a fight, and he'd been drinking, Ray could almost smell the alcohol on him. He reached out and yanked Gene's arm firmly, pulling him back and away from what could become a situation. He wasn't going to let his Guv make this worse.

"Gene, let him go, you're in no condition for this," Rowan said to him, keeping her tone low and calm. Gene glared at her and she moved a step away from Gene, ending up closer to Sean. She'd never seen Mr. Hunt quite so angry. She felt relief wash over her as Ray caught hold of Gene.

Gene let go of Sean to struggle against Ray. How dare he! He tried to jerk himself free and slammed heavily into Rowan, drawing a loud yelp of protest from her.

Rowan stumbled and backpedaled, trying to stop herself falling, unaware she was moving into the path of an oncoming car.

Sean watched the little brawl between the two men in amusement. The man was drunk. Sean wasn't stupid enough to start anything, he knew that no one would bail him out if he did. He was being careful this time in what he chose to do.

Ray's head shot up at Rowan's yelp and his eyes widened as he watched her helplessly.

Sean noted the car moving closer, closer, and Rowan about to stumble into it's path. He growled. No, if she got hit and lost the baby then that was his threat gone! Which meant JT had no incentive to leave Roxy!

His arm reached out and he grabbed hold of Rowan's waist, pulling her against him and out of the road. He held her up and immediately locked eyes with JT, he smirked and raised his eyebrows then looked pointedly at Rowan who he still held against him. His bargaining chip was still safe.

Rowan gasped as she felt herself yanked away from the road and felt herself go cold as she saw the car go past. She had nearly fallen in front of a car! She swallowed hard and looked up into the face of her savior. Sean Slater. She blinked slowly and tried to stop shaking.

"Th-thank you," she stammered and gently extricated herself from his grasp. She looked over at Gene who was staring at Rowan with a horrified expression on his face.

Gene violently pulled his arm from Ray's grasp again and went over to Rowan.

"I'm sorry, love," he told her seriously.

Rowan wrapped her arms around her belly and glared at Gene. She was too angry to forgive just now.

She shook her head slightly. "Not accepted, Gene," she whispered her voice harsh with her fear and anger. She turned away from him and looked at Sean.

"Come to the restaurant sometime," she said to Sean. "I owe you at least a meal or three," she promised and then walked over to Ray.

"Take him home or something, please, acuisle," she begged him quietly. "I'll be with Alyssa. I'll be fine," she insisted and squeezed his hand once before moving away so he could get Gene.

JT reached out and touched Rowan's shoulder and looked over her to meet Sean's gaze. He wanted badly to tell Rowan what was going on and hid a wince when he heard her tell Sean to drop by the restaurant anytime. Up till now, he knew Sean didn't bother going there, he always seemed to prefer lurking around the pub, now, JT couldn't say for sure.

He vowed again, something had to be done about Sean.

"Come inside?" he asked and she shook her head and patted his hand and gave Roxy a small smile before hurrying off to the salon. She would rather be in Ray's arms at that moment, but Gene needed to be dealt with by a friend. So she would go to Alyssa.

She half-ran down to the salon, her eyes darting anxiously all around her until she reached the door and flung herself inside. One quick glance told her the place was empty and she immediately went behind the counter and grabbed Alyssa as she let the tears come.

"Oh, Lyss," she sobbed.


	28. Chapter 28

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale****  
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**Chapter 28**

Sean smirked. The Restaurant? Free food and maybe an opportunity to put his plan into action? Who was he to say no? He nodded at her mutely then smirked once more at JT before heading off. He looked at Stacey once as he left and shrugged at her.

"I didn't do anything," he told her as he wandered off.

JT gave Roxy a gentle push to go back inside and watched Sean walk away. He felt cold. He furrowed his brow as Stacey followed after her brother, looking back once at JT. He watched until they'd gone back into the Slater house and then went back into the pub.

JT put a hand on Roxy's shoulder.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, concerned etched on his features. He was glad to see Roxy finally take a stand against Sean, though. But he didn't think it mattered.

Roxy looked up at him and nodded slowly. "I'm fine, just angry," she said with a small sigh. She looked at him and studied his face. "You?" she asked as she slid her arms around his waist and hugged him.

JT sighed and nodded. "Angry, very angry. But he kept Rowan from…" he trailed off and shuddered. Sean could have let her fall. He had threatened as much, hadn't he? And JT hadn't left Roxy yet, nor did he plan to.

Roxy squeezed his middle tightly and pressed her lips to his chest.

"She's fine JT, she's fine" she murmured as she looked up at him, she went up on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his for a moment. Roxy ran a finger down his cheek.

"Come on," she said as she let go of him and took his hand. "I want to check that Amy's okay," she smiled at him as she led him back up the stairs.

JT followed Roxy up the stairs. "I think Peggy stayed with her," he told Roxy reassuringly and looked in the kitchen while Roxy went to the front room.

He smiled at Peggy sitting at the table with the little girl on her lap.

"Hey, Punkin," he said to Amy. "Scary man's all gone," he said to her softly and carefully took her from Peggy. "Thanks," he said to her and carried Amy down the hall to her mother.

"She's fine, looks like she's still a mite shook up, but she's okay," he said and handed the girl to her mother and then pulled them both close into a hug.

Roxy leaned into JT as she hugged Amy. This was what she wanted. Just the three of them. She dropped a kiss on Amy's forehead and smiled down at her.

"You okay sweetheart?" she asked tenderly and Amy nodded silently before burrowing in-between Roxy and JT to sit in the middle. Roxy picked her up and moved right up so her leg was pressed against JT's and sat Amy there instead. Roxy dropped her head to rest on JT's shoulder and began plaiting Amy's hair idly as she listened to JT's heartbeat thrum steadily, close to her ear.

JT held Roxy close, his gaze resting on her fingers as they deftly wove Amy's hair. He was not going to let Sean spoil this. He was not going to let Sean hurt his Kin, either.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Stacey sighed as she followed her brother home.

"I didn't say you did anything, Sean, but you have to stop antagonizing everyone. Although, that was very nice of you, helping Rowan like that," she told him and gave him a brief hug. "I'm very proud of you."

Stacey pulled back from her brother and gazed at him.

"Sean, please, won't you stop all this. I think Roxy's made it clear she doesn't want you. It's getting out of hand," she implored him.

Sean frowned at Stacey.

"You just don't get it do you!" he snapped at her as he strode into the house and back upstairs.

"I get it fine, Sean. You're the one whose not…." She trailed off as she heard his door slam and looked at Ryan.

"This is pointless, let's just go home. I'm tired of trying," she told him.

"If that's what you want, Stace," he agreed.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa started at suddenly finding her arms full of Rowan, but hugged her sister back regardless. She rubbed Rowan's back gently and then pulled away slightly to look at her tear-stained face.

"What's wrong, Ro?" she asked gently as she led Rowan into the back and sat her on the comfy sofa. She poured Rowan a glass of water and handed it over as she sat down, then stood and dug the 'Emergency Chocolate Biscuits' out of a drawer and brought them over too. She held out the packet to Rowan.

"What happened?" she asked again

Rowan shook her head at the biscuits; her stomach was in too much an uproar to eat just now.

"There was all this uproar at the pub. I guess Sean was trying to start trouble, I don't know. Gene got hold of him outside the pub. I don't know why, but Gene had been drinking and was half-drunk. Ray came over and tried to pull Gene away and Gene got free and knocked into me. I…I almost fell into the street, right in front of a car," she said and shuddered, her hands were still shaking and she grabbed hold of Alyssa's to stop them.

"Sean…he grabbed me and pulled me back. I didn't even see the car until after. It was so frightening," she finished and buried her face in Alyssa's shoulder again and then sat up and sniffed. She fished a tissue out of her bag and wiped at her face, glad she hadn't bothered with make up today.

Alyssa listened intently and held Rowan's hands in hers. She waited until she finished and wrapped her in her arms again. "It's okay, Ro, you're fine, you and the twins," she said soothingly. "It's okay, you're just in shock," she said and she pulled back from the hug again and picked up the glass.

"Here," she said.

Rowan tried to reach for the glass, but her hands were still shaking and she shook her head.

"I don't want to drop it," she said softly.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Ray watched Rowan dash off and sighed. At least she would be okay if she was with Alyssa. He looked back at Gene and sighed.

"I take it you tried to talk to Alex then?" he said as he led Gene to the Quattro and took the keys from him. "You're not driving Guv, you're pissed," he said as he pushed Gene into the passenger seat then went and climbed in the driver's side.

"You need to sober up, where d'you want me to take you?" he asked as he started the Quattro.

Gene batted away Ray's attempts to hold onto him, but finally let himself be pushed into the Quattro.

"I want to go home," Gene told him. "But you saw to that, didn't you Ray. I told you before, that Debbie was trying it on with me. I never did anything with her and you had to go and shoot your big mouth off at Alex," he growled.

"What else was I s'posed to think, Guv!" Ray retorted. "I find you and Debbie all over each other and then I didn't tell Alex anything until she found out for herself!" he said as calmly as he could. "It's not my fault if you're having an affair with your secretary," he snapped.

"She was all over me, I wasn't all over her!" Gene protested. "How many times, I'm NOT having an affair!" he bellowed.

"I'm sorry about Rowan, though, I didn't know she was right there," he muttered, attempting another apology. "If you hadn't been all grabby…." He trailed off, realizing it might not be a good idea to try and put some of the blame on Ray.

Ray snorted. "That's right," he growled. "Blame me for that an all," he grumbled. "Because nothing that Gene Hunt does is his fault is it!" he snapped, his temper flaring. "You could've done her some serious harm, Gene! If Sean hadn't..." Ray trailed off and shook the thought from his head, he didn't want to think about it!

"Alex kicked me out. Take me to the B&B," he said gruffly and pulled the other bottle out of his coat pocket, opened it and took a long drink.

Ray nodded and pulled away from the curb. He stopped outside the B&B and grabbed the bottle from Gene. "You think that's going to help!" he scoffed as he got out of the car and dumped the bottle in the nearest bin. He marched into the B&B and looked at Denise.

"Oi!" Gene complained and lunged from the car to grab the bottle out of the bin. He took another long drink from the bottle while Ray was distracted and let it fall back into the bin.

"Bloody useless DI," he muttered and blinked at Denise.

"Gene Hunt needs a room, don't let him have any alcohol, you have any problems then call me," he said as he wrote down his number.

"So, about this room then," he grumbled as he turned his bleary gaze on Denise, who looked back at him blandly and then looked back out the door to watch Ray drive away. Denise held out a key and he grabbed it from her and staggered up the stairs. He blinked hard to focus on the room numbers, found his, managed to open the door and then passed out on the bed.

Denise followed him up quietly and when she saw he had flung himself across the bed and passed out, she quietly closed the door he'd left open and left.

Ray left Gene standing there as he marched out of the B&B and headed back to the square. Rowan had gone to see Alyssa. He had to make sure she was okay.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Ray opened the door to the Salon cautiously, he had no desire to know what went on in these places, they unnerved him; girly places. He shuddered slightly and looked at the desk, no Alyssa. He could hear voices from the back room and took a deep breath. He sighed in relief as he saw Alyssa and Rowan and went and pulled Rowan up from the sofa and into his arms. He held her tight to his chest and buried his face in her hair.

Rowan turned slightly at the sound of footsteps and suddenly found herself in Ray's arms.

"Oh god, Rowan, I thought...that car..." he trailed off and pressed his lips to hers fiercely then pulled her back to his chest. "But you're okay! You're okay.." he said, his voice a hoarse whisper as he clung to her.

She kissed him back just as fervently and buried her face in his chest after. "I'm okay," she echoed, unwilling to remove her arms from around his waist. She stood, pressed as tightly to him as she could be for several minutes and then looked up at him.

Alyssa stood up from the sofa and patted Rowan's shoulder gently as she heard the bell ring. She shut the door to the back room behind her and went to attend to her customers.

"Take me home, please, take me home," she pleaded and pulled him towards the door.

Ray nodded at her and wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her tightly to him as they walked. He nodded at Alyssa as they passed. "Cheers, Lyss, I'm taking her home," he told her and she nodded at them.

"See you soon," she smiled at them, her eyes full of concern for Rowan.

Ray walked Rowan to the Station and sat her in the car. He strapped her in then went around the other side and got behind the steering wheel. He drove them home and helped her out of the car. Ray led her upstairs, ignoring the looks from the staff in the Restaurant. He sat her down on his lap on the sofa and buried his face in her neck, breathing her in deeply

"I could've lost you, Ro," he whispered. "That moment, I was so scared," he said as he hugged her to him.

Rowan walked meekly with Ray, she just wished she could stop shaking.

She was overcome with relief when they were finally in the flat and he was holding her close.

"I was, too," she agreed softly. "But I'm okay, I'm okay," she repeated, her voice muffled by his shoulder. She felt her shaking finally start to subside as he held her and felt something else entirely replace it. She lifted her head and leaned back slightly to take his face in her hands and lift it. Her brown gaze met his blue for a few moments and then she fastened her lips to his. She got up from his lap, her lips not leaving his and her hands flew to the waist of her jeans and she unfastened them and shoved them down. She broke the kiss briefly and hurriedly yanked off her jacket and pulled her top off over her head.

She'd heard about this happening, after a scare like that. She was alive, she was okay and she desperately needed to feel it.

She quickly pressed her lips to his again and then broke off the kiss and looked into his eyes. "I need you, Ray," she breathed.

Ray watched her and groaned. He immediately followed her lead and shoved his trousers down, his top was wrenched off over his head and he seized her, pulling her against him and kissing her hard. His hands went round her back and unsnapped her bra clasp, then tore the offending garment from her. His hands went round her front and cupped her breasts and another ragged groan left him. He grabbed her hand as he broke the kiss and took her through to the bedroom, shedding his pants as he did so.

Ray lay her down on the bed and looked at her hungrily. He ran his hands over her and slid her knickers over her hips, then discarded them on the floor. He dropped a kiss on her lips, littered kisses over her belly, then kissed his way up her leg. He put his mouth to work between her legs, stroking her legs as he did so.

Rowan let out a ragged gasp and shoved her head back into the pillow and began to moan his name over and over. She felt her body begin to shake, not from fear this time, and her moans turned to a shriek as she came. She wasn't sure how she was going to go so long without after the birth.

She drew in harsh lungfuls of air and tried to recover.

"Oh, Ray," she panted. "You're amazing."

She shifted slightly, grabbed his hand and pulled, rolling onto her side with a giggle as she tried to put her weight behind it.

Ray smiled and pulled her gently so that she was sitting on top of him. He sat up and took her face in his hands. He kissed her slowly and gently to begin with, but deepened the kiss with a guttural groan, his hands burying themselves in her hair. He knew they wouldn't be able to do this after the birth, not for a while anyway. He only hoped that he would be too tired to even think about it.

Ray broke the kissed and pulled back to look at her. He could still remember her complaints about feeling fat and couldn't understand how she could even think that, she looked beautiful. He knew that he was biased, but he didn't care, she was the most beautiful woman in the world as far as he was concerned. How she could possibly believe otherwise was completely beyond him.

His hands caressed her as he looked at her and his mouth dropped to her shoulder and kissed her silky skin slowly, trailing his kisses up her neck as his hands journeyed over her body.

Rowan giggled as he pulled her onto his lap and she shifted and sat on his thighs, the closest she could get to him with her belly as big as it was.

She felt her world fall away as he kissed her deeply and felt his hands running over her flesh. He always managed to somehow do this to her.

She tilted her head as his mouth moved to her neck and she slowly trailed her fingers down his chest, then up, sliding her fingers through his chest hair. She danced her fingers over his shoulder and then down his sides before sliding one of her hands down onto his thigh. She could feel the hardness of him pressing against the underside of her belly and she gently took him in hand and began to caress him the way he liked.

She began to whisper to him as she planted occasional kisses on his shoulder. She loved that she could drive him to a frenzy with a few well-chosen words. She let go of him and pulled away, turning herself around and pressing her back to his chest. She carefully lowered herself onto him, letting out a small cry as she did so. She knew he preferred the other way so they could kiss, but her belly made it uncomfortable and awkward anymore. This way, she could have his hands on her. She slowly began to move and let her head fall back against his shoulder, turning her face to him and raising her arm to loop around his neck and pull him in for a kiss.

Ray rested his head in between her shoulder blades as his hips began to move of their own accord. He felt her arm pulling him for a kiss and obliged happily, pressing his lips to hers again fiercely. He let his hands move from her hips, up her body, skimming over her belly to cup her breasts and hold her firmly against his chest. He broke the kiss as another throaty groan was ripped from him and his lips pressed themselves to the smooth skin of her shoulder.

A hand left her breast to tangle in her hair and pull her head back to rest on his shoulder, so as to let his lips have access to her neck. He kissed up and down her neck, teasing her skin with his teeth, then soothing with his lips.

Rowan lost herself in the wonderful feeling of his hands on her. She couldn't get enough of him touching her. She couldn't hold him back, but the regret of that was swept away by the feel of his lips on her neck.

She cried out, unable to hold back. His hands were on her, his lips and he was inside her where he belonged. It felt so good!

Ray tensed and clutched her to him firmly as he felt himself go inside her and he buried his face in her hair, as his hands trailed back down her torso to hold onto her hips, keeping her in place on top of him. His forehead finally rested on her shoulder and he breathed out, his eyes closed.

She felt him let go inside her and screamed his name as it set her off.

"God, Rowan," he breathed as he finally caught his breath. "You're incredible," he finished as he pressed a final kiss to her shoulder and let go of her as he fell onto his back.

She felt her breath rasping in her lungs, breathing deep as she tried to recover. She felt his head on her shoulder and raised her arm to slide her fingers through his curls.

Rowan looked behind her as he fell back and eased herself off him. She crawled up next to him and laid down next to him. She put her head on his shoulder and began to toy with his chest hair as she looked up at him.

"You're pretty incredible yourself," she told him and smiled. "I have to vote we do that again," she murmured and let a wicked giggle escape her.

"So, how long do I get to lie here with you, acuisle?" she wanted to know. She had no idea what time it was and if she was honest, she didn't much care. She closed her eyes and sighed with contentment.

As harrowing as earlier had been, she felt much better now. But she didn't want it to end.

Ray closed his arms around her and glanced over the top of her head at the clock

"Not long enough," he sighed as he rested his head back on the pillows and just enjoyed the feel of her in his arms. He would have to get up soon and go back to work. Without Alex and Gene working he would have to be in charge. He wasn't looking forward to that, it meant he couldn't skive off and leave everyone else to work.

Ray looked down at the bed and grabbed at a handful of the covers then dragged them over him and Rowan as he cuddled her, his hand stroking up and down her back leisurely as he looked at her happily.

Rowan settled against Ray and let the feel of his hand stroking her back relax her.

"Please lock the flat behind you," she murmured, for some reason, that was important to her. She pressed a kiss to his chest and draped her arm across his waist and let his heartbeat lull her to sleep.

Ray hummed in his throat in reply. He had no intention of leaving her alone in here without at least the door locked. He'd tell Syed to keep an eye on her as well.

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Jack wandered around, watching the usual chaos that always seemed to accompany the first day of school. He wished he could text Alyssa, but every time he pulled out his phone, something seemed to demand his attention. He ambled down the hall and peered through the classroom doors, looking at the bent heads of students writing industriously away.

He pulled out his phone. It was quiet just now, he would text Alyssa and see how her day was.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Molly didn't even bother raising her hand. She bolted from the classroom and dashed down the corridor, her hand plastered over her mouth, she skirted around her headmaster as she hurled herself into the girls' toilets. Molly bent over a toilet and closed her eyes as her breakfast came back up. She shuddered once she'd finished being sick and flushed the toilet. Molly stayed sitting on the floor and curled her hands over her stomach. So this was happening then. How could she have been so stupid!

Molly groaned as she felt her stomach churn again and bent her head over the toilet just in case.

Jack watched Molly go barreling past him and into the bathroom. He furrowed his brow. She hadn't looked so good. Gene and Alex wouldn't thank him for ignoring her and so he walked over to the door and knocked.

"Molly, you all right in there?" he called through the door. He opened the door a tiny crack. "Molly? Do you need help?"

Molly flushed the toilet for a second time and looked up as she heard Jack's voice. She wiped her mouth on some toilet roll and flushed that away too. She stood up shakily and unlocked the cubicle, she went to the nearest sink and filled her hands with water. Molly rinsed her mouth, trying to rid her mouth of the taste of her stomach acid.

She looked up at Jack and shook her head. "I don't think so," she whispered as she sank back onto the floor and drew her knees to her chest.

Jack heard Molly speak and pushed the door open farther and stuck his head in. He saw her seated on the floor and went inside and knelt down next to her. She didn't look well and he quickly put a hand to her forehead.

"What's the matter?" he asked her softly, aware that the look on her face meant there was something very wrong. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He put a gentle hand on her shoulder and put a finger under her chin to make her look up at him. "I promise I'll keep it just between us if you want."

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Molly looked at him, biting her lip anxiously. Her gaze dropped to the floor and she pulled her knees closer to her chest.

"Mum and Gene are going to kill me," she whispered. She felt her eyes start to well up and brushed at the tears before they could fall. She wasn't going to cry. She rested her forehead on her knees and took a deep breath before raising her head again to look at her headmaster.

"I..." she started, then stopped and shook her head. She needed to tell someone. She hadn't even told Whitney yet, let alone Peter, and Mr Rimmer had just promised not to tell anyone else. "I think that I might..." she tried again then felt her nails digging into her arms. She quickly relaxed her hands before she drew blood and looked away from Jack to stare at the floor, her chin on her knees.

"I think I might be pregnant," she whispered.

Jack's eyes widened. He never thought he'd hear those words from Molly. Well, not never, just not now. She was the last person he would expect to hear them from.

"I assume no one else knows?" he half-asked, half-stated. "Have you taken a test yet?"

Molly shook her head. "No one else knows," she murmured. "Mum and Gene are going to kill me," she said again.

Molly rested her head on his shoulder and nodded mutely at his words. She had had a suspicion for a while now that she was pregnant, but had resolutely not discussed it with anyone. She felt that if she didn't think about it then it would happen. If she didn't acknowledge it then it wasn't real. But she had told Mr Rimmer now...

Molly gulped and looked up at Jack, he was one of Gene's best friends, and Alyssa was friends with her Mum.

"You won't tell Gene, will you," she asked. "Or Mum," she added, the panic clear in her eyes. "Please don't tell them," she whispered.

He kept his tone low and soothing. Molly was clearly upset and he didn't want to frighten her. If he was honest, he felt very odd discussing this with her. But she clearly needed help and she was clearly willing to talk. He slowly reached out and gathered the girl into his arms and patted her back.

"I won't say anything. But you need to see a doctor. I'll excuse you from school so you can go now and see Dr. Bond, okay?" he said to her quietly. "I'll even drive you there."

Jack gripped her shoulders.

"Molly, I've already told you that I wouldn't," he said to her firmly. He stood up and helped her stand. "Come to my office now. We'll get you excused for today and I'll take you to Dr. Bond. I won't be able to stay with you, I have to come back here."

He put an arm around her shoulders and led her from the bathroom.

"We'll get you taken care of, okay?"

Molly nodded again and brushed at her eyes once more. She let Jack lead her to his office. She felt a little more at ease now that Jack had promised that he wouldn't tell her parents. She wasn't ready for Alex or Gene to know yet. She wasn't ready for Peter to know yet. She didn't know what she was going to do about the baby and didn't want him getting worked up and excited about being a father only to have her crush him and get rid of it. Or the other way around: she didn't want to get attached and have Peter demand that she have an abortion.

Jack made sure to put it in the system that Molly was going home sick and then led her out to his car and drove her to the surgery. He parked the car and looked over at Molly.

"Okay, here you go. Now you can talk to Dr. Bond, you know, he won't tell anyone," he reminded her. He patted her hand and nodded.

"Go on," he encouraged and watched her to make sure she went inside, then drove back to the school.

He would keep his promise...but it wasn't going to be easy.

Molly thanked Jack and went into the Surgery. She watched Doctor Bond for a moment and nodded mutely when he spotted her.

Simon looked up as Molly walked in. He put the magazines he was tidying back down and looked at her.

"I think you better come through," he said quickly and ushered her back to his room. He put a gentle hand on her back to push her towards the chair and then went and sat behind his desk. He clasped his hands and leaned forward.

"Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

Molly took her seat in his consultant room and clasped her hands together. She distracted her attention by looking at all of the posters around her; a height/weight scale chart; a poster of a human skeleton that labelled bones and muscle groups; several anti-smoking posters; a contraception/birth control poster that made her breath catch. They had used contraception!

Molly tore her gaze away from the walls and moved her attention to Doctor Bond. She swallowed anxiously and nodded slowly, she had told her Headmaster, surely telling her Doctor couldn't be that difficult.

"I'm pregnant" she said as loud as she dared then looked at him as she wrapped her arms around her middle

"Right, I see," Simon said calmly. "Have you taken a test yet?" he asked and got into his bottom desk drawer and pulled out a box which he placed on the desk. He had an idea she probably hadn't.

Molly looked at the box and shook her head. "No," she admitted quietly as she looked at the box. She didn't need to take a test, she already knew that she was pregnant. She could just tell.

Molly reached for the box on the table. "I suppose you want me to do a test?" she asked as she picked the box up.

"Yes, we do have to have a positive test to put in your records," he replied kindly. "You can go just across the hall. If it turns out to be positive, then we can talk about where you want to do from there."

Molly nodded at him as she took the test and left the room

She came back in a few moments later and placed the positive test back on Doctor Bond's desk, she took up her seat and fought the urge to draw her knees to her chest.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered.

Simon sighed. "Well, there are several options, I'm sure you know," he began.

"You can have a termination, have the baby and give it up or have the baby and keep it," he said. "So, why don't we just go one by one and talk them through and then you can take a few days to decide?" he suggested.

He leaned forward and clasped his hands on his desk. This was going to be a rough day.

Molly nodded at him and listened intently as Doctor Bond went through everything with her.

Debbie went back to the station to collect her things after she got the call from Adam that Mr. Hunt wanted her gone. She meekly collected the box he thrust at her and thanked him softly.

"I'm sorry," she barely whispered and left the station. She'd have to find somewhere else and hope today's events wouldn't be used against her.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Rowan woke early; feeling unsettled and listened to what she thought was the sound of rain. She grimaced. She didn't like rain. She sighed and slipped from the bed and went to the front room and looked out. It was definitely raining...a lot. She stuck her tongue out at the weather and went into the kitchen.

Over the past week and a half, she'd felt edgy. Ever since she'd almost fallen in front of a car. Yes, Sean had saved her and yes, she was grateful. But it didn't stop her being nervous when he had stopped in several days ago for his promised free meal. She'd been glad that although the restaurant hadn't been very busy, there had been people around. She felt decidedly scared around him, and couldn't figure out why. Surely, he didn't mean her any harm.

Rowan got herself a glass of water and padded back to the bedroom, rubbing her back. She let out a small groan of discomfort and sat down on the bed. She chastised herself for clearly sleeping oddly and gazed at Ray as he slept. Her lips curved into a smile and she leaned over and kissed his forehead softly. She made a face as she felt the usual uncomfortable pressure and got up and hurried to the bathroom.

She washed her hands and splashed her face and drew in a sharp breath at the pressure. She leaned heavily on the bathroom counter and put a hand to her belly and felt the sudden ripple of muscle under her hand and made a small noise of discomfort. She drew in a deep breath and raised her head as she realized she needed the toilet again. She stumbled to it and sat down and pressed both hands to her belly as she felt it ripple again.

She stared at the wall. This couldn't be happening! Not now! She still had at least a month to go! No, it must be a false alarm; she told herself and quickly climbed into the shower before she even realized what she was doing. She washed quickly and wound her hair in a towel and this time, when the contraction hit, she cried out. She quickly clamped her lips shut and then began to breathe.

She put her hand on the bathroom wall and leaned over, breathing, her other hand on her belly. Shit...this was happening. She quickly began to towel herself dry and felt another contraction.

"Oh," she grunted and closed her eyes. "Ray!" she called out. "Raymond Carling, get your backside in here, now...ahhh!"

Ray woke drowsily as he heard a series of small cries from the bathroom. He rolled over, and pulled the covers around him. He was used to Rowan making these small noises of discomfort every now and again, when they first started he had panicked, but she had assured him that it was normal and told him not to worry. So now he didn't worry, he let her get on with it.

Ray sat up as she bellowed his name, his full name. She _never _used his full name! Ray scrambled out of the bed and took one look at Rowan in the bathroom, then went and got her a loose nightdress and pair of knickers; he helped her put them on then looked at her desperately

"Tell me what to do, Rowan," he pleaded. "Please tell me what to do! Is it happening? Is it now?" he asked as he searched her face frantically as he tried not to panic, but the pain that was written on her face made it impossible.

"Okay, Ray, the first thing I need you to do is calm down," she said, trying to keep her own tone calm. "I need to get properly dressed," she told him. "Because you have to take me to the hospital," she broke off to breathe through another contraction.

Ray searched in his head for an answer, but he had missed quite a few classes now and they hadn't reached that point yet! Ray did the calculations and frowned, it couldn't be now. "Ro, you've still got a month to go," he told in as he tried to figure out what was wrong with her, she couldn't be having the child now!

She nodded slowly. "I know, but I'm not going to argue. It's happening now and I don't have a choice."

She moved awkwardly into the bedroom and hurriedly pulled off the nightdress.

"Get a shower, Ray, hurry. I'll get dressed and brush my hair. Then we'll go," she glanced over at him. "Please, Ray, don't stand there looking at me, I'm fine, hurry up."

She waited until he had done as she said and then pulled a dress out of the wardrobe and pulled it on. She thought about leggings, but realized her water would no doubt break soon and decided against them. The dress came to her knees anyway, it would be fine. She moved over to the dresser and brushed her damp hair out and then quickly braided it. She caught up the small bag she had packed and went into the front room to wait.

Ray took some deep breaths and jumped into the shower. He washed himself as quickly as he could then dried himself swiftly with a towel, he ran to the bedroom and hurriedly put on a pair of jeans and a top, then grabbed up his wallet, phone and car keys. He looked at Rowan as he came out of the bedroom and saw her waiting for him.

He nodded at her. "Come on, then, hospital right?" he asked as he opened the door to the flat and helped her downstairs.

"Yes, Ray, hospital," she replied.

He went out of the back door of the Restaurant and helped Rowan into the car.

Rowan stopped before getting into the car and groaned as she felt a rush of wetness that had nothing to do with the rain. She closed her eyes and looked at Ray hovering over her with an umbrella.

"My water broke," she told him simply and winced as she got in the car.

He made sure she was safe inside and bit his lips as he climbed in the other side. It was so tempting to speed, to get her to the hospital quickly, but he didn't trust himself to speed and keep his attention on the road. He'd have to go as quickly as he dared.

"Ready?" he asked as he started up the car and pulled away from the curb.

She fished her phone out of her bag to call and let the hospital know she was on her way.

"Ray, the babies are coming whether I'm ready or not," she said through clenched teeth. She looked at her watch. "Let's go," she said and waved at him as she got on her phone.

"Yes, hello, this is Rowan Tremaine, I'm in labor and I'm on my way in," she said abruptly when she heard the voice on the other side answer. She glanced at Ray and began to puff through another contraction. They were strong! She wanted to cry out, but Ray seemed on edge as it was.

Ray's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. He tried not to listen to Rowan on the phone, and tried to block out the sounds she was making, but it was so hard! He gripped the steering wheel tighter and tried to concentrate on getting her to the hospital as quickly as he could.

"Red light, Ray!" she yelled at him and gave him a look as he barely stopped in time. She put a hand on his arm.

He stopped the car at the red Light, willing it to change, amber meant go. He stared so hard that his vision blurred and all he could see was a hazy red ball of light above him.

"Calm, Ray, please," she begged between puffs of air and hurriedly turned her attention back to the phone. "Get me there in one piece, okay?"

"Yes, sorry, my waters broke just a few minutes ago and the contractions are fast," she replied. "I'm trying not to push!" she shrieked into the phone and began to puff again. "I'm sorry, but..." she broke off and began to breathe again, "this is not easy."

Rowan glanced at Ray, hoping he wasn't listening to close and realizing how close she was to delivering. She turned her head to look out at the pouring rain and barely managed to shriek Ray's name as a car next to them lost control and slid into them.

Rowan's hand shot out and grabbed Ray's arm as she felt the car slide sideways and off the road.

Ray looked up as Rowan shrieked his name and cried out as he saw what she had seen. He felt the car smash into them and kept his hold on the steering wheel, slamming his foot down on the brakes, trying to control where the car went, trying not to crash into anyone else!

He couldn't get control of the car, the ground was too wet, too slippery. The car had no grip as it slid off the road, completely out of control.

Ray gave up trying to control the car and resigned himself to the fact that they would stop when they crashed into something else. He reached over and grabbed Rowan, pulling her towards him and covered her with as much of his body as he could to protect her from the impact.

Ray felt the car turn a few times as he clutched Rowan to him and felt his body jerk as they hit something else.

Rowan squeezed her eyes shut in sheer terror as Ray grabbed hold of her. She tried to ignore the awkwardness of her position and that the seat belt was digging into her. She nearly cried out with relief when the car finally stopped.

Ray groaned, he ached. He moved gingerly and realised that he was on top of Rowan, he got off her as quickly as he could and groaned in pain again. He looked up, the windscreen had smashed, and the car seemed completely trashed. He placed his hand on the door and pushed. Nothing, with a growl he tried again to open the car so that he could get Rowan out. He kicked at the door with all his might, but it held fast.

Ray's eyes widened in panic and he looked back down at Rowan

"Rowan," he said desperately. "Can you hear me, Ro?" he asked as he tried to get her to look at him. He felt his eyes begin to well up and he rubbed at them to banish the tears before they fell.

"Please don't be dead Ro, please, please, please," he begged as he grabbed her hand and squeezed it as he raised it to his lips.

Rowan opened one eye and looked at Ray.

"Are we okay?" she asked him shakily. She grabbed hold of him to try and sit up and cried out as another contraction hit her. She looked past Ray and saw his side of the car was against a wall. They wouldn't get out that way.

"I'll try my door," she gasped and eased herself up so she could grab the handle. She fought with the door for several minutes, finally cursing a blue streak at it before looking at Ray.

"It's stuck, that car must have jammed it."

Rowan unfastened her seat belt and realized she'd dropped her phone. She gritted her teeth and then breathed through another contraction and realized she couldn't fight it anymore.

Ray breathed out a relieved sigh as Rowan started to talk. He watched her mutely, not telling her that he had already figured out that they were trapped in here for the time being.

"Ray, we have a problem, we can't get out of the car and I need to push, I can't stop anymore, Ray, you have to help me," she said, nearly in tears. She reached down and jerked the lever to put the seat back and pushed on it until it slammed against the back seat. She shifted until she could reach her bag and unzipped it, pulling out the blankets she'd put on top.

"Ray, please, I don't have much time," she shrieked at him.

She caught sight of her phone, she had no idea how she'd got it into the back seat and picked it up. "Hello? are you still there?" she asked quickly. "Hello?"

She cried out and tried to breathe with the contraction and was finally rewarded with a response.

"Yes, look, we've been in an accident. We're trapped in the car," she panted. She started to describe where they were to the woman on the other end of the phone and noticed Ray was still rooted to the spot. She looked at him.

"Ray, are you hurt?" she asked in a panic and looked him over. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt. "Because if you're not then get over here and fucking help me!" she cried and fell back on the seat again.

Ray's eyes widened in panic as she grabbed at his shirt. "But...but...I..." he stammered. He stopped trying to speak at the look on her face and clambered into the back. The baby couldn't come out yet, they weren't in a hospital yet! Surely it knew that they had to be in a hospital before it could come out!

"Ro...I..." he tried again, but once more words failed him.

"It can't come out now!" he told her. "It can't, it can't, it can't," he said, shaking his head. "We're not in a hospital," he told her.

"Ray, we don't have much choice," she panted. "Get…arrrgghhh…." She shifted around, using the back of the front seat where it rested behind her to prop herself up. At least it was wall behind Ray she thought with relief as she bent her knees.

At the look on her face he shut his mouth again and took her hand. "What do you want me to do Rowan?" he asked her. What was he supposed to do? She was having a baby in his car alone with just him and he was petrified.

"You have to….get….them off," she tried again and grabbed the waist of her knickers. "Just tear them off, I don't have time," she begged, she could feel that she was out of time.

Ray gaped at her, but did as she said, tearing her knickers in an attempt to get them off her. He flung them aside and his eyes widened at what he saw. Ray gulped and his eyes darted to Rowan's face.

She reached down into the bag and tossed one of the blankets at him after he'd finally done as she'd asked. She was breathing heavily and she snapped her fingers to get Ray to look at her. "

"I'm going to push, Ray, you have to catch," she pointed at the first aid kit on the floor under the driver's seat. "There's a pair of scissors in there, you'll have to cut the cord," she gasped out. She fought the urge to push as she tried to talk to Ray, thanking all her stars that Gem was the one most everyone went to when they were ready to deliver. Rowan at least had some idea what was going on.

"Ro.." he said then had another look. His heart was hammering against his chest at such a rate he thought that it was going to burst right through.

"Rowan, it's...there's..." he stammered. He was well out of his depth; surely she wasn't expecting him to do this!

"Just get the baby and put it here," she told him and patted her swollen belly, then get the scissors, okay?"

"Now!" she bellowed and let her body do what it wanted to do.

"Catch..." he repeated weakly, "Ro, I think we should wait for the doctor," he told her. He did as she said anyway and got the blanket ready; she wanted him to catch a baby? He gulped.

Rowan pushed and let out a grunt of relief.

Ray's eyes widened as he held the tiny thing in the blanket. He remembered what Rowan had said and laid the baby on her tummy. He looked at her and got the scissors. He was really doing it. He was delivering his own baby. He felt happy and worried all at once, what if he did something wrong? What if he didn't? What if everything was fine and he was just overreacting?

She kept her eyes fixed on Ray and put her hand on the baby's back as Ray got the first aid kit. She carefully talked him through how to cut the cord and pushed herself up a bit so she could wrap the blanket around the baby a bit better.

Ray positioned the scissors and cut the cord then looked at his son.

"Look, Rowan," he said in awe of the tiny boy. "He's..." he trailed off, unable to find the words. He leant over and kissed her lips. "We've got a boy, Rowan," he laughed happily. He was glad that was over with. Now they just had to wait for the ambulance and whoever else to get them out of this. He felt he would be able to cope now that Rowan had actually had the baby. He settled down with a sigh and wiped at his brow.

"Glad that's over."

Rowan touched his face as he kissed her and then looked at him in disbelief at his comment. She groaned as another contraction wracked her body and reached down to grab the other blanket and threw it at Ray.

"Ray, how many times do I have to tell you, I'm having twins!" she shrieked at him and let out another groan.

"She's coming, Ray," Rowan told him and pushed again.

Ray's mouth fell open. So it was true! He pulled the blanket off his face and put it down ready.

"I thought you were joking!" he spluttered. "You mean we're actually having twins..." he trailed off as he saw the other baby starting to crown and gulped. "Thought you were all messing with me," he muttered as he concentrated on what he was doing.

Ray stopped talking and kept his attention on his unborn child, ready to catch her.

Rowan let out a cry of relief as her daughter was finally born and watched Ray cut the cord properly on his own this time. She felt her eyes fill with tears and looked at Ray as she listened to the sirens drawing closer. She wasn't sure Ray could handle the rest.

"Help me sit up," she said to him. She didn't want to be sprawled across the back seat, even if she did have a good excuse. She glanced out the car window and was glad to see at least the rain had stopped. She shifted and leaned against Ray and watched as the emergency workers came over and started working on getting the car door open.

She glanced up at Ray with a sigh. "Next time we get a four door," she muttered.

Ray sighed in relief as he helped Rowan sit up and wrapped his arms around her; he took one of the babies from her and held it carefully as he dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

"So, Claire and Dennis Carling," he laughed happily, giving Rowan a small squeeze. "Can't believe that just happened," he muttered as he rested his cheek on the top of Rowans head. "Rowan, you just had our kids in the back seat of our car," he chuckled.

"I know what I just did, I'm not very happy about it, but you did a good job," she told him.

Not very happy?" he said incredulously. "Rowan, you just gave birth!" he told her as he squeezed her gently and kissed the top of her head. "I love you!" he beamed and kissed the top of her head again.

"Yeah, well, back seat of car due to car accident was not my first choice," she retorted. "I love you, too, acuisle," she said. He was like a kid himself!

He looked down at the two blanket-wrapped babies and sighed. "Twins," he grumbled. "You could've told me, Ro," he muttered. "Why did you let me go around thinking you were only having the one?" he demanded to know. "You've let me believe that we were only having the one for..." he trailed off while he counted, "at least 8 months!" he spluttered.

Her mouth gaped open and she looked at him, shock etched all over her features. "Ray, I told you countless times. Why do you think I bought so much stuff? There's two car seats in the trunk, you know," she told him. "I told everyone, I even showed you the scan as I recall. I said you could name the boy and I would name the girl, I did everything I could short of well….I guess delivering your twins has made you realize I wasn't joking."

She huddled closer to Ray as the door was wrenched open finally and the front seat moved. Rowan quickly turned and handed the other baby to Ray.

Ray held out the baby in his arms. "Rowan, with the evidence in front of me how can I doubt it! Besides, you could have asked for two pictures," he said with a shrug as he looked from one child to the other. "Mind you, I'm not complaining, not yet anyway, we'll see how I feel in a few days when I'm exhausted, Gene barely coped with one! How am I supposed to cope with two?" he said worriedly.

She raised her eyebrows. "How soon we forget, there were two pictures," she replied with a sigh. Rowan held back her laughter; she didn't want to embarrass him. She was sure she had now lost any chance at adult conversation.

"Here, they need to help me, stay here," she insisted and let the man help her from the car. She waved the man from the ambulance over and told him what she needed and he nodded and helped her into the ambulance.

Ray balanced the two babies in his arms and looked from one little face to the next. "So yeah," he said to them. "Hi, I'm your Dad," he grinned at them as he looked up and watched the paramedics deal with Rowan. He was kind of glad that the babies were out of her, she would be easier to hug now, if they ever go a moment to themselves. He sighed and looked at the twins. "You two better not go causing me and your Mam any issues," he warned them. "Or I'll set your Grandma on you," he threatened.

When she'd finished, she asked the man to go and help Ray with the babies. She wanted them in the ambulance with her.

The man nodded and went over to the car.

"She wants you and the babies with her," the man said to Ray and held out his hands to help carry one of the newborns.

Ray looked up at the man as he interrupted his chat with his kids and nodded. He handed over one of the twins and manoeuvred his way out of the wrecked car carefully.

Rowan got up from the cot in the ambulance and stuck her head out the door. "Don't forget the bags, Ray," she called over and then sat back down.

He looked round as Rowan called out to him and nodded at her. He grabbed up all their stuff, shoving more of their things from the car into the bag, which was made rather awkward with a baby in one arm. He slung the bag over his shoulder and walked leisurely to the ambulance.

He looked at Rowan with a serious expression. "I already told them that if they cause any problems they're going straight to Grandma Carling," he said to her and gave another warning glance to the twins.

Rowan looked at Ray as she took the baby from the paramedic and shook her head. "Yes, because they're going to understand that right now," she said with a chuckle. She leaned back with a sigh and watched Ray settle himself as the ambulance doors were shut.

Ray frowned at her. "They have ears, they can hear," he retorted. "Besides, they need to learn sometime, why not start straight from the off?" he shrugged as he looked down at the child in his arms. "Which one is this? They both look the same," he said with a sigh.

"The car seats are in the car!" she gasped and then groaned. She was glad for the blanket around her. She was starting to shiver and she was sure that she would no doubt have nightmares about that accident for days. But for now, she had her family. She looked down at the baby in her arms and stroked its cheek with her finger. She wasn't even sure which one she had.

Ray chuckled at her. "Ro, don't worry about the stuff, by now it will have got through to the station that we've been in a crash and someone will make sure all of our stuff is got out of the car," he assured her. "Don't panic," he said. "I don't even know why you put them in the car in the first place," he grumbled.

"Why would the car seats not be in the car?" she snorted. "I was being prepared."

She looked over at Ray and smiled. "I'm proud of you, you know," she told him. "I wasn't in the best frame of mind, and you were panicking, but you still pulled through," she explained. "What a story we'll have to tell," she added with a chuckle. She sighed with relief as they pulled up at the hospital and eagerly let the man help her out of the ambulance so she could go inside. She was glad again for the blanket around her. She was going to have to throw this dress away, she wasn't sure she could get the stains out.

Ray snorted. "I was entitled to panic! You were going into labour, in my car!" he told her "I wasn't exactly going to be as cool as a cucumber was I? And you were relying on me to get this pair out of you safely," he said. "Talk about pressure."

"And I'm saying that I'm proud of you, Ray, not many men would have been able to manage that," she told him and smiled.

Ray snorted at her and then beamed, he shrugged bashfully. "It was either sit there and let you yell at me or try to help," he said. "I'd rather you didn't yell at me," he added.

She smiled gratefully as she sat down in the wheelchair and took the other baby from Ray so he could carry the bags.

After a lengthy explanation of who she was, Rowan was finally taken to maternity so the babies could be checked over. She sat on the bed and watched as they were washed and weighed and all their statistics were taken. She thanked the nurse for the clean blankets the woman wrapped the babies in, but chose to keep the others. She submitted to an exam herself and smiled with relief when the midwife said she was okay and they let her use the bathroom to clean up.

She quickly did so and changed her clothes and sat back down.

"Have you tried feeding them yet?"

Rowan shook her head. "Things were a bit….hectic," she replied. The midwife picked up Claire and handed her to Rowan, who opened her top and tried to nurse the baby. She smiled as the baby latched on and stroked the girl's downy head as she looked over at Ray.

Ray took the seat near Rowan's bed and dumped the bags on the floor. His stomach grumbled and he frowned, in all that hast he hadn't had time to eat anything. He rubbed it idly as he watched Rowan feed the baby. His frown deepened

"Can't you just bottle it?" he asked her. "I've seen adverts for baby milk stuff," he added as he watched the baby feed. He wasn't going to be able to touch her like that for ages. He wasn't sure how he was going to cope. Ray frowned at himself, he was jealous of his own kid! It had only been born for less than a few hours, and he was jealous because they were going to be able to have contact with Rowan that he was going to be denied. He shifted in the chair grumpily.

Rowan caught the expression on Ray's face as she fed the baby and couldn't hold back her laughter.

"You know, they do have a purpose," she told him and gestured at her breasts. "They're not just there for your personal amusement," she remarked.

Ray raised his eyebrows. "They are there for my personal amusement," he told her. "Otherwise I wouldn't get so much enjoyment out of them," he said flippantly.

"There's nothing saying you can't enjoy them, but this is their actual purpose," she said.

Ray looked at the baby jealously once more before pushing the emotion away. He didn't want to be envying his own children, though; they best appreciate what they had got and what he was going to be denied.

She looked up as a nurse came in with paperwork for them to fill out. She looked over at it and looked over at Ray.

"Birth certificates," she told him and took the pen the nurse handed her and filled in her name and the names of the babies. She waved Ray over as she signed the bottom of the papers.

"Fill in your name and our address, acuisle, that way we've both filled them out," she smiled at him.

He took the certificates from her and his eyebrows flew up. "_That's _your full name?" he asked. "Blimey, Ro, what a mouthful," he grinned at her. He'd never thought to ask her about her middle names; mainly because he didn't have one so didn't bother asking other peoples. And he'd never thought about it.

"Yes, that is my full name. Yeah, try growing up with it. My parents couldn't agree on which family names to use. So they gave my sister and me the names they had chosen and gave us family names in the middle."

Ray listened to her and nodded. "Fair enough, it's such a long name though," he said. Ray held up the certificate and pointed to where she had written her name, then to his. "Look at that! 4 words, 2 words," he said with a small grumble and then put the certificate down again. "Your name makes mine look small," he complained.

"Your name is the only small thing about you, acuisle," she purred.

"Rowena Aisling Constance," he said, trying the words out. He frowned and sighed "That's not fair; your initials don't spell anything interesting! RACT, I can't do anything with that," he grumbled as he started filling in the forms. He wrote down the address of the flat and then his name on Claire's certificate and then copied everything onto Denis,' too.

She laughed at his comment. "You really are too much," she snorted. "You don't have to do anything with my name."

Ray looked up at her again. "That's the reason for middle names, for other people to mess about with them, yours doesn't spell anything," he grumbled.

"Well, if someone ever invents a time machine, you can go back and explain it to my parents, okay?" she teased and then giggled mischievously.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Gene woke up to the sound of rain and looked sourly at the bland wall of his room at the B&B. Alex still wasn't talking to him. He'd tried more times than he could count to apologize, but she seemed to be having none of it.

He was at the point now where he welcomed all the meetings he had to attend. It helped avoid her. She and Ray could be in charge and he could have his meetings and then go and deal with his problem in the manner to which he'd become accustomed...in the pub.

He grumpily hauled himself from the bed and took a quick shower before heading to the station. He would see how quickly he could get away today. It was Ray's day off, which meant his outer office would be empty. Good. No Ray and everyone else would be in their usual place down the hall so he would have some peace and quiet.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\\\/\

Peter sipped his tea and sent off a text to Molly.

"Breakfast at cafe?"

He wondered if she would say yes. She seemed to have been avoiding him over the past several days. He knew her mother and Mr. Hunt were fighting, he assumed that was it. But he missed her.

He put the phone down and looked at the wall as he listened to Fatboy thundering around upstairs.

The beeping of Molly's phone woke her and she read the text from Peter. She sighed as she put her phone down and turned it off. She knew that she was avoiding him but she couldn't help it, she wasn't ready to tell him yet, not even Whitney knew. Molly sighed, she was glad it was a weekend. She didn't have to get up. Molly sighed and turned her phone back on. She scrolled down to Whitney's number and fired off a text.

"Can you come round mine today? Please xx"

She needed her best friend. She couldn't tell her Mum, not while she was busy fighting with Gene. Alex had enough to worry about without the added worry of her being pregnant. Molly would tell her once she and Gene had calmed down. She hoped it would be soon, she knew the both of them could hold a grudge and argue for England but this wasn't good. She needed them to make up. It wasn't good for Sam either, he kept crying for his Dad and Alex kept telling him no.

Whitney rolled over and edged herself from Brett's arms and looked at her phone. She was off at the pub today, she realized and texted Molly back.

"Sure, couple of hours?"

She put her phone down and then ducked under the covers and set about waking Brett up.

Molly sighed, she would have preferred Whitney here sooner than that. But she could wait, she needed to get up anyway. Molly picked Sam up and put him on the floor

"I'm gonna get ready then we're going to have breakfast," she told him monotonically as she led him to the front room and set him down in his play pen. Molly looked at him for a second, then sighed and went to hop in the shower. She'd have to distract herself until Whitney got here.

Molly sat Sam at the breakfast table and handed him a bowl of mushy Weetabix while she got out the CocoPops. She ate unenthusiastically as she watched her brother plaster his face in Weetabix.

Whitney climbed out of bed and into Brett's shower when they'd finished. She quickly showered and dressed and folded her arms as she looked at Brett.

"C'mon, lazy, drop me at Molly's instead of home though, yeah."

Brett sighed and nodded. He grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans and threw them on. He had intended for Whitney to stay and spend the day with him today, but apparently that wasn't going to happen. Molly wanted her instead.

He led her out to his car and ushered her inside. He drove her to Molly's house and pulled her into a kiss. "Lemme know when you're done here and if you wanna come back and spend the night at mine tonight," he smiled at her.

Molly looked up as she heard a car outside and dashed to the window, she sighed happily as she recognised Brett's car and ran to the front door to open it for Whitney, Molly stood in the doorway and watched them in the car as she waited.

Whitney smiled at Brett and kissed him.

"I will, see you later, Tiger," she teased and jumped out of the car and ran over to Molly.

She caught her friend in a hug. "So, is it time for ice cream or is it something worse?" she wanted to know.

Molly waved briefly at Brett as he drove off again and then shut the door behind Whitney.

She glanced over at Sam, he was occupying himself with his toys. She took a deep breath and nodded to herself then looked at Whitney.

"Will you please tell me that everything's going to be okay?" she asked as she sat down on the sofa and pulled her knees to her chest. "Because I need someone to tell me that," she added as she looked at Whitney.

Whitney widened her eyes at the tone of Molly's voice.

"Molls, what's happened?" Whitney asked her, unable to keep the worry from her voice.

Molly sniffed and looked at Whitney. "I'm pregnant, Whit," she whispered. "I'm pregnant!" she said louder and punched at a pillow, she was sick of feeling sorry for herself! She was angry at herself for not taking precautions, she should have taken the morning after pill as soon as they realised that the condom had split! But she hadn't, she'd convinced herself that it would be fine. She'd convinced Peter that it would be fine! Then she'd forgotten about it, until she'd started throwing up and realised what it could mean: she had watched Alex go through pregnancy and knew well enough what morning sickness looked like.

"I don't know what to do Whit! I don't know what I'm supposed to do!" she wailed as she pulled the pillow towards and screamed into it for a moment before bursting into tears.

Molly wrapped her arms around Whitney and shook her head.

"Only Mr Rimmer, Doctor Bond and now you" she mumbled "Can't tell Mum while she's fighting with Gene, they've got enough to sort out without worrying about me too" she said.

Whitney stroked Molly's hair and sighed.

"I have no idea what to tell you, Molly," Whitney admitted. "No one knows and you're pretty early, you could have a termination if you're that scared," she suggested.

"But, Peter does want to marry you so I don't think he'd mind at all if you were pregnant."

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Alex climbed out of bed. Molly was looking after Sam today because Alex was at work. She padded through to Sam's bedroom and pulled him out of bed. She washed and dressed him then set him on the floor as she went back into her room to get dressed. Sam made a disgruntled noise and Alex went and sat him on the bed. She sighed as she watched Sam's face droop when he realised that Gene wasn't there. She knew that Sam was missing his Dad but Alex knew the amount of drinking that Gene had been doing lately and she wasn't leaving her son with Gene while there was a chance of him getting pissed out of his head. He was coming to work every morning with a hangover and she had given up trying to talk to him, they couldn't seem to have a civilized conversation.

She could admit that she missed him though, she missed watching him cuddle with Sam on the sofa, and she missed how he teased Molly, and she missed his arms being wrapped around her and waking up with him next to her every morning. She sighed as she pulled her shoes on and pulled Sam off the bed and into her arms. She dropped a kiss on his forehead and knocked on Molly's door, she went inside and saw Molly tucked up in bed, holding her phone.

"Molls," she said softly as she sat on the bed and let Sam go. "I'm going to work, keep an eye on him won't you? He still needs breakfast," she said and leaned over to kiss Molly's forehead. "Bye sweetheart," she smiled.

"Bye, Sammy, be good for your sister," she smiled as she kissed his forehead then stood and waved to them and left her room and the flat.

Molly looked down at Sam and smiled halfheartedly at him. "What am I going to do Sammy?" she sighed as she pulled her baby brother to her for a hug and felt the tears well up again. She hoped Whitney wasn't working today.

Molly groaned. "Whit, I don't even know if I want this kid!" she said. "I mean, it's going to screw up my education, my life is going to change completely, Peter's going to have to be tied to me forever because of it, It's going to cost so much money..." she trailed off. "But I don't know how I feel about getting rid of it!" she said. "I don't know!"

"Well, you can't be more than two months, you have to do something now," Whitney told her. "I won't judge you, Molly, I'm your best friend and I promise. Although, it doesn't have to be the end of the world. You can still go to school while you're pregnant, and you know Jack will probably make sure to sort things out for you to get your tests and everything. But it's your choice. I won't say anything to anyone, if you decide to terminate."

She squeezed Molly again. She had no idea what she would do if she was in Molly's shoes. But she would be there for Molly as best she could.

"I need more time than that!" she said desperately. "How they can expect people to make decision like that in such a small space of time is ridiculous," she said and then looked up at Whitney.

"I really need Mum to know, but how am I supposed to tell her when she's still fighting with Gene?" she sighed hopelessly "He's going to kill Peter when he finds out as well" she muttered.

Whitney looked at Molly.

"Okay, then, let's go talk to your mother," Whitney said and got decisively to her feet. "Mr. Hunt probably isn't even there yet, so she'll be on her own."

She grabbed Molly's hand and pulled her to her feet. "Come on, splash your face and let's go, now."

She half-dragged Molly to the kitchen to make her splash her face and handed her a towel.

Molly did as she was told, she washed her face and stared at herself in the mirror. She still looked like crap. She grabbed up Sam into her arms and ran with Whitney out of the flat, slamming the door behind her.

It didn't take long to get to the station. Molly gulped, both the Quattro and her mum's car were outside. "I can't Whitney, Gene's there! I can't go in there while he and Mum are there!" she hissed as she eyed the bright red car warily.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Alex got to work and climbed out of the car anxiously. She was beginning to hate work, because Gene was there! She didn't like that he was making her feel like this, she'd always loved her job and now her stupid, lying, cheating husband was making her resent it.

Alex passed Adam and looked at him expectantly. Adam shook his head. "He's not in yet, ma'am," he told her and Alex smiled and thanked him. They'd come to an arrangement where Adam let her know whether or Gene was there, it meant she could prepare herself for his presence when she walked into the office. Alex sighed as she sat down, no Ray today either. That meant that Gene would have to talk to her at some point to give her instructions. That she wasn't looking forward to.

Jack wondered at the tangle of traffic delaying his arrival at school and then saw the cause. An accident. He gasped as he realized he knew that car! He looked over at the ambulance and saw Ray climbing into it. He craned his neck to see better. He was sure he could see blood on the ground by the car. He quickly turned off onto another street and parked. He got out of the car and pulled his phone from his pocket to call Alyssa.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

JT flipped his phone shut in annoyance. He'd taken to calling Rowan every morning, ostensibly to see how things were at the restaurant, but mostly to make sure Sean hadn't attacked her. Her phone was going straight to voicemail. Ray's too. He growled and stalked out of the flat.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Janine watched Sean moving around the Square, hate dancing in her eyes. How dare he treat her that way! She watched him wander off and then slipped out of her flat; she suddenly had an urge to go for a walk.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Rhys stood and waited for the PC to hurry up with his little talk. Ever since Ray had started going around with some of the PCs, the Guv had thought it was a good idea. Rhys leaned against the building and frowned. He didn't want to be here. He glanced up and noticed Sean walking over in the distance, there was part of his problem right there.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Bradley led Ffion across the Square and into the Minute Mart. He started chatting with Patrick about an item on special and never noticed Ffion disappear from the shop.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Alyssa looked up from her coffee and smiled as she saw Jack's name flashing on her phone. She put it to her ear.

"Hello, my Darling Husband, what do you want?" she smiled as she sat back, she was glad today was a slow day in the Salon, it meant she could talk to him for longer.

"I've just been stuck in traffic on the way to school, there was an accident," Jack told her. "It was Ray and Rowan's car, Lyss! I saw Ray getting in the back of an ambulance. I didn't get a good look at him, but it looked like there was blood on the ground by the car and it looks like they had to pry the passenger side door open."

"Oh my God!" Alyssa said "Jack! What Rowan was with him? What if they're hurt, the babies!" she gulped. "I'm going to call Ray, or Rowan, either one of them," she said. "I'll find out what's happened and then text you," she said. "Love you," she added before ending the call.

She hurriedly dialled Ray's number.

Ray looked down at his phone and sighed. He glanced up at Rowan. "Guess who?" he chuckled as he answered the call.

"Hey, Lyss."

"Ray! Jack said he saw you getting into an ambulance! What happened? Are you okay? Does Rowan know?" she asked.

"Seriously, Alyssa, what is it with you and the whole quickfire question round thing?" he grinned down the phone.

"Don't tease me Ray! I'm seriously worried over here!" she snapped back.

"We're fine, all four of us," he smiled over at Rowan.

"Four..." Alyssa breathed. "OH MY GOD!" she squealed and Ray moved the phone away from his ear.

"Ouch," he muttered to himself and looked over at Rowan as he held the phone at arm's length, hearing Alyssa's squeals still coming through the earpiece.

"She can't half squeak," he grumbled as he put the phone back to his ear.

"Lyss, shut up, you're breaking my ears."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Put Rowan on!" she demanded as she stopped herself bouncing up and down in her seat.

Ray looked over at Rowan. "Your sister wants a word," he told her as he moved over to her, sat on the bed and handed her the phone. He was relieved that he could stop talking to Alyssa, the woman had half-deafened him.

Rowan looked up and her eyebrows went up as she listened to Ray talking to Alyssa.

She couldn't hold back a chuckle as she could hear Alyssa squealing on the other end of the phone.

Rowan took the phone from him.

"Hiya, Lyss, we're fine. You will never guess what Ray did," she said excitedly. "There we were, trapped in the car and Ray delivered the babies, can you even believe it!"

Alyssa gasped in surprise. "You're winding me up," she said in disbelief.

"That's incredible Ro! Wait, you had your babies in a car?" she said with a wince. "Ouch, what about pain medication and drugs and all that," she asked. "You must have been in agony!"

"Oh, Alyssa, it wasn't that bad actually. It's different for everyone and it was over so fast, I didn't really have a chance to think about it. I was too busy trying to keep Ray from panicking so he could help me have them. I couldn't wait for the ambulance. There was just no way it would happen. The babies come when they come."

"I don't think they're going to keep me here, so you should come by the flat. I'll let you know for sure."

"You're okay though?" Alyssa asked, just in case.

Rowan glanced over at Ray where he was looking at Denis.

"We've named them Denis and Claire," Rowan told her. "And Ray is in a real mood," she added.

"He's been making fun of my full given name and he's upset that I'm breast feeding, apparently they're his private property," she giggled and glanced over to make sure Ray wasn't listening.

Alyssa let out a soft laugh and smiled broadly. "Oh dear, and he's got to suffer months and months of breast feeding," she chuckled.

"Yes, we're fine," Rowan assured her and chuckled at Alyssa's comment. "He's not going to like that," she agreed and giggled again.

"Look, I better go, there's an officer here to talk to us about the accident. I'll talk to you later, sis."

"Bye, Ro, text me to come round whenever," she said and shut off the call.

"Byeee."

Alyssa laughed once more then hurriedly dialled Jack's number.

"Heeeey!" she said excitedly. "Guess who is now the proud new uncle to a little niece and nephew?" she asked with another delighted laugh.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Roxy sighed as she dropped Amy off at Nursery. She had told Sean countless times yet he still refused to leave Walford. She'd made her decision! She wanted him to leave her alone, he was still stalking her. She knew he was, she'd caught him on countless occasions and he had spouted the same bullshit. She was sick of it now, she was staying with JT and that was that.

There he was again. He even had the nerve to wink at her before sidling away. She took a deep breath to calm herself and stalked after him. She was going to sort this once and for all.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Sean smirked to himself as he walked. Roxy had tried to convince him that she wanted JT, sure. He wasn't buying it. He knew that she wanted him. She still wore her wedding ring, that was proof enough. He didn't care that she was sleeping with someone else. No, he did care, but he could deal with it. For now.

Sean made his way to the Allotments. His new spot had become the bench just outside Charlie's Shed, it was quiet and gave him a chance to think. It was also quiet and a little away from the Square so he didn't have to worry about anyone demanding his attention, or and distractions from his thoughts.

/\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\/\\/\

Chris came running into the office and looked at Shaz and Alex.

"I've just been down the hall, getting some paperwork sorted and I heard on the radio, Ray's been in a car accident. He and Rowan have been taken to the hospital," he blurted in a rush.

Shaz looked up in shock. "Are they okay?" she said.

Alex looked up. "Rowan, too?" she said anxiously. "But she's pregnant! The babies," she gasped. She went to stand up but Shaz beat her to it.

"I'm going down the hospital to check they're both okay," she announced and looked at Chris. "What's happening about their car?" she wanted to know.

"I'll find out," Chris told her and walked down the hall with her.

Alex sighed. If Shaz was going then she would have to stay here. She looked over at Gene's office. He'd come back from that meeting and breezed past her like she didn't exist. She stood, someone was going to have to tell him and if Shaz was going down the hospital, and Chris was going to be sorting out the car accident stuff then it would have to be her.

She took a deep breath and made her way confidently through to his office. His attitude and everything that he had done was not going to interfere with her job. She knocked on his door once before going in anyway.

"Ray's been in a car crash, he and Rowan are in hospital" she told him, her tone waspish.

Gene looked up as Alex came in and snapped at him.

"Is anyone hurt?" he asked, putting aside his anger at Alex and focusing on the well-being of his officer.

Alex rolled her eyes impatiently. "How am _I _supposed to know Gene? I've only been told that they're in hospital," she snapped at him.

"I'm just being concerned for one of my officers, you brought the news in here, so I can only guess that maybe you know what's going on," he snapped back. Why did she have to be like this?

"Why don't you grow up and try to be professional."

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"Adam, anything about Ray's car?" he asked.

"Looks like it's still at the scene, they're interviewing witnesses. Someone's going to have to interview them," Adam replied.

Chris pulled out his phone and called Shaz since she was already out the door.

"Shaz, Adam says someone needs to interview them," he told her. "I'll go to the scene of the accident and send one of the PCs over," he told her when she answered.

He patted the counter and headed out.

He got to the scene of the accident and looked at the car and let out a low whistle. He noted the blood in the back seat and called one of the officers over.

"What's with the blood?" he asked.

"Oh, seems DI Carling delivered the twins there in the car. They were on the way to the hospital when they got hit," the PC said. "We found car seats in the boot, you think they might need them?"

"If the babies are born then yeah," Chris replied. "Look, I'll finish up here, someone needs to meet up with Shaz at the hospital and interview Ray and Rowan. Take these to the hospital with you."

The PC took the car seats and put them in his vehicle and then drove to the hospital.

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Sean frowned. He was being watched. He could feel someone's eyes on him and he didn't like it. Not one bit. He stood up from his bench and looked around, searching for any sign of another person. He grunted when he found no one. He sat back down and stared around him. He was being paranoid. No one was watching him.

Sean looked up at the sky as the rain finally stopped and the Sun peeped out from behind the stormy clouds. He smiled as the rays hit him and he leaned back, enjoying the heat that the sun brought with it. He ran more ideas for winning back Roxy through his head, discarding the ones that he knew wouldn't work, toying with ideas that would, improving them, making them better and more likely to work. He opened his eyes again. He was definitely being watched. He scanned the allotments and frowned.

Sean stood up again and moved forward, into the clearing. He walking in a slow circle, scanning his surroundings once more. He couldn't see anyone but he knew that that didn't mean that there wasn't anyone there.

"Stop hiding like a coward and come and face me," he taunted.

Sean waited. Silence. He growled and turned around. Then he heard it.

Rustling. The sound of leaves being moved.

Sean smirked. He turned quickly and saw a figure rushing towards him, arms stretched high, a long object brandished above their head.

Before Sean could say or do anything, the object came down and smacked into his skull. He fell, unconscious before he hit the floor. The figure ran, dropping the heavy spade, it landed next to Sean, the blood that covered the sharp edge of the spade matching that which was slowly oozing from his head.

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Shaz snapped her phone shut. That was fine. She could do an interview. She pulled up outside the hospital and went to the front desk

"Hiya," she smiled as she flashed her badge. "I need to see Ray Carling and Rowan Tremaine, they were in a car crash," she explained. The nurse on the front desk scrolled through her files and nodded at Shaz.

"You'll find them in the maternity ward," she said and pointed the way. Shaz nodded and hurried down the corridor. Maternity? Of course, the car crash, the babies! She gulped, she hoped everything was okay!

Shaz went into the maternity ward and gave Rowan's name to one of the nurses. She went to the room where she had been directed and looked in the window, half afraid of what she would see. Shaz sighed in relief. Nothing looked to be the matter.

She knocked on the door then went in, a smile on her face. She noted Rowan on the phone and waved, then turned her attention to Ray

"Chris is on the scene with your car, sorting everything out. What happened Ray?" she asked

Ray stretched and looked up at Shaz. "Is this my interview," he asked her with a raised eyebrow. She smiled. "Not formally, this is me asking as a friend, not a police officer," she smiled.

Ray nodded. "Okay then, Ro went into labour this morning, so I was driving her to the hospital, this idiot ploughed straight into us. Rowan ended up giving birth in the car, paramedics came. Here we are," he said with a shrug.

Shaz merely gaped at him. "She had them in the car?" she asked and he nodded. "Yup. Screaming at me and everything, think she almost broke my ear drum, though, if it wasn't Rowan then it was definitely Alyssa," he grumbled. Shaz frowned. "Lyss was in the car, too?" she asked.

Ray looked up, confused for a moment then shook his head. "No, Alyssa's on the phone. And for some reason she felt the need to deafen me by squealing down the phone, straight into my ear drum," he grumbled.

Rowan flipped the phone shut and smiled at Shaz. She pulled her top partly closed as the baby finished and stood up and carried her over and laid her down.

"That's Claire," Rowan said and then picked up the boy. "And this is Denis," she introduced. She noticed the PC hovering at the door and her smile widened. "The car seats!" she exclaimed and gestured the PC in and pointed at where he could put them.

She sat down with Denis and smiled as he quickly latched on. She glanced out the corner of her eye and picked up a blanket to drape over her shoulder. She often forgot nursing made some people uncomfortable and she also was sure that Ray wouldn't like some other man staring at her.

Ray watched Rowan drape the towel over herself with a small amount of satisfaction, he raised his eyebrows at the Police Officer and then turned his attention back to Shaz.

"You taking a formal statement?" he asked and she sighed. "I'll have to at some point," she said.

Ray nodded. "Got a tape recorder?" he asked and she nodded. "I come prepared, Ray," she smiled as she took the other seat and set it up.

Ray answered all Shaz' questions and described the accident as well as he could remember it.

He looked at Shaz once she'd turned off the tape recorder. "So, did you catch that idiot that smashed us off the road?" he asked and she shrugged. "You'll have to asked Chris that Ray, I haven't been to the scene or anything, I came straight here to make sure you two were okay," she smiled and looked over her shoulder at Rowan. "But now there's four of you," she smiled as she stood up and wandered over to the cot where Claire lay.

She looked up at Rowan. "May I?" she asked.

Ray frowned. "Isn't Alex working today?" he asked and Shaz nodded. "Yeah, why?" she asked as she cooed down at Claire.

"So, you're here and Chris is out in London somewhere," he clarified and she nodded.

Ray sighed heavily. "Shaz, what did we all agree last week?" he asked and she frowned at him, confused. "Regarding Alex, Gene and the office."

Shaz' face brightened as she caught on. "We agreed not to leave them alone togeth...er," she said as she realised that they had done just that.

"Why did we agree that Shaz?" he said, the heavy sigh evident in his voice.

"The arguments," she said.

Ray nodded. "Chris is gonna have a right one on his hands when he gets back there," he grunted.


	29. Chapter 29

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 29**

Whitney grabbed hold of Molly's hand and dragged her inside.

"Just tell her, Molly. If you can't make up your mind then you have to say something," she insisted.

Molly nodded slowly and reluctantly followed Whitney into the station, her arms full of her brother. She sighed when she saw no one else in the office and handed Sam to Whitney, she didn't have to ask where her parents were. The raised voices coming from Gene's office were a big enough giveaway

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Alex's eyes widened and her temper flared.

"I don't think you're one to talk about professionalism, Gene!" she snapped at him. "What exactly is professional about you? You beat up people at the drop of a hat, you keep a bottle of Scotch in your desk and drink while you're at work. You have a _darts board_ in your office!" she said incredulously with a gesture at it. "Oh yes, and you sleep with your assistants!" she glared at him. "So tell me Gene, what exactly is professional about _any _of that!" she asked, her voice had got steadily louder and louder, she was at near shouting point now. Alex folded her arms across her chest defensively and waited for his outburst.

Gene took two steps closer to Alex, his face red with fury.

"I did not sleep with Debbie," he bellowed, slamming his fist down on the desk with each word to emphasize it. "No matter what else I might do that you don't approve of, Bolls, that's not one of them. She even tried it on with Ray, only Rowan caught her at it. Did you think to ask? Have you spoken to anyone about her background?" he demanded to know.

He moved a step closer. "For someone who does everything by..." pound, "the", pound, "book," he said, pounding on the desk again, "you haven't got yourself all the facts yet, have you?"

"She kissed me twice, the first time Ray walked in, the second time you did. I didn't ask for any of it. She's not you! She's just a jumped up tart trying to sleep her way into a promotion," he yelled and then snapped his mouth shut and glared at Alex angrily.

Alex glared at him, undeterred by his anger, she was too used to his temper by now.

"Ray seems pretty convinced, Gene!" she spat at him. "And what am I supposed to think! We hardly get any time to ourselves at home, I'm not at work half the time because I'm too busy looking after _your _son," she snapped at him. "And then Ray sees you and her all over each other! What other conclusion do you expect me to draw from that!" she snarled at him.

"Yeah, well Ray's not that smart," he snapped. "And she was the one all over me, I didn't touch her."

Alex spun around as she heard a small knock on the door. She opened it and looked at Molly.

"Not now, Molls," she said, trying to keep the venom from her voice, she didn't want to direct her anger at Gene onto her daughter.

"Yes, now, Mum," Molly said as she marched into the office and stood with her arms folded glaring at them.

"Stop fighting! The pair of you," she ordered and Alex pinched the bridge of her nose. "Molls, this doesn't concern you, don't get involved."

"It does concern me Mum, you're my parents, you're Sam's parents and we don't like you fighting."

Alex frowned at her. "We wouldn't be fighting if your step-father could control his urges," she spat, glaring at Gene.

He looked up as Molly came in and he pressed his lips shut as his brow furrowed. He whipped his head towards Alex at her comment.

"For the last time, I didn't do anything!" he snarled. "You're supposed to be some amazing detective, so why don't you investigate and realize that you're wrong!" he added, jabbing his finger towards her face to make his point.

"Oh! I'm wrong am I?" she said sarcastically. "Right let's see, evidence that I'm wrong, your word. Evidence that I'm right, you got caught, twice, oh, and you didn't tell me about it. If it was so innocent Gene, then why did you neglect to mention it to me the first time it happened, hey?" she said.

"Just stop it, both of you," Molly cried.

"Go home Molly, please, just go home," Alex said, keeping her gaze fixed on Gene.

Molly looked between the both of them. They were both so angry at each other, her Mum just wasn't listening, to her or to Gene. Molly could see that Gene hadn't done anything wrong yet Alex was so blinded by her anger and feelings that she couldn't see it.

"Mum, I need to talk to you."

Alex clenched her fists. "For the last time Molly, go home," she snapped and immediately regretted it. The look of frightened hurt on Molly's face tore through her. "Molls," she said, softer, her tone apologetic.

"No!" Molly said. "I came to tell you, though it's obvious that you both couldn't care less," she said, her arms folded defiantly. "I'm pregnant," she said and then ran out of the office, leaving her Mother gaping after her.

"MOLLY!" Alex yelled, she snapped her gaze back to Gene. "This is your fault," she told him before hurrying after her daughter.

Alex grabbed Molly's arm before she got to far and pulled her back. "Molly, please tell me that was a joke?" she begged.

"Because frankly I didn't want to embarrass her anymore than she already was!" Gene replied, his tone still harsh. "Apart from that incident I didn't have a problem with her. I certainly didn't think she'd try it again. I thought she'd got the hint that I didn't want anything to do with her!"

Gene looked at Molly and softened his glare. He felt his jaw drop at her announcement and could only stare after her in shock as she ran off.

He quickly closed his mouth and frowned at Alex.

"How is this my fault?" he demanded. "I never liked that Peter Beale."

He shoved past Adam and strode over to where Alex was talking to Molly.

"You are joking right?" he asked, his voice still gruff.

Adam sighed and followed after.

"GUV!" he shouted to be heard over everything.

"What?" Gene turned to Adam.

"Rhys just called. He's found Sean Slater over at the allotments. Looks like someone attacked him," Adam explained and then hurried away.

"Of all the timing….." Gene began, irritation coloring his tone. He jabbed his finger at Molly.

"You have some explaining to do. I have to go and deal with this," he looked at Alex. "I'll kill that Peter Beale," he growled and stalked off.

"And she was probably afraid of being accused of something she's not," Gene sneered from behind Alex. He stood and listened as Alex tried to soothe her daughter. He was having none of this.

Alex shot Gene a poisonous look as she consoled Molly. "That's low, Gene, real low," she snapped at him and scowled at his back as he left.

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Whitney followed close behind Molly to make sure she didn't chicken out. She'd got her this far. She would make sure that Molly told her mother. She cradled Sam and grimaced at the raised voices floating down the hall. They sure could argue.

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Jack answered the phone as he rushed towards his office. He smiled at Alyssa's voice and his expression changed to one of confusion at her question.

"Who?" he asked curiously. "And how can you be thinking about something like that when Ray or Rowan could be dying? Are they okay?"

Alyssa couldn't help but laugh.

"They're fine, all four of them!" she told him. "Rowan's had her twins, Jack! Claire and Denis, Ray delivered them as well!" she told him. "How fantastic is that?"

"You're joking!" Jack exclaimed. "That's pretty fantastic! So, are you going over to see them or what? I want to go, too," he nearly whined.

Alyssa smiled. "So be a bad boy and bunk off, come and get me and then give me a lift to the hospital," she told him. "Just say it's a family emergency or something and hand over the reins to your deputy," she told him.

"But I've only just got here!" he gasped in mock-horror then chuckled. "I know how much you like it when I'm bad," he said in a low tone. He stepped out of his office.

"I have to go, I'll maybe be back later, bit of a family crisis," he said in a rush and scooted out the door before anyone could argue. He made sure he was well out of ear shot before putting the phone back up. "How was that?" he asked her smugly. "I'll see you in a few," he told her as he slammed out the front door to the school.

"Getting in the car now, bye," he said and snapped the phone shut to climb in.

He pulled up outside the salon and gave the horn a quick beep to let Alyssa know he'd arrived.

Alyssa listened to him and couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll see you in a minute then," she said.

Alyssa looked at the rota and sighed, why was it that today there was only Maddie and Kim working? She went upstairs and told Kim that she was in charge until Alyssa got back. She then ran back downstairs and rushed outside and climbed into the car.

"I'm so excited," she told him. "I think I may have deafened Ray on the phone," she smiled.

"I'm sure he'll go with that for all it's worth," Jack remarked and set off for the hospital.

Rowan added in comments as Ray answered questions. She'd gotten a better look at the car and she'd seen it speed off after sliding into them, before Ray and yanked her down. She was just glad they hadn't hit anyone during their mad slide.

Rowan smiled and nodded. "Yes, it's fine. They both weighed in at 5 pounds 7 ounces and the doctor said they seem just fine," Rowan told her. "You know Ray delivered them?" she added and smiled down at her tiny son.

She lifted her head and listened to them talking about Gene and Alex.

"Do you think he did?" Rowan asked them curiously and then looked at Ray. "I told you to watch out for that...that...tramp," she finished lamely. "She'd already tried it on with you, and then you told me yourself you thought she fancied Gene," she added, disgusted at Ray's lack of loyalty. Gene Hunt was a lot of things, but Rowan was pretty sure he wasn't the type to cheat, not on Alex anyway.

She snorted and looked back down at her son.

Ray grinned at her over the top of the paper and carried on filling in their address.

Shaz looked at Ray in surprise. "_You _delivered them? _You? _Ray Carling?" she said.

Ray looked around and then looked down at himself. "Unless I'm suddenly a completely different person, then yes, I, Ray Carling delivered my children," he said smugly.

Shaz shook her head in disbelief. "Wow, I can't imagine Chris doing anything like that," she commented then giggled. "He'd probably faint right there on the spot," she smirked.

Ray looked up at Rowan. "Yes, and it looks like she got what she wanted an all," he said with a frown then looked up at Shaz as she rocked his daughter gently. He held out his arms and Shaz smiled before handing Claire over to Ray. He grinned down at his daughter and then looked up at Rowan.

"You reckon they're gonna be identical?" he asked.

Rowan shook her head at Ray. "I don't think so."

"I wasn't sure Ray was going to make it at first," Rowan chuckled. "And when he found out that there were in fact, really two babies, I thought I was going to lose him right then."

Rowan slipped off the bed and handed Dennis to Shaz before turning around to put her clothing back to rights and tossing the towel onto the bed. She put hand on Ray's arm.

"I am very proud of him," she said and smiled up at Ray fondly. "And now I think he's glad I keep such a well-stocked first aid kit."

She slid her arm around his waist and leaned against him, stretching out her other hand to stroke her daughter's cheek, then looked up at Ray.

"I love you," she said softly and then leaned her head back against his arm again.

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Rhys looked at Sean lying on the grass, blood everywhere and a bloody shovel on the ground next to him. He hurriedly fumbled his phone from his pocket and called an ambulance, then called the station.

"Adam, this is Rhys, I'm at the allotments, Sean Slater's been attacked, it has to have been in the last few minutes. I've called an ambulance, but send forensics over here right away."

He snapped the phone shut and knelt down next to Sean and checked for a pulse. Still there. So he was still alive for now, at least. Rhys still couldn't help the small surge of satisfaction from seeing Sean laid low, not after what he'd done to Ffion.

"Looks like I'm not the only one around here you pissed off," he murmured as he stood up. He shoved his hands in his pockets and waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Rhys stepped back away from the crime scene and watched forensics do their job. He turned to ask one of the paramedics a question and caught sight of his sister.

He walked over to her. "Ffion, what are you doing here?"

"I'm still not talking to you," she said and moved so she could see around him.

"Someone attacked Sean Slater," he told her and she gaped at him and then looked back as she watched someone loaded into the ambulance. She looked at her brother and frowned.

"I suppose this was your doing, huh? Since you couldn't lock him up?" she accused.

"No, I was just walking by on my way back to the station and saw him," he defended, altering the truth slightly. He would never tell Ffion he'd been following Sean.

She snorted. "I don't believe you," she said and pushed past him.

Gene headed over to the allotments and broke into a run to grab Ffion off her brother. He'd never seen her like that before. Rhys' face sported several scratches, it looked like he was getting a black eye and his shirt was torn. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back from Rhys.

"Calm down," he grunted as she struggled in his grasp.

"This is his fault, he did it!" Ffion shrieked.

"I didn't do anything, Fee, he was like that when I found him. Besides, you're supposed to be in love with Bradley, so what do you care!"

"You're just overdoing it again, it's nothing to do with Sean, you have to leave me alone!"

"I was leaving you alone, Fee," Rhys defended. Ffion squealed in anger and twisted from Gene's grasp and ran off.

"Thanks, Guv," Rhys said. Gene watched Ffion run off and turned back to Rhys. "Any truth to what she says?" he wanted to know.

"No, I didn't do anything."

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Stacey growled in frustration and snapped her phone shut. Sean still wasn't answering! What was he playing at now? She should have just washed her hands of it. She and Ryan had been all ready to leave, but then she's changed her mind. She and little Sean would stay until she'd got her brother sorted out. But she didn't want Ryan to have problems by being gone too long from work. His leave was nearly up. So she'd bid him a very long and fond farewell and then tried to track down her brother to no avail.

She packed Seanie into his stroller and headed out to find her wayward brother. She started at the pub. Tracey was the only one there, everyone else seemed strangely absent. Stacey sighed and left the pub to continue looking.

She finally caught sight of Roxy.

"Oi!" she shouted to get Roxy's attention and hurried over. "Where's my brother? He's usually not far behind you, trailing after you like a lost puppy," she sneered.

Roxy turned and raised her eyebrows. "I haven't seen him today," she said. "Thank god, tell him to stay the hell away from me though. I'm sick of him hanging around."

Stacey heard the sound of sirens and looked at Roxy.

"If something's happened to Sean, I'm going to know it's your fault," Stacey warned Roxy and rushed off to see where the sirens were coming from. She saw a familiar figure being loaded into an ambulance and gasped. She bent down, grabbed up her son and pelted across to the allotments.

"Sean!" she screamed as she ran up. She pounded on the ambulance door. "Sean!"

Gene sighed. It was nothing but screaming females today. He walked over to Stacey and put a hand on her shoulder. She jerked away from him and turned to glare at him.

"You can't imagine how little effect that expression has on me at this moment," Gene informed her.

"What happened?" she demanded to know, craning her neck around to see where her brother had been lying. She saw the shovel and gasped.

"Look, you should go to the hospital," he told her gently.

"Who did this?" she asked him, her voice a strangled hush.

"We don't know yet, we've only just got here," he told her.

"You find out, you find out and you make them pay," Stacey growled and stomped back over to the stroller she'd abandoned. She deposited her son in the seat and set off at a quick walk for the hospital.

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Chris wandered into the hospital and got directions to where Ray and Rowan were. He found the room finally and crept inside. He smiled at the sight of Shaz holding a tiny baby and decided they really should have one soon. He walked over to Ray and patted him on the back.

"Hey, mate," he said and looked down at the tiny baby Ray was holding. "So, all over then?" he grinned and looked at Rowan.

"Congrats."

"Thanks, Chris," Rowan said.

"Oh, I made sure that we got a lot of pictures of your car and you're gonna want a copy of the accident report for your insurance," he told her.

Rowan sighed and went to find her phone. "Where's my phone?" she asked when she couldn't find it and then huffed in annoyance. "Still on the floor of the car," she muttered and walked back over to Ray. She shoved her hand in his trouser pocket and pulled out his phone, ignoring any of Ray's noises, and started looking for the number to the insurance company. She was sure she had made sure they both had it programmed on their phones.

Chris watched Rowan walk back over to the bed and then looked back up at Ray. "You're both okay, though, right?"

Ray smiled and wrapped his arm around Rowan, keeping Claire safely held to his chest with his other arm. He smiled down at Rowan and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Love you, too," he beamed at her.

Shaz watched them both and smiled at them, then went back to cooing down at Dennis, she looked up and chuckled. "I bet you were shocked when you realised that you had two to get out," she laughed. "I still don't understand why you didn't believe that Rowan was having twins," she commented and Ray shrugged.

"Well..." he said, unable to supply an answer.

Shaz looked up at Chris and smiled at him, then moved her attention back to the tiny boy that she held.

Ray grinned up at Chris. "All right?" he asked.

Ray tried to bat Rowan's hand away as she went fishing in his pocket, if she wanted his phone all she had to do was ask for it. He rolled his eyes at her and looked down briefly at Claire and made a face.

Ray nodded at Chris. "We're all fine," he smiled. "Hunky Dorey," he added with a light chuckle.

Rowan finally hung up with the insurance company and walked over.

"Well, they're going to send someone over to look at the car. Since it's not really our fault, there shouldn't be a problem," she told Ray and shoved the phone back in his pocket. She was going to have to reward him later, if she wasn't too tired. There were some things she could do that giving birth didn't affect at all. She smiled at the thought.

"Are we going out to pub then, wet the babies' heads?" Chris wanted to know.

Rowan looked at Ray and shrugged. "I don't mind if you go for a pint. But wait until after we get home. You know how I feel about being alone in hospitals," she told Ray before he could even ask. She knew he'd want to go, she saw no reason to deny him.

Ray nodded at Rowan. "Fine by me," he grinned. "When do you get to leave?" he wanted to know.

Rowan shrugged.

"I don't know," Rowan sighed. "You've been here the whole time I have been. I'm hardly likely to hear something you haven't," she replied. "I guess they want a doctor to check and make sure we're not injured from the crash. They've done all the baby stuff."

She looked down at her watch. "Might as well not be too impatient, pub's not even open yet," she told him with a smirk. "You've got an hour yet," she teased.

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Alex looked up at him. "It's your fault because if I wasn't so wound up about you then I would've noticed," she told him angrily.

Molly winced at Gene's tone and looked helplessly at Alex. "Please, tell me everything is going to be okay, Mum, please," she said quietly. Alex pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair gently.

"How long Molls? How long have you known?" Alex whispered.

"A couple of weeks, if that" she murmured.

Alex pulled away and looked at Molly reproachfully. "Why didn't you say something sooner?" she asked.

Molly sniffed. "You were fighting with Gene, I didn't want to give you any more grief than you already had," she explained. "You had enough to deal with without worrying about me."

Alex frowned. "Molls, you should've told me as soon as you found out. Does Peter know?"

Molly shook her head. "No, Doctor Bond, Mr. Rimmer, Whit, and now you and Gene."

"Jack knows?" Alex asked. Molly nodded. "I told him first," she said. "He caught me being sick."

Alex held Molly by the shoulders. "What do you want to do about this, Molls. I'm assuming that Simon went through all of your options with you?" she asked. Molly nodded again.

"I don't know what I want to do," she said and wiped at her eyes. "Tell me what to do Mum, what do I do?" Alex pulled Molly into another hug. "I can't tell you what to do Molls, this is your choice. But I do think that you need to talk to Peter."

Molly looked up at Alex. "You're not going to let him kill Peter are you?" she asked worriedly and Alex sighed. "I'm not going to _let _him do anything, Molls, but at the moment I'm not in a position to try and stop him," she sighed.

Wailing from Sam pulled both Alex and Molly's attention to him. Alex smiled gratefully at Whitney and went to take her son from her arms. "Thanks, Whit," she said with a genuine smile at her daughter's best friend. She cradled Sam to her chest, then hoisted him onto her hip. She started trying to climb over her shoulder to Gene's office and Alex pulled him back.

"He's not in there Sammy, so don't even bother," she told him firmly, then put him back into place on her hip.

Whitney gratefully handed Sam to his mother and looked worriedly at Molly.

"Maybe we should go to Peter now," Whitney suggested.

Molly shook her head hastily. "No! No Way!" she disagreed. "I'm not ready to tell him yet," she said.

Alex sighed. "Molls, you've got to tell him at some point, surely he's best to hear it sooner rather than later. Then you'll have an idea what he wants."

"That's the point, what if he decides that he really, really wants this baby and then I don't and I get rid of it! Or, if I decide I want this baby and he really doesn't and he makes me get rid of it," she said.

Alex sighed and stroked her hair. "The sooner you talk to him the sooner you'll know," she said. "You never know, you might both want to do the same thing."

Whitney nodded.

"You have to tell him," Whitney agreed. "You have to decide between you what you're going to do. Peter's not that mean. He won't insist on something if it's going to hurt you, Molly, you know that."

"FINE!" Molly shouted. "I'll go and tell him!" she snapped as she marched out of the station purposefully. Anything to get the pair of them to stop telling her what to do! How was she supposed to think with those two going on, and on, and on at her!

Molly opened the gate and banged on Peter's front door.

"Peter!" she called out when she got no reply. "Peter, lemme in," she demanded as she rang the bell insistantly.

Fatboy came out, cradling his head. "Jeez, Molls, hangover central here," he told her as he stood back to let her in.

"Where's Peter?" she asked as she went straight through to the front room. Fatboy shrugged. "Ain't seen 'im," he grumbled as he climbed the stairs back up to his room. Molly followed and detoured to Peter's room, she knocked once before opening the door and sighing.

"Where the hell are you Peter," she mumbled as she went and lay down on his bed, relishing the quiet.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\

Alyssa waited impatiently for Jack to park the car and then grabbed his arm as they walked to the Maternity Ward. She spotted Chris and Shaz standing up and directed Jack towards them. She waved at Rowan and Ray rolled his eyes. "Here we go," he mumbled.

Alyssa went and hugged Rowan. "I'm so glad you're okay!" she sighed.

She moved away from Ray and jabbed him gently with her elbow at his comment about Alyssa. She smiled and hugged her sister.

"Thought you were going to meet me at the flat later," Rowan scolded. She looked at Jack.

"Shouldn't you be at school?"

Jack shrugged. "Yeah, well, I married a bully, what can I say?" he joked and Rowan shook her head. She put a hand on Alyssa's shoulder. "This is Claire," she said, and gently touched the baby in Ray's arms. She walked over and got her son back from Shaz and carried him over to Alyssa.

"And this is Denis," she said.

Jack looked at Ray. "Law?" he asked and looked curiously at the babies. "They're so small."

Ray nodded at Jack. "Who else?" he sniffed as he glanced over at his son.

"They're twins, so yes, they're generally smaller, they'll grow," she said and looked at Alyssa.

"Well Auntie Lyss?" Rowan asked and made as if to hand the baby to Alyssa.

Ray sighed. "I'd imagine that will take some time, hospital doctors like to play that game where they keep you hanging around for half your life until they get round to you," he grumbled. Now he was on the promise of a pint he wanted to go home and get changed. And eat something. He was starving.

"I'm not a bully," Alyssa protested. "I'm just excited and impatient," she grinned at him. "And you were the one complaining down the phone that you wanted to see them, too," she added smugly.

Alyssa looked at the tiny bundle in Ray's arms and smiled as she ran a gentle finger down the baby girl's cheek and smiled at Ray as she pulled away and watched the little girl. She turned to look at Rowan and her eyes widened as she realized that Rowan wanted her to take the baby. She looked at Rowan. "You want me to hold him?" she asked worriedly.

Ray looked hopefully at Jack. "Don't suppose you brought any food with you?" he asked. "I haven't eaten a single morsel today, and I feel like I'm wasting away," he complained.

"Yeah, well I didn't expect you to bully me into leaving work," Jack countered.

"Well, yes, you'll have to get used to it after all," Rowan told her. "Here," she reached out and moved Alyssa's arms and then deposited the baby carefully in Alyssa's arms.

She folded her arms and smiled as she watched Alyssa. She glanced at Ray.

"Why don't you let Jack hold Claire?" she asked. It looked like Claire was going to be Daddy's girl, Rowan realized with a small inward smile. She went over to the carry all bag Ray had brought with them from the car and fished out a plastic container, which she held up. She looked at Ray as she walked over.

"Pasties," she told him and waited patiently for him to pass Claire to Jack before handing him the box.

Jack grinned as Ray handed him the tiny bundle and went to stand next to Alyssa. "They are cute, though. I did worry, what with Rowan being so hideous and all," he joked.

Rowan slapped Jack's arm. "Be nice."

Chris slipped an arm around Shaz' shoulders. "We should get back to the station. Let me know about the pub," Chris called back to Ray as he headed for the door.

Alyssa snorted. "You have to bunk off at some point, Jack," she said with a shrug. "This just gave you the perfect reason," she smiled at him.

Alyssa held Dennis carefully, making sure to support his head. She wasn't much a fan of holding babies, but it seemed like Rowan wasn't going to let her escape from it. She looked at Jack and shook her head at him with a smile.

Ray looked up at Rowan and then at Jack, then back down at Claire. He sighed, she was quite a welcome weight in his arms, he found he wasn't all that opposed to holding his kids. He actually decided that he enjoyed it. He held her out to Jack and then immediately grabbed the food from Rowan.

"You could of told me you brought this with you, I've been dying of hunger since we got here," he told her as he bit into a pasty hungrily.

Alyssa giggled at Ray and then peered over Jack's shoulder to see the bundle in his arms.

Ray nodded at Chris. "Will do," he called back, around a mouthful of pasty. He hastily swallowed. "See you, Shaz," he added as an afterthought and she waved in response as she slid her arm around Chris' waist.

"They're so tiny and adorable, Chris," she sighed.

"That is true," Jack grinned at Alyssa.

"Where would be the fun in that?" Rowan asked Ray. "Besides, we had other stuff to take care of and you can be pretty single-minded when you eat," she remarked, "not that I mind," she added archly and smirked at him before turning to wave at Chris and Shaz.

"Bye, Chris, Shaz, thanks. I'll see you later," she called after them.

She looked at Alyssa. "They're so small now they're quite easy to hold," Rowan whispered. She went back over and sat down on the bed. "I can't wait to go home, I'm so tired," she sighed.

Jack glanced up from the baby.

"Well, you would be, wouldn't you?" He glanced over at Ray, who was hungrily eating his way through the pasties.

"You're probably hungry, too," he added. Rowan shrugged and rubbed her face. She breathed a sigh of relief when the doctor finally came in. He checked her over and then made Ray sit down so he could check him over, too. When he was satisfied from looking at them and the answers to his questions that they were uninjured he nodded.

"You can go then. If you have any trouble though, come back or contact your GP," he advised them. He took a moment to look at the tiny babies and patted Ray on the shoulder. "Good job," he said. "Word is getting around," the doctor added and left the room.

Rowan got up and clasped her hands together happily. "We can go home," she crowed. She went over and took the baby from Jack.

"How useful that you and your car are here," she said and gestured at the car seats. "We'd love a ride home, thanks for offering," she teased.

"But of course, Short Fair One," Jack said with a bow and went over to pick up the car seats. He frowned. "We're not all going to fit."

Rowan bit her lip. Jack was right.

"I can always come back, it's not like I can only drive one way and that's that," he remarked.

Ray listened to her but didn't respond. He was too busy sorting out his stomachs complaints, and the pasties tasted so good!

Alyssa nodded, it wasn't dropping them she was worried about, but she didn't trust herself around babies, they made her feel uncomfortable.

Ray nodded. "She just pushed two people out of her, I'd say she has every right to be tired," he said. "Mind you, I pulled, so I reckon that I should have every right to be tired, too," he added. Alyssa let out a bark of laughter. "Ray, you haven't been carrying 'two people' around inside you for 9 months," she told him.

"Yeah, but I pulled them out," he argued back but promptly shut up as the Doctor came in.

Alyssa waited patiently for the Doctor to finish and contented herself with looking at Jack as he held Claire. She sighed as she looked down at Denis.

Ray grinned at the Doctor and nodded mutely, then chuckled at Rowan's obvious excitement. He put the lid back on the box and gathered up the bags.

"So, take Rowan, Alyssa and one of the kids, then come back for me, the other baby and the bags?" he suggested. That way Rowan got out of the hospital, and wasn't alone in the flat, just in case anything happened.

Rowan frowned. "I'd rather take both children at once," she commented. "No offense, acuisle, I just want to keep them together."

Jack nodded. "Well, let's get outside to finalize the situation."

Rowan smiled and took Claire from Jack so he could pick up the car seats. Rowan followed behind Jack to his car and watched to make sure he put the seats in correctly. She carefully put Claire in the seat and then turned to Ray.

She took his face in her hands and pulled him down to her for a kiss.

Ray nodded at her and grabbed up the bags, slipped his arms through the loops of the handles and started to follow them out.

Alyssa looked down at the boy in her arms and then looked at Ray. "Umm Ray?" she said and held out the baby to him.

Ray sighed and put the bags down, then took Denis off Alyssa. "You carry the bags then," Alyssa nodded and picked up the bags. Then walked out of the hospital behind Ray.

Ray put Denis in the other car seat and tried to figure out how to strap him in. He did it as good as he could then looked at how Rowan was doing it to Claire. He shrugged. Pretty similar.

He grinned as she went to kiss him and moved his arms around her waist to pull her just a little bit closer.

"Guess what," he whispered against her lips as he looked down at her. "You're a Mam," he told her with a happy grin, then let her go and nudged her gently towards the car. "Come on, I wanna go home," he said. "You may want to check how I've strapped Denis in though," he told her.

"And you're a Daddy," she whispered back.

She nodded at Ray's comment and then climbed into the back seat to sit between the babies. She checked Denis, he was fine. She leaned down to peer out at Ray.

"You got it right," she told him and settled back nervously in the seat. She was sure she wasn't going to enjoy riding in cars as much, not after this morning. At least it wasn't raining again.

"Back shortly," Jack said to Ray and got in the car and started it up.

Alyssa got in the front seat. She strapped herself in and looked in the back at Rowan and the twins with a smile as Jack started up the car. Once Alyssa was settled, he drove to the restaurant.

Rowan quickly climbed out once Jack had stopped. She bit her lip and then got her bag from Alyssa and dug out her keys.

"I don't want to go through the restaurant. I want to get upstairs and sit down," she said. She freed Claire's car seat and carried it to the side door. She unlocked the door and propped it open so she could pick the baby-filled car seat up and go in. She hurried up to the flat, put the car seat on the couch and then gestured Jack to do the same.

"Okay, then," Jack sighed. "I'll go back and fetch Ray. You girls behave," he shook his finger at them and then grabbed Alyssa into a kiss.

"See you in a bit," he told her and then headed back out, making sure the side door was securely shut behind him.

Rowan looked at the babies and then at Alyssa.

"I think some food is in order," she remarked and went into the kitchen. "You'd think Ray would have taken the hint and given me at least one of the pasties."

Alyssa laughed as she sat on the arm of the sofa. "You yourself said how single minded he can be when he eats," she shrugged and watched Rowan. "Need any help?" she asked as she stood up.

Rowan pulled some cold chicken out of the fridge and shook her head as she took a bite.

"I have some leftovers," she said when she'd swallowed. Rowan carried the plate of chicken into the front room and dropped onto the chair. "I'm sure I'm going to have nightmares about this morning," she sighed.

"I can't believe the person just drove off! They had to know they hit us," she added. "I don't think I've ever been so scared. Getting shot wasn't even as scary."

Alyssa nodded. "You were in a car crash Rowan, that's understandable," she smiled. "You were in labour at the time as well Ro, I can't even imagine what that was like!" she said.

"But, on the plus side, you're not pregnant any more and you've got two beautiful children," she smiled.

"The police will find who ever it was that hit you, there's CCTV everywhere these days."

"It was very unpleasant," Rowan remarked and took another bite of her chicken. Rowan smiled softly at her newborn twins and looked at Alyssa. "That's made it worthwhile."

"I hope so. We're going to have to get a new car now," Rowan sighed. "At least it wasn't our fault, so insurance money should help."

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Roxy watched Sean get loaded into the ambulance and walked away. She wasn't going to get involved in this. She was past caring about what happened to Sean. She made her way back to the pub, at least if he was in hospital then she wouldn't have to worry about him. She made her way into the kitchen and sighed as she hopped up to sit on the counter. JT wasn't in here. She would wait until he got back then tell him the good news.

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Peter sat down in the pub and wondered why Molly was still avoiding him. He was sure she was planning to break up with him. He ordered a bottle of beer and sat in the corner.

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Gene shoved his hands in his pockets as he inspected the scene, asking occasional questions of the forensics team. He spotted Roxy off in the distance and his brow furrowed. She and that JT had had that face off at the pub with Sean not so long ago. He nodded to himself. He wasn't going to have to look too far for suspects.

Rhys excused himself and headed back to the station and started to type up a report.

Gene asked a few more questions and then headed in the direction of the pub. Time to establish some alibis, he thought. They could send someone after him if he needed to be told anything. He was not going back to the station, not now, not when there was a villain on the loose. He went into the pub and walked up to the bar.

"I need to speak to Roxy and JT, please," he said to her.

"I think they're upstairs," she told him. He nodded and went to the door and up the stairs.

"Hello, it's DSI Gene Hunt and I need to ask you some questions," he announced when he reached the top of the stairs.

Roxy frowned at the sound of DSI Hunt's voice and clambered off the work top. She was pretty sure he was here because of Sean, she had seen him get piled into that ambulance, it was only logical that the police would be crawling all over this. She wandered to the top of the stairs and looked at him

"This is about Sean, isn't it," she said with a sigh.

"Yes," Gene replied. "I need to establish where both you and JT were this afternoon. I know the pair of you had a problem with Sean, so you are on the list of people who might have attacked him."

Roxy sighed. "The market. I was getting some shopping done," she told him. "Then came back here to unpack," she said.

"I need a list of anyone who saw you, you need to establish an alibi. What about JT?" he asked.

"I was at the club," JT replied from behind Roxy. "I was walking past and thought I saw someone break in," he said.

"Can anyone confirm that?" Gene wanted to know. JT shrugged.

Roxy frowned. "Ask any of the Stall Owners, they all saw me," she replied flippantly and looked over her shoulder at JT. She hated dealing with the police. She hated it with a passion.

Gene nodded and studied the both of them, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Fine, for now, but don't expect that I'm done with the pair of you," he told them and headed back downstairs. He looked at the bar and thought about getting a pint when his attention was caught by the sight of Peter sitting in the corner.

"YOU!" burst from him and he strode across the pub and hauled Peter up by the front of his shirt.

Peter gaped at Gene, what had he done?

"How dare you lay a finger on that girl? Much less anything else?" Gene snarled. "I've a mind to kill you for what you've done."

"I haven't done anything," Peter squeaked and tried to ignore that everyone in the pub was turning to stare.

"YOU GOT HER PREGNANT!" Gene screamed in Peter's face. "I HARDLY CONSIDER THAT NOT DOING ANYTHING!"

"What?" Peter asked in shock.

"You heard," Gene snapped. "But when I get through with you, you won't be capable of it ever again."

Whitney walked into the pub, saw what was happening and ran back to Peter's and pounded on the door.

"Molly! Peter's at the pub and Gene's got him!" she called through the door as she pounded. "Hurry up!"

Molly heard Whitney's voice through Peter's half open window and sprang up off his bed. She charged downstairs, ignoring Fatboys' moaning at her for being too noisy and rushed past Whitney. She sprinted into the pub and it didn't take long for her to spot Gene and Peter. Her eyes widened and she gulped.

Molly ran up to Gene and tugged on his arm.

"Gene! Leave him alone," she begged. "It's not his fault!"

Gene looked down at Molly.

"What are you then? Immaculate conception?" he barked and shook Peter. "I knew you couldn't be trusted!"

Peter looked imploringly at Molly and then back at Gene. "Please, I love her, I've promised to ask her to marry me!" he protested. "Look!" he cried and jerked his head at Molly's hands on Gene's arm. "That's a promise ring!"

Gene glanced down and saw the ring on Molly's finger that he somehow had overlooked before. Girls wore rings. He hadn't really thought about it.

"So, you're going to do right by her and marry her and take care of this baby?" Gene demanded.

"Yes!" Peter nearly sobbed. "If she'll let me."

He looked down at Molly and nearly dropped to the floor when Gene let him go.

"Go on then, you little scrote," Gene growled. Peter looked at him and gulped before dropping to his knees in front of Molly and grabbing her hand.

"Please will you marry me? I know we were going to wait, but…please?"

Molly's eyes widened as Peter grabbed her hand. She turned her head and glared at Gene as she gently eased her hand out of Peter's.

"You really think that with everything in my head right now that I've got room to _think _about a marriage proposal," she glared at him.

She looked back down at Peter and pulled on his hand to make him stand up. "I do love you, Peter, but I can't think about that right now," she told him.

Molly turned back to Gene and jabbed a finger at his chest. "_You_, leave _him_" she pointed at Peter "Alone!" she told him.

Molly ran her hands through her hair. She took Peter's hand and led him away from Gene, shooting a glare back at Gene as she went. She held Peter's hands and looked at him. "Peter, I will marry you, when you ask me again in a year," she told him. "But right now I've got to think about what I'm going to do about this," she said with a look at her stomach. "And I need to know what you want me to do about it before I can make a decision," she told him pleading.

Peter stood up nervously. He hated that he got so intimidated by Mr. Hunt, especially now that Molly was defending him from the man in front of everyone. He felt ashamed.

Gene widened his eyes and stepped back from Molly. Bloody hell, her temper was as bad as her mother's, he thought.

"Fine," Gene spat. He watched Molly lead the boy away and stalked from the pub after her glare.

Peter looked at Molly. "Molly, I'll support whatever you want to do. I know you're not done with school yet, so if you're not ready, it's fine. I won't judge you. My sister had a termination almost two years ago," he confided to her softly. "I just…I love you, Molly and I just want you to be happy."

He pulled her into a hug and glared at all the people still staring at them.

Molly nodded and held onto him tightly. She buried her face in his shoulder and hugged him, unwilling to let him go.

Eventually she pulled away and looked around at the people still watching them, she knew they had had a bigger audience before but still they were being watched. Molly sighed and tugged on Peter's hand to get him to move. She guided him back to his house and went inside, then sat down on the sofa and looked at him

"I don't know what to do Peter, I don't know whether I'm ready to have a baby, or if I'm completely against the idea," she told him. "Mum says she's there for me whatever I choose, and Whit says that Mr. Rimmer will probably help me with studies and everything while I'm pregnant if I do decide to keep it. But I don't know if I'm ready to be a Mum, I barely coped with having Sam around when he was a newborn," she told him as she pulled a cushion over her middle.

"I'm sorry about Gene, he and Mum are still fighting so he's more wound up than usual," she said.

"It's okay, Molly," he said and held her close. "I'm not sure I'm ready to be a dad," he confessed. "I mean, the chippy and the stall are doing okay, and Jane's helping me budget to I can cover the household bills, but I'm not sure I can financially handle a baby. Not to mention the fact that I can't afford to hire someone to cover the hours I work so I could help you."

Molly sighed. "So I get a termination," she said decisively as she put her head back down on his shoulder and leaned against him. "There's no point having a baby if it's going to bankrupt us, I mean, my job is only during school holidays because of school," she said.

She looked up at his face. "We're not ready for a baby," she said then smiled wryly. "I've been agonising over this for a week now, and now I've spoken to you everything's clearer," she smiled.

He stroked her hair back from her face. "But I'll do whatever I have to do to help you, Molly, make sure you know that. You could always move in here if you want," he offered. "You can share my room with me or you can have Lucy's old room, if you prefer."

"We'll try again after we get married," Peter promised. "Until then, you can practice on your brother."

He squeezed her again and then let her go. "You can still move in here, if you want."

Molly chuckled and looked up at him.

"I'll have to talk to Mum and Gene, when they're in a reasonable mood," she said. "At the moment you can't talk to either of them," she said and ran her hand over her face. "The pair of them are just so stupidly stubborn!"

"Why talk? Just pack up your things and leave. Tell them their unreasonable behavior drove you away," Peter grinned. He'd considered it himself until his father had decided to go the US until Ben was done with school.

Molly thought about it for a moment and then sighed and shook her head.

"I couldn't do that to Mum, it'd hurt her," she said. "I'll just have to wait until they've sorted this mess out," she said.

Molly looked back up at his face and smiled. "Though, I'm willing to spend the odd night or two here," she told him then kissed him softly before putting her head back on his shoulder happily.

"Oooh, sleepover," he teased.

"So, do you think Mr. Hunt might have calmed down by now?" he ventured curiously.

Molly grinned back. "Yes. A sleepover," she told him with a grin. "I'll even do you nails," she teased back.

Molly shrugged at him. "No idea, why?"

"I just don't want him to try and kill me again," he said uncertainly and gave her a small smile. "C'mon, let's go to mine and relax away from all these people. We can make an appointment for the uh..." he trailed off.

"Let's go."

He tightened his arm around her shoulders and led her from the pub.

Molly shook her head at him fondly. "He won't," she assured him.

Molly nodded and took his hand. "I'll need to call Mum from yours, too," she sighed.

Molly picked up Peter's landline and dialled her Mum's mobile number.

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Rhys looked up as Chris and Shaz came back into the office.

"You've missed some excitement," he said. "Someone hit Sean Slater in the head with a shovel over at the allotments."

Shaz frowned at Rhys.

"Is he okay?" she asked him as she took her seat. "And just so you know, Rowan had her twins this morning, Ray delivered them in the back of their car," she beamed at him.

"He didn't look okay. He was taken to the hospital. Ffion accused me of doing it," he grumbled.

Shaz frowned "Do we know who did it yet?" she asked curiously.

"He's only just been found. The Guv has his ideas, though. He's gone to the pub to talk to Roxy and JT."

He winced at the pain from his eye where Ffion had hit him and turned back to his paperwork.

Shaz nodded, her brow furrowed. Rhys looked awful. He'd clearly been in a fight. She sat at her desk and tapped her pen on her desk as she watched Rhys curiously.

Rhys stopped typing and stared darkly at his monitor. He couldn't believe Ffion had attacked him. He saw Shaz watching him out of the corner of his eye and looked at her.

"What?"

Shaz shook her head. "Nothing," she said and looked back down at her desk.

She wondered who had done it, she knew that Sean had had issues with a lot of people in Walford but she also knew that Rhys had issues with Sean because of Ffion. She frowned as she turned her attention to her computer screen.

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Ray watched them drive off and walked over to lean against the wall of the hospital. He rubbed his face as he let it all sink in. _Twins_! He was going to have to call Maggie and arrange for her to come down to meet her grandchildren.

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Jack pulled up outside the hospital and gave Ray a wave.

"Safe and sound," he said out the window to Ray and waited for him to get in the car.

Ray grinned back at Jack and made his way over to the car. He got in the front seat and strapped. himself down.

Ray got out of Jack's car and went in the back door of the Restaurant. He half-ran up the stairs and into the flat. He smiled at the sight of Rowan and the twins, and smiled at Alyssa, too. He looked down at himself and went straight into the bedroom to get changed out of his clothes and into some fresh ones.

Rowan smiled at Ray as he came into the flat and turned to Jack who had followed Ray in.

"So, we both have jobs to get back to," Jack reminded Alyssa.

He walked over and gave Rowan a quick kiss on the top of her head. "Be good."

Rowan rolled her eyes and waved her hand at him. "Go back to work, pester some poor kids and leave me alone."

Alyssa smiled and went to hug Rowan. "Take care," she smiled. "I'll be back round soon," she added.

Rowan hugged Alyssa back tightly.

"Come over this weekend, I think I'll have people over, just a few, sort of a formal welcome to the twins," she said. She watched Alyssa and Jack leave and then sat down on the couch again. She put the empty plate on the coffee table and promptly picked up Claire to cuddle while she looked fondly at Denis and stroked his cheek and blinked back her tears. Her very own family. She didn't think she'd ever felt so happy in her life, although the day that Ray broke down and told Rowan he loved her came very, very close.

Alyssa sighed at Jack and pouted. "I don't wanna go back to work," she told him then slid her arm around his waist as they walked back to the car. She looked at her watch and sighed again as she got into the car.

"I suppose we'd best go back to work and see what chaos has happened while we've been gone," she smiled at him.

Jack chuckled. "Considering you left Kim in charge, I shudder to think."

He parked in front of the salon and pulled her to him for a kiss.

"Well, now that the twins are arrived, I think we can plan that weekend trip up north," he suggested. He hadn't wanted to plan it sooner because although he knew Alyssa wouldn't say it out loud, he knew she wanted to stay in Walford until Rowan had her babies. He didn't mind. There wasn't much he wouldn't do for Alyssa, whether she said it out loud or otherwise. He just wanted her to be happy.

Alyssa nodded at him. "Not this weekend, it's too short notice and Rowan's having that welcome thing for the babies now," she smiled at him.

"Well, I didn't want to go this weekend, I said we could plan now though," he reiterated gently and tapped her nose.

"I'll have a look at the calendar when I get back to school and come up with some options. You write down your schedule for the salon and we'll see what we've got. Then I'll call Declan," he suggested.

He waved as she got out of the car and headed back to school.

"Talk to Declan and pick a weekend and let me know so that I can arrange something with Tanya," she told him and pressed her lips to his again.

"I'll see you later," she smiled as she climbed out of the car and headed back inside.

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Syed had caught sight of Ray coming in the other door and hurrying up the stairs. Why did it look like he had blood on him?

He went back to the kitchen.

"I just saw Ray come in and rush upstairs, it looked like he had blood on him. I'm just going to go up and see that everything's okay," he said to Trevor and Mercy and then went upstairs and knocked on the door.

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Rowan sighed at the knock on the door. "Come in," she called out and watched the door open and Syed poke his head around.

"Are you okay? I just saw Ray…." he trailed off when he realized what Rowan was holding and his mouth dropped open and he quickly crossed the room.

"Oh my goodness, you've had the twins!" he exclaimed softly. Rowan nodded.

"I went into labor this morning. But a car hit us on the way to the hospital…." she waved off his expression of dismay, "we're fine, but we were trapped in the car and Ray had to deliver them."

"You're joking!" he breathed.

Rowan shook her head. "Nope."

"You know, Christian and I helped Mum deliver Kamil," he told her. "We got locked in the unit office when she was in labor."

Rowan giggled. "I had to tell Ray what to do. Thank goodness Gem was the local midwife back home, so I had a good working theory for what to do."

"Christian got talked through it on the phone and passed the instructions on to me," Syed said.

Ray felt a lot cleaner as he washed his face once more. The cuts on his face had been cleaned at the hospital, but he felt better doing it himself. He went back out of the bedroom and smiled at Rowan cuddling with one of the babies. He sat down next to her, threw an arm around her and picked up Denis.

Ray looked up at Syed, he'd caught parts of their conversation as he had come out of the bedroom.

"I think I'd have rather had someone over the phone, mind you, Rowan's instructions got us through," he grinned and squeezed Rowan's shoulder.

Rowan blushed. "You did pretty good yourself," she told him.

Ray looked between Rowan and Syed and frowned. "Have you told him the names yet?" he asked her then looked back up at Syed. "Claire," he said, pointing at his daughter. "And Denis," he smiled as he gestured to the boy he held.

"I was just getting to that!" she said in mock-irritation.

"Those are lovely names," Syed said. "I better get back down there, I told everyone I saw Ray coming in with blood all over him and now I better reassure everyone you're not dead."

He stood up and pulled his phone from his pocket and took a quick picture of the babies. "Proof," he said with a grin and winked at Rowan as he headed out.

Rowan leaned against Ray and looked up at him. She reached up and touched his face.

"I didn't realize you'd been hurt," she said to him as she stroked his cheek, taking care not to touch the scratches. They weren't too bad, she decided. She drew his face close and gave him a soft, lingering kiss before leaning against him again to gaze at the babies.

"We'll have to call your mother sometime today," she murmured absently, "and I should let my Kin know."

She tucked her feet up underneath herself and settled against Ray. Now she was content and warm and safe, she could feel her eyes begin to droop.

"I guess you'll be going to the pub with Chris soon," she said drowsily and yawned.

Ray looked at her and shrugged. "They reckon it was glass from the windscreen or something, I'm fine, Ro," he told her gently.

Ray nodded. "I'll give Mam a call later," he told her and then smiled. "Do you want me to take a picture of you with the pair of them so you can email it over or something?" he offered. "And you should probably let JT know an all," he said.

Ray smiled. "I've got time yet, besides, Chris'll be working still," he told her as he twirled some of her hair around his finger. "I'll give him a text when I'm ready to go out," he said and smiled as he noticed her yawn. "Go to bed if you're tired, Ro," he told her. "I'll take care of these two," he said with a small gesture at the twins. He wasn't sure how he'd do it, but he'd try to look after them if she went to sleep, though if they needed a nappy change then he would have to wake her up, because he hadn't got a clue how to deal with any of that.

"Well, yeah, JT is part of my Kin," she reminded him.

Ray rolled his eyes. "I know," he told her. "I only meant because he lives down the road instead of across an ocean," he explained.

Rowan shifted and draped her legs across Ray's and leaned her head against his chest. "I don't want to go to bed," she said. "If I have any bad dreams about the accident, I want to be near you."

Ray sighed lightly. "If you fall asleep Ro, then I'm only a phone-call away if you wake up after having a nightmare," he reassured her.

"We'll have to….figure out….the car," she yawned. "You know, I should have asked Syed to take a picture of all of us, nice family photo," she murmured, the smell of warm, sleeping baby mixed with the smell of Ray comforting her and causing her to drift.

"The car's easy enough to get sorted, we shouldn't have a problem getting the insurance, it wasn't our fault," he told her.

"I meant pick out what kind we want," Rowan corrected.

Ray chuckled lightly. "We have plenty of time to do that Ro, we don't need to do that just now," he grinned down at her.

Ray grinned at her. "Well, we want a five door certainly," he smiled. "Otherwise we're going to go through hell when we try to get these pair in the car," he smiled at her. "If you want to go to sleep now, I promise to wake up before I go to the pub," he told her as he dropped a kiss on her forehead.

Rowan fought to open her eyes and lifted her face to look at Ray.

"You can take a picture of them to show around if you want. But don't encourage people to come over today, I don't really want visitors. Maybe tomorrow," she told him. "I just want to be with my family today."

She smiled at Ray fondly and then leaned over to carefully scoop Denis from Ray's arms and then shifted over so he could stand up.

Ray smiled at nodded at her. "I'm not going to encourage anyone to come round, I don't really want to come home and have to deal with people," he shrugged. "I'm all for a quiet day at home with the kids," he chuckled.

/\\\/\/\\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Bradley finally caught sight of Ffion.

"Where have you been?" he demanded. "I turned around and you were gone!"

"I had to get out of there," she told him.

He took in her disheveled appearance and his brow furrowed. "What have you been up to?"

"I had a run in with Rhys," she replied shortly and turned away.

"Why?"

"I just, I just did, okay, I don't have to explain myself to you, Bradley," she snapped.

Her eyes widened as someone grabbed her shoulder and spun her around.

"Then you can explain yourself to me," Stacey ordered as she spun Ffion to face her.

"I don't have to explain anything to you," Ffion protested.

"You can explain what happened to my brother."

"Someone attacked him, it wasn't me," Ffion shot back and pushed Stacey away.

"Who then? Your precious brother?" Stacey sneered.

"He's not my precious brother anymore and yes, I think he did in fact," Ffion replied haughtily. "So get out of my face and leave me alone!"

"You were probably in it together, the pair of you, you to distract him and then your brother to hit him," Stacey accused.

Bradley looked back and forth between the arguing girls and held up his hands.

"Hold on! What is going on?" he wanted to know.

"Someone attacked my brother in the allotments. They hit him in the head with a shovel, he's been taken to hospital."

Bradley's jaw dropped and he looked at Ffion.

"I didn't do it!" she shrieked and bolted down the street.

Stacey watched her go and then turned back to Bradley. "Nice choice in girlfriends there, Bradley," she huffed and walked away. She stopped at the house and gave little Sean to Mo and headed for the station.

She stormed in and ignored Adam as she headed down the hall. She slammed open the double doors and focused in on Rhys.

"You did it didn't you!" she screeched. "You and that marshmallow-headed sister of yours."

Rhys jumped to his feet and looked at Stacey in shock.

"What are you talking about?"

"The attack on Sean! It was you wasn't it! You couldn't lock him up so you decided to get rid of him another way!" she accused.

"No, I didn't! I had nothing to do with what happened, I only found him!"

"A likely story!" Stacey snorted.

Stacey whirled and glared at Alex.

She jerked away from Alex and snorted. "Yeah, you lot all stick together don't you. You've all got it in for my brother," she accused and slammed out of the station without a backward glance.

Alex looked up as Stacy burst in and watched her have a go at Rhys. She sighed and stood up

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Malloy, but you can't just come in here and yell accusations at my officer," she said. "If you have a complaint you're going to have to back to the front desk and file it with the desk Sergeant," Alex explained to her.

She stepped around her desk and placed a hand on Stacy's shoulder. "We are going to be following up all lines of inquiry, even if it does mean investigating one of our team," she said truthfully with a glance over at Rhys. "We'll let you know when we catch the culprit," she said and guided Stacy out of the office. "In the mean time I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your accusations to yourself, or tell a police officer rather than shouting them about," she said firmly.

Alex went back to the office and stood in front of Rhys' desk, her hands on her hips "Well?" she asked

Shaz came out of the kitchen, a wailing Sam balanced on her hip. "Alex," she said and Alex went over and took Sam from Shaz. Alex walked into the kitchen and filled one of the mugs up with Milk. Shaz followed her.

"Ma'am."

Alex turned. "Shaz."

"Well, you remember when Sean got arrested?" Shaz continued and Alex nodded. "Well, Rhys didn't get any of the clearance to arrest him, he just barged straight in and slapped him in cuffs, no warrant or anything," she said.

Alex frowned and Shaz went on. "And even when Ffion retracted her complaint, Rhys still refused to release Sean," she explained. "He's got a grudge against Sean because he thought that Sean raped Ffion, and then because of Sean harassing her, too".

Alex nodded as she handed the mug to Sam. "Thanks Shaz, I'll bear that in mind."

Shaz nodded and left the kitchen to return to her desk. Alex looked at Sam. "Well Sammy, looks like this has just got a lot more complicated," she sighed.

Rhys looked up at Alex. "I found him, ma'am, that's all," he told her. "Ffion's already been at me," he explained and gestured at his face. "She got physical."

He glanced over at Shaz and then back at Alex. "I didn't attack him."

He turned back to his monitor and finished typing up the report, showing he was done with the discussion.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\

Alyssa pulled the laptop towards her and looked over her Schedule. She and Tanya had fixed it so that they had everyone's shifts sorted up until Christmas. That way they knew way in advance if someone was off whether or not they needed to arrange some form of cover for them.

She printed out her Schedule for Jack and then copied and pasted it to a different document on the computer and emailed it over to Jack's work email. She folded her printed copy up and put it into her bag.

Jack looked over Alyssa's schedule and noted down the time of her next full weekend off and checked it against his own diary, then wrote the dates down.

He quickly sent Alyssa a text with the dates that worked for him and said he would be calling Declan when he got home from work.

Alyssa looked down at the text from Jack. She nodded.

She was anxious about going up to see Declan, Jack had assured her that Declan had got back wit his ex-wife but she found that a small consolation. The guy had had her kidnapped. She would try to forgive him but she knew that it was going to be difficult. She sighed, she didn't want an argument between Jack and his family, she'd had enough family arguments to last her a lifetime. She put down her phone and went upstairs to check on the girls.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\

Chris looked up as Shaz came back in.

"So, it's lunchtime now, should we go see about meeting Ray over at the pub like we'd planned?"

Shaz nodded. She smiled at him as she grabbed up her jacket.

She slipped her arm through Chris' and raised her eyebrows "Are you going to call Ray?" she asked.

Chris nodded and quickly hit Ray's number on his phone.

"Hey, mate, it's lunchtime if you're up for a pint," Chris said when Ray answered.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\

Stacey walked determinedly back to the Square. She would find out the truth about who had attacked her brother, whatever it took.

She noted Janine standing across the street, leaning against her door. Stacey's eyes narrowed and she quickly moved in Janine's direction.

"You did it, didn't you?" she immediately stated.

"Did what?" Janine asked lazily. She was sure Stacey was talking about the attack on Sean; it was the talk of the Square just now.

"You know what," Stacey said through clenched teeth.

"I had nothing to do with it," Janine assured Stacey airily and turned to go back into her flat.

"If I find out otherwise, Janine, I will make you sorry."

Janine slowly turned and looked Stacey up and down. "Of course you will," she said, her tone dripping with scorn. "Good day."

Stacey mutely watched Janine walk back into her flat and let out a growl of annoyance. She whirled around and headed for home, certain that Rhys and Ffion, or Janine had to be responsible. Janine had been knocked back and she had form and Ffion and her overly-handsome brother had it in for Sean in a big way.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\

Alex nodded at him. She glanced over at Shaz briefly once Rhys had finished talking. Shaz raised her eyebrows at Alex and shrugged.

Alex sighed and sat Sam down on the floor, giving him a pencil and some paper to keep him occupied.

She watched Chris and Shaz leave then looked over at Rhys.

"Are you staying in for lunch or going out?" she asked.

Rhys looked up at Alex.

"I haven't decided yet, ma'am," he replied and then glanced down at Sam.

"I'm not willing to babysit, though, if that's why you're asking," he added.

He furrowed his brow in thought a moment and then stood up.

"However, before you keep on berating the Guv for having an affair with Debbie, you should know that it never happened. I overheard her, talking with her mates, her plan was to get promoted by getting into either DI Carling or the Guv's beds. Neither of which she managed."

He looked her up and down. "With all due respect ma'am, I thought you were a detective and would have found that out by now, considering how much you seem to dislike unfounded accusations being tossed around. Not that I don't appreciate you stopping Stacey from yelling at me. But I did nothing wrong. She should thank me. If I hadn't been heading back this way and seen him lying on the ground, he very well might have died."

He turned on his heel and left the room.

Alex sighed and looked down at Sam. She needed someone to be in the office so that she could take him home and get some lunch. Unfortunately it looked like that wasn't going to happen any time soon. She pulled him onto her lap to stop in trying to draw on her leg and looked at the door Rhys had left through.

She knew deep down that Rhys was telling the truth. But she had wound herself up about Gene so much that she couldn't just stop. She'd tortured herself with images and made herself so angry over it. Now she was being told that it wasn't true. She growled and looked at Gene's office. She would have to apologise, and admit that she was wrong. She fought the impulse to rest her head on the desk and stood up, Sam balanced on her hip.

"Come on little man," she smiled at him brightly. "Home time."

Alex walked out of the Station, she stopped at the front desk.

"Adam, if Gene gets back, will you tell him that I need a word," she asked and Adam nodded. He'd heard almost every _word _she had had with DSI Hunt, the whole station had. He watched her go and get into her car with a sigh, he wished they'd get this solved.

Rhys slammed around in the kitchen, making himself a cup of tea.

Bloody stupid Sean Slater. Bloody stupid Ffion. Had to mess everything up didn't they? He was used to trouble from Ffion, it followed her around, but this was more than he was willing to take. He sighed and went back to his desk and was glad to see that Alex had gone.

/\\/\/\/\/\\\\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\

Rowan nodded and watched him go. She looked down at the twins and smiled.

"So, what should I do now, do you think?" she asked them. "I agree, I definitely need something more to eat, two pieces of cold chicken just wasn't enough." She got up off the couch and headed into the nursery and carefully laid the babies in the large crib then went into the kitchen to find something else to eat. She really should have asked Syed to bring her something up when lunch rush was over, but she'd been too tired to think of it. She looked at the nearly empty fridge; she's been planning to go shopping today until circumstances had interrupted. She shrugged and pulled out bacon, eggs and decided breakfast for lunch would do just fine.

She set about making the food and sat down to eat it, her hand occasionally going to her oddly-deflated belly. It felt very strange not to be swollen up anymore, very strange. She finished eating and put the dishes in the sink and then lifted up the dress and looked at herself. At least that cream Alyssa recommended had prevented stretch marks, she noticed happily. She picked up her phone and quickly took a picture of the newborns and then sent it off to Louisa, who would no doubt show it to everyone.

Then she went into the nursery, sat down next to the crib and stared at the babies. She still couldn't quite believe they were real.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\

Ray stood up and pulled out his phone, he quickly snapped a picture of Rowan as she held the twins and then barely had time to save it before Chris' name flashed up. He answered the call.

"Sure, see you down there in a bit," he said back and then shut his phone off and bent to kiss Rowan. "I'll be back in a bit," he told her as he smiled at her happily and waved at them as he left the flat.

Ray walked into the pub and sighed happily. He went and sat at the bar and drummed his fingers on the counter as he waited.

Gene saw Ray come in and walked over to him.

"Raymondo, survived…the event then?"

Chris led Shaz into the pub and went straight over to Ray.

"Heya, mate," he greeted. "Guv," he added.

Gene nodded at Chris and grunted.

"Anything yet on Sean Slater?" Chris asked Gene.

"No, lots of accusations flying around, but nowt else," he replied gruffly.

"Hey, Tracey, pints here," he said and gestured at himself, Shaz, Ray and Gene. He handed over the money and then grinned at Ray as he raised his glass.

"To your Rowan and the birth of your twins what you helped deliver," Chris announced, "Cheers!"

He took a long drink from his pint and then patted Ray on the shoulder. "Well done, there mate."

"Yes," Gene echoed. "Congratulations."

Gene drained half his pint and then looked at Ray speculatively. "I suppose you'll be wanting to take that leave now instead of the beginning of October," Gene guessed.

Ray grinned at Chris and took a long drink from his pint glass. He sighed as he put the glass back on the bar.

He looked at Gene and nodded. "Yeah, if that's alright, Ro's gonna want all the help I can give her," he said with a shrug. "And if I'm honest, I want to spend some time with Ro and the twins," he smiled.

Ray looked up at Gene and nodded. "Yup, at least you didn't have to actually _deliver _Sam!" he said. "Scariest thing I've ever done!" he said. "And there were two of 'em."

"No, but I have delivered a baby before," Gene reminded him.

He looked at Gene's face and sighed. "Still arguing with Alex?" he half-asked, half-commented.

He sighed. "Yes, no matter what, Alex refuses to believe I didn't have an affair with Debbie," he complained. He then frowned at Ray.

"And some help you were there, _mate,_" Gene spat, "or did you forget when Debbie kept trying it on with you?"

Shaz raised her glass as Chris toasted Ray and Rowan and the Twins and drank from it. She smiled at Ray as she put her glass down and then looked at Gene. "Guv did you know that Rhys arrested Sean Slater for Ffion's rape, before he had evidence or a warrant?" she asked. She didn't want to stir things up but she couldn't help but think that Rhys might have had something to do with Sean's attack, surely it wasn't coincidence that he had found Sean lying beaten up?

Chris' mouth dropped and then he snapped his mouth shut again as he looked from Gene to Ray. He looked over at Shaz as she began to talk.

Gene's frown deepened as he turned to Shaz.

"He did what?" Gene bellowed and drained his pint and slammed the empty glass down on the bar.

Chris watched Gene go and then looked back at Shaz.

"Rhys did that...really?"

Shaz nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, I've never seen Rhys so angry. He just left and arrested Sean. Point blank refused to follow procedure," she told them.

Ray sighed as he watched Gene go. He didn't like Alex and Gene fighting but he honestly did know what else he could've done. He had kept Gene's secret for as long as he could.

He shrugged and drank down some more of his pint.

"That's pretty crazy," Chris commented.

"What's pretty crazy?" Ginger wanted to know.

Chris looked over and turned slightly.

"How's the day off?" he asked.

"It's fine...so what's pretty crazy? What have I missed?"

"Rowan had her twins," Chris said hurriedly and jerked his thumb at Ray. "Ray delivered them in the back seat of the car, pretty crazy, yeah?"

"Nice one," Ginger congratulated and grabbed Ray's hand and shook it. "Pint, please, Tracey."

Chris let out a small sigh of relief. Ginger was Rhys' best mate, but Chris wasn't sure if he knew what Rhys had been up to and Chris had no intention of spilling it.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\

JT looked at Roxy. "So, who do you think attacked Sean? I give you my word it wasn't me," he told her.

Roxy shrugged "I don't know" she sighed and looked up at him "But Sean has a lot of enemies besides you and me JT" she said "It could have been anyone, though my bet is on Ffion or her brother, they've got it in for Sean" she sighed

"Is it wrong to feel happy that he's in hospital?" she asked quietly, she couldn't help but feel a little relieved that Sean was out of their lives for a while.

"It's not wrong at all. I'm a bit relieved myself," he admitted.

"Why don't we go downstairs and have a drink. Peggy's in with Amy," he suggested.

Roxy smiled up at him and nodded. She was feeling a little better now that she knew JT felt the same as he about Sean's attack.

She led him downstairs and pulled him a pint. She handed it to him then got herself a glass of wine.

JT turned his head as he heard Rowan's name and the twins mentioned. He looked at Roxy.

"Did you hear that?" he asked her and put his glass down and walked over.

"Rowan had the babies?" he asked curiously.

Ffion sat on the couch and tried not to look as agitated as she felt. She felt Bradley looking at her and shifted in her seat.

She looked at him.

"What?"

"Nothing," Bradley replied defensively.

"I didn't do anything, Bradley," she told him. "I wasn't the one who attacked Sean."

She stood up and walked over to Bradley, not bothering to hide that she was tearing herself apart.

"If I'd been alone with him, it would have been an altogether different sort of attack. I'm sorry, Bradley, but I won't lie to you. I'm not sure this is me...all this..." she waved her hand around as she tried to find the words and sighed.

"I don't do serious relationships and I should just go," she told him. "I don't mean to hurt you, but if nothing else, Sean showed me that I'll keep looking for that thrill. I'm not ready to stop yet."

"You can stay," Bradley began as he stood up.

"No, Bradley, this is a one bedroom flat, how can I? I'll go stay at the B&B, at least until I find someplace. Or maybe I'll just go back to Cardiff," she shrugged.

Bradley looked down at the floor and then back up at Ffion. "If that's what you want."

She nodded and then picked up her bag and left.

/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\

Alex sighed and handed Sam a bread roll as she reached for her phone. "Hello, Alex Hunt," she answered.

"Mum."

"Molly! Where are you Molls? Did you talk to Peter?"

"Yeah, I'm with him now," Molly replied with a small smile at Peter.

"And...?" Alex asked anxiously as she sat down opposite Sam.

"And we've decided that it's best if I don't have the baby," she replied.

Alex sighed in relief and managed a smile at her son. "Are you sure Molls, he's not pushing you to get rid of it or anything?" Alex asked cautiously.

"Of course not!" Molly said sharply.

"You sure?" Alex clarified.

"Yes, Mum, we've discussed it and decided it's best. He was all prepared to have the baby, Gene even tried to get him to propose, which he's already planning to do next year anyway," Molly said softly with another smile at Peter.

"Propose..." Alex replied uncertainly.

"Yeah, but that's not the point," Molly said. "The point is that I'm not having this baby, so I'm going to make an appointment with Doctor Bond," she said.

"Molls, I want you to ask him to prescribe you the contraceptive pill to prevent this from happening again until you're ready" Alex said seriously.

"We used contraception, Mum," Molly protested.

"And proved that it doesn't always do its job! Molls, please," Alex asked.

Molly sighed. "Fine, I'll ask him," she agreed.

"Thank you!"


	30. Chapter 30

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 30**

Ray nodded at Ginger and scrolled on his phone until he found the picture, he looked down at it happily, then took another gulp from his pint.

He looked up at JT and nodded, then handed over his phone.

"One on the right is Claire, and the left is Denis," he smiled happily. "Both 5 pounds, 7 ounces, both healthy and tiny," he grinned proudly.

"Ro's planning a get together to formally introduce them to everyone, but not today, she's exhausted and wants to get them settled," he explained.

"That is pretty crazy," Ginger agreed. "But that's great news," he patted Ray on the shoulder. "Nice one, Ray."

JT took the phone and smiled as he looked at the picture.

"She looks pretty happy. We'll definitely be at whatever gathering she plans," he said and slung an arm around Roxy's shoulders as he handed Ray the phone back.

Roxy came up behind JT and peered over his arm at Ray's phone. She sighed and smiled at Ray "They're gorgeous," she told him.

He grinned. "I know," he said quietly as he stared at his phone that was still in JT's hand.

Ray smiled at Ginger. "Cheers," he said and looked at JT as he took the phone back. He sighed down at the picture and then smiled up at JT again.

"I'll let her know," he smiled.

Roxy slid her arm around JT and smiled. Rowan had had her babies. She let go of JT to go down the other side of the bar to serve a waiting customer.

Ray finished his pint and looked around at the cluster of people, then down at his phone.

"I'm off," he said as he hopped off the barstool and glanced at the picture once more before pocketing his phone. "See you all later," he grinned as he headed off.

Ray shoved his hands into his pockets and began the walk home.

Ginger waved at Ray and then turned to Chris and Shaz.

"So, anything else exciting going on?" he wanted to know. "Housecleaning doesn't leave much time for much else, been dying to get finished and get out of the flat," he said with a laugh.

Chris glanced around to make sure Roxy and JT were a bit away and then leaned over to Ginger. "Well, that Sean Slater got attacked, over at the allotments. He's in the hospital now. Someone hit him with a shovel."

Ginger looked at Chris in surprise. "No way!"

Chris nodded. "Still trying to work out who did it. Forensics is hard at work. Of course, it's possible Sean could tell us when he wakes up."

Shaz sighed as she took a sip of her lager and looked at Ginger.

"To be honest, I'm not sure we'll get much from forensics, as far as we know there's no witnesses and Sean is still out cold," she said.

"So, it's going to be a fun one," she said enthusiastically.

Chris looked at his phone and then looked at Shaz.

"No fingerprints on the shovel, whoever did it wiped it no doubt wore gloves and wiped it clean," he sighed and looked at Shaz.

"We should eat and get back," he told her and ordered some lunch from Tracey.

Ginger shook his head. "Has anybody called the hospital to find out when he might be waking up?" he wanted to know.

Shaz added her order and sighed at Chris' news "This is going to be a fun one then!" she said sarcastically.

Shaz shook her head at Ginger. "Hospital's calling us when he does come round," she explained to him.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Peter watched as Molly spoke to her mother on the phone.

"Ask him what?" Peter wanted to know.

Molly looked at Peter and pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Ask Doctor Bond about going on the pill," she told him with half a smile before putting the phone back to her ear.

"Molls, I'm going to finish up feeding Sam, do you want me to come to the doctors with you?" she asked.

Molly bit her lip and looked at Peter for a moment, then sighed. "I don't know, if I do I'll text you and you can meet me there?" Molly asked.

"Okay, Molls, love you," Alex smiled.

"You too, Mum," she said and shut off the phone.

"Ahhh," Peter nodded, then turned away, wishing he hadn't asked.

He watched as she closed her phone. "So, should we go see Dr. Bond now?" he wondered. It was still fairly early in the day.

Molly smiled at the look on his face as she pocketed her phone. She looked at Peter and shrugged.

"I don't know whether we need to make the appointment or not," she said. "But there's no harm in going anyway," she smiled as she took his hand and offered a smile."Okay, then, let's go," he said and slung an arm around her shoulders and led her from the house.

Ffion went to the B&B and got herself a room and then wandered off across the Square. She caught sight of the salon and went inside.

"Any chance I could get a trim?" she asked in a defeated tone.

Alyssa looked up at Ffion and smiled. "Sure, we've got space," she said and took in Ffion's expression.

"Do you want a hot chocolate too? We have whipped cream," she offered.

Ffion shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Unless you're going to spike it with vodka," she added, her tone slightly flat. She saw the way Alyssa was looking at her and sighed.

"I've split up with Bradley. It was just kinder to do it now, then later on and just hurt him worse," she blurted out defensively. "Now, about my hair."

Alyssa sighed. "I'm sorry, Ffion," she said sadly and nodded for her to go upstairs.

"Go on up," she said with a small smile. "Gayna's free right now," she said.

Alyssa watched Ffion climb the stairs and sat back down. She glanced out of the window and sighed.

Gene stalked into the office and slammed open the double doors.

"Rhys! What the bloody hell do you think you were playing at?" he bellowed as he slammed Rhys up against the wall.

"What, Guv?"

"You arrested Sean Slater without a proper warrant or anything! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking he raped my sister. I'm not going to apologize for it."

Adam watched Gene storm past and sighed. He came out from behind the front desk and winced at the sounds of Gene slamming Rhys against the wall.

"Errr Guv?" he asked tentatively. "DI Hunt wanted me to tell you that she needs a word with you," he said as he glanced at Rhys warily.

Gene whipped his head around to look at Adam and then looked back at Rhys and let him down.

"Fine," he said. He jabbed his finger at Rhys' chest. "I'm not done with you," he threatened and went to find Alex.

"You wanted to see me," he asked.

Alex looked up at Gene as he came through the door. Her attention was diverted by the happy shrieking sound that Sam had made at the sight of his father. She sighed, she couldn't blame it, the poor boy hadn't seen his Dad much over the past week or so. She lifted him off the chair and pushed him into Gene's arms.

"Firstly, your son misses you," she said tonelessly and sniffed as she went to pick up Sam's empty plate. She dumped it in the sink and then turned back to Gene.

Gene took his son and watched Alex as she busied herself tidying up.

"I thought you'd like to know that Molly's getting an abortion," she said. "But that wasn't the reason I told Adam to tell you I wanted to see you," she said as she looked him up and down.

"I won't say I'm happy about that," he said, "but it's not really my place to get any say."

Alex stopped what she was doing and her fists clenched. Not his place to get any say! She wasn't fighting him away with a gun was she! There was nothing stopping him from seeing Sam except himself and their argument.

She glared at him. "I'm not stopping you from seeing your son, Gene! I'm not a monster," she snapped back.

"I was talking about Molly, woman, not my son," he snapped.

Alex looked over at him. "Yeah, well, it's her decision," she said with a shrug. "She and Peter have talked about it and decided, and before you go off on one, he didn't pressure her into it," she told him.

"Shaz told me that when Rhys arrested Sean he didn't have a warrant or evidence and didn't follow any procedure," she said. "She's not so sure that it's a coincidence that Rhys found Sean unconscious and beaten around the head," she explained. "Rhys has told me that he's innocent," she added with a shrug. "It's the sort of thing that you like to know," she said.

He frowned.

"Yes, I know, I was in the middle of having words with my officer when Adam interrupted me. The thought had crossed my mind. I've sent Rhys home. I don't want him involved in this case until we find out what happened," he told her.

"Someone should call the hospital, or go down there. Oh, and Ray wants to start his leave today seeing as Rowan's had their twins, so with the team being two down, you are going to have to suck up and work with me so we can find out what happened," he told her.

Alex nodded shortly. As long as he knew.

She narrowed her gaze at him. "I've got no issues with working with you Gene as long as you stop trying to argue with me in the middle of the office all the time," she told him. "It's not good for the team for us to be arguing all the time over every little thing!" she said as she turned back to the sink.

"You've been the one spiky and all when I'm around," he told her. "With your constant little comments you think I don't hear."

Alex frowned at him. "Well excuse me for being angry with you," she snapped at him as she took Sam back and sat him down on the floor. She was going to have to call Joanna and ask if she could look after Sam for a few extra days until this case got sorted, otherwise she'd have to take Sam to work with her. She didn't want to, he'd get in the way and distract people which would ruin concentration and delay the case.

Alex looked up at Gene and waited until he had shut the door before turning back to Sam.

"Well Sammy, bath time," she said and picked him up off the floor and carried him through to the bathroom.

He handed Sammy back to his mother and fished his radio out of his pocket.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Chris stopped shoveling food into his mouth when he felt his phone go off in his pocket.

He pulled it out and read the text.

"Sean's awake," he said. "Adam says the Guv is on his way over there. I'm going to finish my lunch first. I don't want to go on an empty stomach."

Shaz bit her lip. "If the Guv is already down there do we really need to go?" she asked him. "It doesn't take 2 of us to take a statement," she added.

"I'll finish and go back to the station," she told him.

"But this is Sean Slater we're talking about," Chris whispered and rolled his eyes as his phone went off.

"Great, Guv wants the pair of us to get his statement," he sighed. He crammed the last bite of his sandwich in his mouth and got up and headed across the pub.

"C'mon," he mumbled to Shaz around his mouthful of food and gestured her to hurry. He found himself wondering why the Guv wasn't staying at the hospital, unless Sean had named who did it.

Shaz rolled her eyes at him. "But, Sean Slater has suffered a damaging blow to the head and is in hospital," she muttered back to him.

She drained her drink, finished her food and stood off her stool. She nodded at him and gave Ginger a brief hug goodbye. "See ya," she smiled at him as she dashed after Chris to catch up with him.

"Calm down Chris, it's not like he's going anywhere is it?" she grumbled as she caught up with him.

Chris looked at Shaz. "This is still Sean Slater we're talking about. I don't think a bang on the head is going to keep him down for long."

He opened the car door for her. "The Guv said now, he means now."

Shaz pulled a face at him but climbed into the car anyway.

Chris drove them to the hospital and led Shaz to Sean's room to take the statement.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Rhys walked slowly home. Everyone was against him now. He glared at the ground as he walked and when he got home, he sat down on the sofa and glared at the blank wall. All he'd been trying to do was help his sister. She always seemed to be in one situation after another. He sighed and reached over and picked up his phone and called the only person he knew might be able to help. His sister, Katie.

Rhys was relieved when his sister answered the phone. He told her about what had happened with Ffion and she listened and commiserated.

"Do you want me to come and talk to her?" Katie offered.

"It might not hurt. She's not talking to me anymore."

"I'll see about coming over soon then."

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Sean opened his eyes groggily. He felt...strange. Sean raised his hand to his head and found something taped to him. He scowled and looked around: hospital! He grunted and sat up. And lay back down again. His head felt like hell! His head felt like someone had...

Sean growled. Someone had hit him over the head! And he knew who it was! He scowled angrily. They would pay!

The nurse looked up as she saw Sean wake and went over to him. "Mr Slater," she asked. "You've suffered a serious head injury," she explained to him. Sean glared at her. "Funnily enough, I guessed that!" he snapped at her grumpily. He didn't want to be stuck in hospital.

The nurse fought her impulse to roll her eyes, she hated the difficult ones!

"The police will be along soon to talk to you about anything you may remember," she told him then walked off. She reached the desk and told the duty nurse to call the Police and let them know that Sean Slater had woken up.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\

"Hunt," he growled.

"The hospital just called, Guv, Sean Slater is awake and talking."

Gene looked at Alex. "I'm off."

He shoved his radio back in his pocket and left. He swept through the halls of the hospital, his face causing people to move aside for him as he made his way to Sean Slater's room. He walked inside and nodded at the nurse before noting that Sean's eyes were open.

He approached the bed.

"So, Mr. Slater, what do you have to tell me. Can you remember anything?"

Sean looked up at Gene and watched as the man approached. He almost smirked at the expression on the man's face but contained himself. He nodded slowly.

"Tall figure whacking me over the head with something," he said and his mind reeled off on a tangent. Tall? Who was the tallest person he knew?

Sean looked back up at Gene. "It was JT," he said firmly. "I know it was," he added defiantly.

Gene looked at Sean steadily and then pulled out a small notepad and wrote down what he said.

"Right, then," Gene said in a business-like manner. "If you're sure then we'll go take care of that. I assume you're willing to write and sign a sworn statement to that effect?" he asked and looked at Sean, his face bland and expressionless. He knew full well what this man was like and was not going to goad him into some kind of fit.

He had uniform checking out the alibis, but after the fiasco with Rhys, he was going to have to be double careful about haring off and arresting someone who might not be guilty.

"I'll have some other officers stop in with the paperwork and take your statement," he informed Sean and left the room. He pulled out the radio. He knew he was the butt of a few jokes for using it, but he hated those cell phones.

"Have Chris and Shaz go over to take Mr. Slater's sworn statement," he ordered and put the radio away. He climbed into his car and headed for the pub.

"Naturally," Sean replied.

Sean nodded shortly at Gene and smirked as he marched off. He grinned to himself; JT would go down for this, Roxy would be angry at the guy for trying to hurt him, he would play the invalid, and in the end, he, Sean, would get her back. He almost laughed but caught himself just in time. He sank back down into his pillow and ran through his statement in his head, making sure it was watertight.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Rowan shifted in the rocking chair, she could hear something pulling her from sleep and slowly opened her eyes. She smiled at the sight of the babies still sleeping in their crib and blinked slowly as she tried to wake up. She yawned and glanced down at her watch. She'd slept about an hour.

Ray sighed happily as he looked up at the window of the flat from outside. His family was in there, his family! He grinned to himself as he opened the Restaurant door and made his way through the Restaurant. Ray climbed the stairs quietly, aware that the twins, and maybe Rowan, could be asleep. He opened the door softly and shut it, flicking the lock and chain lock as he did. Ray looked around and sighed, no Rowan. The bedroom then. He nodded to himself as he slipped off his shoes. He passed the babies' room and then backtracked and opened the door.

Ray smiled at the sight of Rowan in the rocking chair next to the cot, and the two children fast asleep. He made his way over and dropped to his knees at Rowan's feet so that he could peer in at the two. He patted Rowan's leg after a moment then stood and lifted her easily into his arms. He noted that she was awake and smiled at her as he crept from the bedroom and took her through to their own room. He deposited her on the bed and changed into his pyjama bottoms then reached for her and pulled off her dress and switched it for her nightgown. He climbed under the covers and sighed happily as he pulled her against his chest.

Rowan looked up at Ray as he carried her to their room. She let him change her without argument and snuggled gratefully close, now that she didn't have a huge, pregnant belly in the way to keep her from doing so.

"I'm not sure if I believe it yet," he whispered into her hair as he hugged her to him.

"I know, I sat in there and stared at them until I fell asleep," she giggled. "They'll need to feed soon."

"I let Louisa know, I sent her a picture," Rowan told him. "She'll let Gem know."

She sighed and lifted her face to kiss him. "How was the pub?"

Ray cupped her cheek as he kissed her, he was enjoying the feel of having her against him, without the massive bump in the way. Though the inhabitants of said bump were only a few metres away. He broke the kiss and beamed down at her.

"Pub was fine, I showed JT and Roxy the picture of you and the twins," he told her. "He says he's up for whatever gathering you decide to plan," he said.

"Oh, that's good," Rowan said.

"If they're going to be wanting to be fed soon then you should get some sleep," he told her as he held her tightly and burrowed his face into her hair. "And 'sides, I'm sleepy, too," he added with a yawn. "Been a busy day," he said as he snuggled down.

"I've just had a nap though, I'm not very tired anymore," she lifted her head slightly. "The sun's still up."

She dropped back down. "It has been a big day though," she agreed.

"I'm tired," he grumbled. "I delivered two children this morning," he said as he watched her go.

A thought occurred to him as he pulled back a little way to look down at her. "We going over to see your Kin again to introduce them?" he asked her. "It's only right that they get to meet them," he said and yawned once more.

"I think we'll wait awhile before we do that. Let them get a bit bigger and easier to handle," she told him.

"I need to get them," she said and eased herself from his grasp. She very carefully picked up Claire and carried her into the bedroom and laid her on the bed, then went back for Denis.

Ray smiled at her as she brought one of them in and left for the other one. He reached down the bed and lifted the child into his arms. A glance told him it was his daughter and he carefully lifted Claire up to the top of the bed and lay her down gently next to him as Rowan came back.

She eased herself back onto the bed and and got herself settled with Denis. She quickly unzipped the gown she was wearing and began to nurse her son.

Ray snuggled down and grunted once at the sight of Rowan breast-feeding. He looked down at Denis, then at Claire, then burrowed under the covers and allowed his eyes to droop slightly.

Rowan glanced down at Ray and smiled as she saw his eyes droop. She finished feeding Denis and then put him carefully down and picked up Claire to feed her. When both of them were finished, she returned them to their crib and set her alarm to wake up for their next feeding time, hoping they would sleep until then.

She cuddled up to Ray and looked at his peaceful face. He might have delivered the babies, but she'd done a lot more work that he had. She stifled a giggle, laid her head against his chest and fell asleep.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Gene strode into the pub and looked at JT.

He walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. JT turned and looked at Gene curiously.

"Can I help you, Mr. Hunt?" he asked.

"I need you to come down to the station for a chat," Gene told him. "Now, please."

JT's eyebrows went up and he looked over at Roxy and then back at Gene and shrugged.

"Okay, let's go," he said genially and followed Gene to the station.

"He didn't do anything," she told Gene firmly as he took JT away.

Roxy stood with her hands on her hips and frowned. He hadn't done anything, he had said so himself! She turned back to the bar as she heard someone try to get her attention and began serving to take her mind off JT and Gene. She hoped he would tell her what was going on, because she didn't like this one bit.

Gene drove JT to the station and led him into an interview room.

"I won't drag this out. Sean Slater is awake and says you're the one who attacked him."

JT looked up. "What? That's crazy, I told you where I was."

"I know, but Sean says he saw you. That's a little hard to ignore."

"He's lying," JT pleaded. "You know he is."

"Until we get you alibied out, I have to assume he's telling the truth. You should think about getting a solicitor. I'm going to have to lock you up, until I find proof otherwise," Gene told him.

"No! I...I haven't done anything!" JT protested.

"It's for your own good. I'm not going to charge you yet, but if they let that Sean out of the hospital tonight then I want you close by. And there's his crazy sister to consider an all."

JT shook his head and let Gene lead him to the cells.

"This is for your own good," Gene told him. "Trust the Gene Genie."

"Will you please let Rowan know?"

Gene nodded.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Shaz led Chris through the hospital to Sean's room and stood at the foot of his bed.

"Mr Slater? We're here to take your statement" she told him as she pulled out a tape recorder, that she had picked up from Chris' car.

Sean gave them a bored expression and spoke his planned statement into the tape recorder.

Shaz shut it off once he was done and nodded at him. "Thank you, Mr. Slater," she told him.

Sean's lips curved and he nodded at her mutely before looking at Chris. Poor bloke looked terrified.

Chris stood next to Shaz, to support her, and kept his expression as neutral as possible. He did not want Sean to notice that he was a bit nervous. He nodded at Sean and then followed Shaz out.

He looked at her as they left the hospital. "Do you think he was telling the truth? Because I'm not sure that he was."

Shaz sighed and shrugged. "I don't know Chris, who can say with that man. But it's all we've got to go on," she sighed and shrugged.

"If it's not true then something will turn up won't it," she said positively. "We can't send someone down unless we have proof, and any spoken evidence is merely circumstantial until we get something that proves JT was there," she said.

Gene went back to his office and called Rowan as JT requested and left her a message. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't believe Sean Slater. He also wasn't sure what the psycho would try. He didn't want to keep JT over night, but he also didn't want to think what might happen, knowing Slater had a grudge against JT. He would let everyone think JT had been arrested, but he was going to keep investigating.

Sean had simply jumped from "figure" to "JT" a little too quickly.

Rowan would never forgive him if something happened to JT. Alex probably wouldn't either. He knew she didn't trust Slater one bit. He frowned. The Gene Genie being intimidated by women. He was almost ashamed. But he wasn't going to let that stop him from protecting someone he was sure was innocent. It's what Sam Tyler would have done.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Ffion finished her hair cut and came back downstairs.

"Thanks, Alyssa," she said and handed over the money.

"Um, do you think there's any chance Rowan might hire me back? Only, I'm having to stay at the B&B since I've burned all my bridges with Bradley and I'm going to need a bit of money," she explained.

Alyssa sighed and shrugged. "I don't know Fee, but there's no harm in asking her," she added with a smile.

She frowned. "You're staying at the B&B?" she asked and tapped her pen on the desk thoughtfully. "Do you want our spare room?" she offered. "I'll have to check with Jack, but I'm sure he'll have no objections to you moving in," she smiled.

"Whitney already rents one of the rooms, he shouldn't have an issue with you taking the other, we're not using it," she smiled as she pulled out her phone, ready to send a text to ask Jack.

Stacey went to the hospital and fussed over her brother. She'd been worried sick about him. She was glad to see he was awake and seemed to be okay. He was certainly acting his usual self.

She left after a couple of hours and called Ryan to let him know what had happened and that she'd come home after her brother was out of hospital.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Roxy paced the bar impatiently as she waited for JT to come back. She was worried, she had every right to be. She started when Tracey nudged her and smiled halfheartedly as she left to go upstairs. She glanced at the time and cursed as she grabbed her hand bag and ran from the pub. She made it to the Community Centre just in time and collected Amy.

"Muummmy. Where JayTee?" Amy asked as she took Roxy's hand.

"He's helping the police with something, he'll be home soon," she told her. Roxy bit her lip and looked over towards the Police Station, she hoped JT would be home soon. She sighed and walked Amy home.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Chris was surprised to hear that Gene had locked JT up overnight.

"Guv, why?" he wanted to know.

"Because I don't trust Sean Slater, that's why. If they let Sean Slater go, or if his maniac of a sister gets involved, we might have a dead man instead of a locked up, possibly innocent man," he explained to Chris.

"What about his alibi?"

"I've got uniform checking into it. Go help if you like," Gene told him shortly.

"Isn't there CCTV?"

Gene thumped his forehead in mock surprise. "I never would have thought of that, Chris," he replied sarcastically.

Chris frowned. "All right, Guv, just asking."

"Go ask elsewhere, I'm busy," Gene told him and got back on the phone. Now he needed to call Roxy. He knew how volatile she was and did not intend to talk to her on the phone.

"Really?" Fee asked in surprise. Considering the last time she'd rented a room from Jack and Alyssa she'd slept with Alyssa's father, she never thought about asking them. "Sure, that would be lovely. I'll go get my things. Thank you."

She gave Alyssa a smile and then headed out of the salon. Her face fell when she saw her sister, Katie, walking up to the B&B.

"What do you want, Katie?"

"You've really hurt Rhys with your accusations, you know," Katie admonished.

"_I've_ hurt _him_? How do you think I felt after he arrested Sean and all that? Sean kept harassing me, I was terrified. No one seems to care about that. It was all Rhys' fault," Ffion snapped as she went into the B&B.

Katie followed after her. "But he says he didn't do anything to Sean Slater," Katie parroted and grabbed Ffion's arm.

"I don't believe him, Katie. I know he says he only found Sean lying there, but I think it was because he did it. He's a cop, Katie, of course he's going to make himself look innocent."

Katie frowned at Ffion.

"I can't believe you just said that."

"Why not? He illegally arrested Sean, did you know that? He fitted him up even after I told him Sean didn't rape me. So, honestly, what else is Rhys capable of?"

"Fee, he did it to protect you."

"If he wanted to protect me then he should have listened to me. No one in this family ever listens to me, not really. Even Rhys thinks only of his reputation."

"Can you blame him? You caused nothing but trouble since you came here!"

"That's not fair, Katie, I may have caused a bit of a stir, but I settled down quite a bit. I was working and everything. And that got completely thrown into upheaval because Rhys overreacted."

"I can't even talk to you when you're like this," Katie snorted.

"Fine, you can leave then," Ffion shouted and grabbed up her bag. She pushed past her sister and thundered down the stairs and out the door, setting off at an almost-run for Jack and Alyssa's house.

Rhys looked up as Katie came back into his flat.

"She's well pissed off at you," Katie told him. "I can't talk to her. She's being muley and doesn't want to hear."

"Well, you tried," he said. "Thanks for that anyway."

"She's really convinced that you did it."

Rhys sighed. "I know. I don't think I'll manage to change her mind. Not now at any rate."

Katie nodded and gave her brother a hug. "Let me know how you get on."

"Thanks, I will."

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Roxy sat Amy down in the front room and dug in her bag as her phone went off. She pulled it out and frowned at the unrecognised number.

"Hello, Roxy Mitchell," she answered into it as she kept an eye on Amy.

"This is DSI Hunt, can you please come down to the station. I need to explain a few things to you," he requested in a business-like tone and put the phone down to prevent any questions. He hoped she would be less likely to make a scene, failing that, there was a much smaller audience here in his office.

"Fine," she said back shortly and shut off her phone.

Roxy looked down at Amy and sighed, she couldn't take her down the station too, it wasn't the right atmosphere for a young girl. She left Amy playing on the floor and went into the kitchen.

"Aunty Peg, I need to go down to the station, could you watch Amy for me please, just until I get back," she pleaded.

Roxy shoved her jacket on and made her way towards the station. She went in the front doors and stood at the desk.

"I need to see DSI Hunt," she demanded. Adam nodded at her warily and dialled Gene's office number.

"Guv, Roxy Mitchell's here to see you," he said.

Gene came out of his office, got Roxy and led her back. He was glad no one was really around. He gestured her to precede him and then closed the outer office door behind him before leading her to his office just past the two desks in the outer office. He gestured at a chair and sat down behind his desk.

Roxy watched him curiously as she took the seat. Where was JT? She went to speak but shut her mouth when Gene spoke first.

"How much do you trust Sean Slater?" Gene asked her without preamble. He needed to know what she thought of him before volunteering information about what he was doing.

"I don't," she said shortly. "He's volatile, dangerous, and a psychopath!" she said. She knew that she was contradicting her past arguments against those exact views, but it was those qualities about him that had excited her, now they just scared her.

"Do you think if he said he saw who attacked him that he would be honest about it?"

"It depends, if he saw the person and already had something against them then he would most likely tell the truth, but if he didn't see them then he'd lie to get back at someone that had pissed him off already," she shrugged. "Sean rarely does anything without plotting his outcome first. He only does things that he perceives to be to his advantage," she said.

Roxy folded her arms across her chest. "Where's JT?" she wanted to know.

"Good, because I don't trust him either," Gene said. "Now, I've already spoken to JT and he understands the situation so I'm going to explain it to you so you can help. Sean has stated that JT attacked him," he held up his hand. "He's signed a sworn statement attesting to it."

"Please, listen. I don't like Sean Slater, not since I set eyes on him and I want him either off my patch or behind bars. I don't know how long it's going to take to get proof that JT was not at the scene of the crime, therefore, I'm acting like I'm taking Sean at his word and I've locked JT up for now."

"Now I know we won't be able to get Mr. Slater to admit he lied, therefore we need the real culprit to come forward. I want you to play a part in this. I want you to play the wronged woman," he leaned over and smiled a devilish smile at her. "We both know you're dramatic enough to pull it off. You beg, you plead for any one to help JT because you know he's innocent. Once Sean gets out of hospital, we'll have his smarmy attitude to help. Whoever attacked Sean, we know they don't like him and they won't be able to stand watching him playing cock of the walk," Gene told her.

"And when we get the real culprit, we can lock Mr. Slater up for perverting the course of justice and wasting police time and anything else I can think of."

"You can't tell anybody what's really going on. They have to believe JT's locked up and being charged. Are you in?" he asked her.

Roxy opened her mouth to argue and then shut it when he kept trying to silence her. She felt her anger build, then ebb at his plan. A smile graced her face.

Roxy nodded her agreement. "I'm in," she said.

"How long does JT have to stay locked up for?" she asked. She hoped this wouldn't take long, she would miss JT terribly, and to be honest, playing the 'wronged woman' would not be too difficult seeing as JT _was _being falsely imprisoned.

She clenched her fists, she could kill Sean for this! Of course he would blame JT!

"JT said he was at the club, there's CCTV there," she offered.

Gene tilted his head at Roxy as he poured them both a glass of whiskey.

"I think you'll find there's something wrong with the footage," he told her and winked and held up his glass. He knocked back his drink and put the glass down.

He stood up. "Now, Miss Mitchell, I suppose it's time to return to your pub and begin screaming the house down. I may stop in for a pint tomorrow, feel free to slap me as you curse the police force for so callously locking up your beloved," he teased. He could not wait to get Sean Slater behind bars.

He led her to the door and watched her go then headed home.

Roxy smiled at him and nodded as she stood up. She drained the whiskey and put the glass down on his desk. She wasn't happy about JT being locked up and would have to think of something to tell Amy about why JT wasn't around. She sighed as she made her way home.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Alyssa watched Ffion go and sent off her text to Jack

"Is it okay if Fee moves back in. Other spare room? x"

She put her phone down and stared out of the window of the Salon. Then sighed and sent off a text to Rowan.

"Fee wants to know if she can have her job back, thought you'd like to know :D x"

She put her phone down again and went back to staring out of the window.

Jack read Alyssa's text and quickly sent one back.

"Sure, poor girl, I don't mind helping," he replied and closed his phone.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

When Rowan woke, she read Alyssa's text and smiled. She could certainly use some more help now that the babies were born. She quickly texted Alyssa.

"Yes, I'll tell her it's hers if she wants it."

Then she quickly texted Ffion. "Can you start tomorrow?"

Ffion read Rowan's text and smiled and sent back a quick. "Yes."

Rowan went into the babies' room and fed them before going into the kitchen to make some dinner.

Rowan finished cooking dinner and placed it on the table before going to wake up Ray. She sighed as she watched him sleeping and then climbed carefully onto the bed. He deserved a reward for his hard work she felt and it had been a couple days…..

She smiled as she slid under the covers. There were some things she was still fully capable of doing she thought with a smile and put her hands and mouth to work.

Ray felt a stirring and his brow creased as he woke up, confused. He noticed the bump under the covers and recognised the familiar feelings and lifted the covers, his eyes wide.

"Ro," he gasped out. "What're you...oh," he groaned as he fell backwards onto the bed.

"Jesus...Rowan!" he managed to say as he felt the sensations building higher and higher.

Rowan smiled as she crawled up after he'd finished and kissed his cheek.

She grinned at him. "Dinner's ready," she said with a giggle and slid across the bed away from him. She crossed her arms and looked at him coyly. "I thought you deserved a reward after today and well…there are some things I can still do," she nearly purred and then turned and strode from the room.

Ray chuckled lightly and fell onto the bed to try and pull himself together. That was certainly one way to wake up. He shook his head with a grin as he heaved himself up and pulled on a pair of jeans and a top. He padded through to the kitchen and saw food on the table. He licked his lips and sat down, then looked at Rowan.

"Where's Tweedledum and Tweedledee?" he asked as he glanced around briefly, then looked over towards their bedroom.

"They've already been awake and been fed," she told him. "Now, it's our turn," she replied and speared a meatball with her fork.

"I…am starving," she mumbled and worked her way steadily through the spaghetti and meatballs, the salad and two slices of garlic bread.

Ray watched the amount she ate in amusement, he had got so used to her picking at food during meals and rarely eating the entire thing while she had been pregnant that seeing her eat so much in one sitting made him chuckle.

She tidied up when they were finished and looked at Ray. Ray folded his knife and fork on his plate and pushed it away from him. He picked up both their plates and took them over to the sink.

"So, shall we watch the babies? Maybe you could sing to them?" she suggested with a fond smile.

Ray looked at her and raised his eyebrows at her. He nodded at her and took her hand and led her to the nursery. Ray sat down in the rocking chair and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close as he looked at his children. Ray looked about the room for inspiration for something to sing and his gaze fell on the Big Book of Nursery Rhymes that he had bought. He smiled and chose one from his memory. He smiled down at their children softly as he began to sing.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Jack got home from school to find Ffion sitting patiently on the bench by the front door.

He smiled and let her in.

"Thanks for this. The B&B was a bit expensive and I don't know..." she trailed off and shrugged.

"Let me cook for you tonight, to say thanks," she offered.

"That would be nice. Help yourself, I'll be in there doing paperwork," he told her and went into his office.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Alyssa locked up the Salon and swung her laptop bag over her shoulder as she meandered home. She smiled at the sight of Jacks car and headed inside, she dropped her bag next to the side table and went through to the kitchen.

"Heya, Fee," she smiled as she saw her.

Alyssa pulled the orange juice out of the fridge and poured herself a glass. "Did you talk to Rowan?" she asked as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"No," Ffion replied and turned away from the stove to flash Alyssa a quick smile. "But she did text me and say I could come back tomorrow. So I'm glad of that."

She gave the contents of the saucepan another stir and looked at Alyssa again. "Jack's in his office."

Alyssa smiled and nodded. "Good," she said. "You know which room is yours right?" she asked as she took a gulp of her juice.

"I figured it out," Ffion said with a smile.

She checked the sauce and decided it was ready before pouring it over the chicken and putting the chicken in the oven to bake. Then she went upstairs to unpack.

Alyssa nodded as she drained her juice and put the glass into the dishwasher. She smiled at Ffion as she made her way to Jack's office. She smiled at the sight of him working and she walked up behind him, she put her hands on his shoulders, kneading lightly as she dropped a kiss on the top of his head.

"Evening," she smiled down at him.

"Hiya," Jack leaned his head back and looked at Alyssa.

"So, this weekend seems to be our best bet and I've spoken to Declan and it works for him, too," he spun in the chair and caught her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap. "Now, I had an idea. I thought, maybe, if they aren't fighting so much, we could invite Gene and Alex to go with us. I'm sure Molly and others would happily watch Sammy and they could get away for a weekend. I think it would do them good," he suggested.

"Now, today's only Tuesday and we've got plenty of time until Friday for you to think about it," he said.

Alyssa nodded at him and smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You mean maybe, by forcing them to spend time together away from Walford, they'll finally sort this argument out," she smiled at him and nodded. "Sounds good to me."

She nodded. "I'll have a word with Tanya and organise something so that I can make sure that I get this weekend free then," she smiled at him.

She looked over towards the kitchen and bit her lip. "Do you think we could take Ffion, too? I think it would do her good to get away from Rhys and Bradley and everything for a bit," she said with a small sigh.

Jack mulled it over a moment and then nodded.

"I don't see why not. She looks like she could use a bit of cheering up," Jack agreed and then sniffed the air.

"She's making that chicken Dijon that Rowan makes, she must have learned how," he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "Someone Rowan taught to cook, in our house, you are too clever by far, oh Love of My Life," he told her and pulled her tight and kissed her.

Alyssa smiled into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around him tighter.

"Well, we couldn't have Rowan so Ffion is the next best thing," she shrugged. "Gene and Alex have Molly,"she added. "So why should we not get someone, too," she said as she climbed off his lap and kissed his cheek.

"I'll call you when it's ready," she told him as she left his office.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Sean grumbled and scowled after the nurse. He just wanted to go home. Back to the square, but apparently he wasn't fit to be discharged yet. He had contemplated discharging himself, but then decided against it. The longer he stayed here, the worse this injury would seem and the sympathy vote would be higher. 2 days in hospital sounded a lot better than one day in hospital, even if he was bored out of his skull.

Sean flicked through the TV channels, he hadn't sat down and watched TV in ages and he couldn't focus on it. He needed a better distraction than all of this drivel on the screen. He folded his arms and wondered whether he could expect a visit from Roxy.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Ffion woke up bright and early Thursday morning. She was glad Rowan had hired her back at the café. It seemed she'd had her babies and was in need of the extra help.

She was also looking forward to going to this village with Jack and Alyssa. It would be nice to get out of Walford for a couple of days. Rowan had already told her she could have the weekend off.

She set off towards the diner with a spring in her step.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Gene woke up on the couch and yawned and then grimaced. He hated sleeping on the couch, but at least Alex had relented and let him back in the house. He had a feeling she'd found out some truths about Debbie and was on her way to forgiving him for the affair he'd never had, but she had yet to admit she was wrong. It was frustrating.

And then there was Molly. He still wanted to kill Peter Beale for what he'd done, but Molly had intervened on his behalf, and the young girl had quite won him over in the time since he'd met her. She was part of Alex and he loved Alex, he couldn't help but have a soft spot for her daughter. At least Peter was still intending to marry her. It made the whole situation somewhere more palatable.

He went into the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea and sat at the table. A hot shower would feel good, he decided.

He was looking forward to this trip Jack had suggested for this weekend. A couple of days, in a nice quiet village, just the thing to help he and Alex sort things out, some quiet time away from the kids and the distractions.

Alex listened to Gene getting off the sofa in the other room. She had been awake for at least an hour, just lying there thinking. She refused to let herself get up before him. The sight of him asleep could melt her heart and she was not quite ready to let him back completely just yet.

This case had caused them to call a truce, in the office and at home. She tended to avoid all contact with him except when it was absolutely necessary, and now Alyssa had begged and pleaded that she come up north with her for moral support. At first she had readily agreed to go, then she found out that Jack had invited Gene to come too and had told Alyssa that she wouldn't go. She ran her hands over her face, her friend could be such a bully!

Apparently Rowan wasn't going to be able to go because of her newborns and Alex was the one that Alyssa wanted to go with her to back her up with all this stuff. She didn't think Jack knew quite how apprehensive Alyssa was about this trip. She climbed out of bed and tugged on her gown as she heard Sam's insistent gurgle. She passed through to Sam's room and pulled him out of his bed.

"Come on, little man," she sighed as she carried him through to the kitchen and sat him at the table.

Alex looked at Gene. "Seeing as your up will you feed him, please," she said as she turned and went to get a shower.

Gene gladly took his son from Alex and stuck him in the high chair and gave him his breakfast. She'd said "please," she was being very civil this morning. Gene began to think that maybe, just maybe, he was in there.

Alex dressed herself and came out of the bedroom. She glanced at Gene with Sam and then went to the kettle and made herself a mug of coffee, she glanced up briefly as Molly came out of her room and headed straight for the other bathroom.

She looked back at Gene, tired of the silence. "So, still no joy with this case?" she asked. If she was honest she was sick of it, they all knew JT was innocent and why Gene was still holding him in the cells was a mystery to them all, they had no evidence apart from Sean's word which was circumstantial anyway. But she had had this argument with Gene already. She didn't fancy having it again, certainly not in front of Sam and Molly.

Gene grunted.

"No," he said. He knew she wanted this over with, but he couldn't risk anyone but himself and Roxy knowing what was really going on. Alex could keep a secret yes, but sometimes her tongue ran away with her at the wrong moment, as well. He got up and finished getting ready for work then headed out.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

JT sat in his cell. He was heartily tired of this whole thing and wanted Mr. Hunt to just let him go. It had been two days now. Surely, whoever had actually attacked Sean would have come forward by now so he would be cleared. He knew Roxy was all for the plan and seemed to be loving it, at least she'd admitted that much last night when Mr. Hunt had snuck Roxy in so they could spend some time together.

He sighed and leaned back against the wall and bent his head back to the book Rowan had brought for him.

/\\\/\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\

Alyssa nudged Jack gently as she climbed out of bed.

"Come on sleepy head, you've got a school to run," she told him with a chuckle as she made her way into the bathroom. Alyssa had promised Tanya that she would work all this week in return for getting the weekend and Monday off work. Tanya had managed to find someone to look after Oscar over the weekend for her. Alyssa sighed as she washed her hair, she wasn't looking forward to this weekend, she wasn't looking forward to seeing Declan, but with Alex being there she would at least have someone other than Jack there.

She wrapped herself in a towel as she came out of the bathroom and smiled as she pulled the duvet off Jack

"Jack, get up!" she told him. "School won't wait for you," she smiled as she nudged him one last time and started getting dressed.

Jack grunted and sat up.

"Okay, I'm up," he sighed and smiled at her. He was looking forward to this trip this weekend. It would be nice to get away someplace quiet. He knew Alyssa wasn't Gung-Ho about it, but they could see as little of Declan as she wanted and Alex would be there, so that would help. He climbed out of bed and went to grab a shower before setting off for school.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Sean shoved his shoes onto his feet. Finally these idiotic doctors had decided he was well enough to go home. Sean was relieved. He was gradually losing the will to live while he was stuck in here. Sean signed whatever he needed to sign and marched out of the Hospital.

Sean hailed a taxi and got it to drive him back to the square

Roxy sighed as she brought yesterday's rubbish out of the pub. She didn't like lying in bed on her own, she missed having JT to cuddle up to at night, and she hated how Amy's face fell when she didn't see him in the kitchen in the mornings. She hadn't thought it would take this long, and the longer it took the more angry she got and the more 'into' her role she got. She was grateful for the time Gene had let her have with JT, but wasn't happy that Amy had to be kept in the dark about what was happening, though as a toddler she couldn't be trusted to keep a secret this big. Roxy just held onto the thought that JT would be back soon!

Her gaze was caught by the sight of a taxi and a half smile graced her face, taxi's in the morning were usually a sign of someone waking up somewhere they hadn't anticipated the night before, probably hungover or drunk. The smiled fell as she saw Sean climb out of the Taxi. She caught his smile at her and she turned her back and flounced inside.

Sean chuckled lightly. She was angry at him for putting JT in the frame, that was understandable though. Once JT went down the field was clear and he could have his wife back.

Sean looked at the time. He smiled, he didn't fancy cooking, and why should he when there was a pub over the road that served food. He left his home and made his way over.

Roxy glared icily at Sean as he came and stood by the bar, how dare he have the nerve to come in here! He wasn't welcome, he could bloody well leave! She opened her mouth as Tracey moved to serve him.

"Stop, Trace, he's not welcome here," she said coldly as she folded her arms and glared at Sean. "Get out."

Sean raised his eyebrows. "Rox, come on, I'm an invalid," he said, gesturing to his head. "And really, it's the least you can do after your great hulk of a boyfriend attacked me," he said matter-of-factly as he smirked at her.

Roxy bristled. "JT did not attack you, Sean," she told him.

"I beg to differ, I saw it Rox, I watched him raise that spade above his head and swing it into my head," he said. "I've got the wound to prove it! I've just spent the last few days in hospital!" he retorted, he loved getting her riled up, not only was it fun to do and amusing to watch, but it was so easy!

"And while you've been sitting in hospital, JT has been sitting in a police cell," she snapped at him angrily. "A place he doesn't deserve to be because he didn't do it," she growled at him.

"He's capable of doing it though, look at him..."

Roxy cut him off. "I can't Sean, you got him locked up," she snapped. He merely smirked at her triumphantly and continued.

"The guy is huge, he's certainly able to smack someone around the head with a spade and clearly wants me out of the picture so he can have you to himself," he said.

"He doesn't need you out of the picture because he already has me," she said back tartly. "Retract your statement," she demanded.

"No!" he said. "JT did it Roxy!"

"No, he didn't!" she screamed at him. "Just let him go!" she said, her face a storm, uncaring that now most of the pub was watching them, she wanted Sean out of the pub and JT released from that cell!

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Rhys followed Ginger out of the caf? and nearly dropped the coffees he was carrying when he saw Sean Slater. He glanced at Ginger and shrugged before setting off towards the station again.

"Poor Roxy," Ginger muttered. "You'd think the person who really attacked that toerag would have come forward by now. I mean, we all know JT didn't do it. We've only got Sean's word and there's no physical evidence that JT was there at all!" Ginger whispered harshly, even though he knew they were out of earshot.

"Yeah, well, Guv won't let me have anything to do with it, says I'm too close. Not helped by Ffion having a go at me every time she catches sight of me. I feel bad for Roxy, though," he admitted and shrugged.

He glanced back once more and caught sight of Sean still staring up at the pub with that self-satisfied smirk on his face. Rhys' eyes narrowed and he found himself wanting to wipe that smile from Sean's face.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Rowan finished tidying up after breakfast and looked at Ray.

"Ready to go?" she asked as she put the container of muffins she was taking to the station into the diaper bag and then slung it over her shoulder. She picked up Denis and looked expectantly at Ray. She knew he wasn't keen about going shopping, but it was for the babies and besides, surely he wanted to pick up his pay.

"Raaayyy," she sang and then grabbed the folded up stroller and handed it to him after he finally came out and picked up Claire.

She grinned at him and headed downstairs quickly. She waved at Syed and Ffion and hurried out the side door, holding it open for Ray since he had his hands full.

She expertly opened the stroller once he'd put it down and loaded the twins into it.

"So, station first," she said cheerily and set off at a brisk walk.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Rhys sat with Ginger and Gene in the pub, enjoying lunch. All anyone seemed to be talking about at the station was Sean Slater being back and Rhys was mightily tired of hearing about it. He nearly sighed audibly when Sean came strutting into the pub.

He wasn't even aware that he had stood up as the argument progressed and began to walk in their direction.

"Rhys, sit down, keep out of it," Ginger hissed and looked at Gene, who had stood up as well.

Gene went over to Rhys and started to push him back into his seat, but Rhys shoved him away, much to Gene's surprise.

He went over and stood between Roxy and Sean.

"I did it!" he snapped at Sean. "I'm the one who picked up that shovel and hit you with it. I'd do it again if I had the chance after what you've done."

Gene looked at Ginger, his eyes wide, and moved in Rhys' direction.

Roxy stared at Rhys in shock. He'd done it? He'd put Sean in hospital. Her gaze flickered over to Gene for a moment. She would get JT back.

Sean glared at the man in front of him. Ffion's brother. He had just ruined any chance he had of keeping Roxy away from JT, ruined any chance of Roxy coming back to him.

Sean's fist shot out and grabbed a handful of Rhys' shirt.

"You," he hissed angrily as he slammed Rhys against the bar. "You tried to kill me, and you," he snarled. "Have just ruined everything," he roared.

Roxy looked over at Gene imploringly, begging him silently to do something. All she wanted now was Sean out of her pub and JT back here with her and Amy. Her anger boiled, Rhys keeping his mouth shut had meant that JT was still in a cell!

She glared at him. "You mean, you've watched JT sit in that cell for all this time and said nothing!" she half screamed at him. Rhys glared right back at Sean.

"Well, that's a shame," he sneered. "Now you've been publicly humiliated and the police know you lied on a sworn statement."

Rhys ignored Roxy, keeping his attention focused on Sean until Gene stepped up behind him. He told hold of Sean by the back of his shirt and dragged him off Rhys and shoved him in Ginger's direction.

Ginger grabbed hold of Sean and pulled him away from the situation farther while Gene kept hold of Rhys.

"Sorry, Rhys, I'm going to have to put you under arrest," Gene said and cuffed Rhys and led him from the pub.

Ginger kept hold of Sean until Gene had taken Rhys from the pub and then let him go.

"I suppose you'll be wanting to come down to the station and retract your statement, that way you might only get banged up for wasting police time," Ginger said and stormed out the pub.

He headed back to the station, firing off a text to Ffion as he did so.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Alex sighed and grabbed herself some toast. She took an unenthusiastic bite and watched him leave. She glanced at Sam and levelled a finger at him.

"Don't give me that look, young man," she told him. "He may be living here, but I haven't forgiven him," she said. Molly snorted as she came out of the bathroom.

"Sure," she scoffed. Alex raised her eyebrows. "I'm still angry at him, Molls," she said pointedly.

"Yeah, but you've let him back in the house," Molly retorted before shutting her bedroom door and ending the conversation. Alex sighed.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Chris quickly got on the phone to Alex.

"Ma'am, Rhys confessed to everyone in the pub that he attacked Sean. The Guv's arrested him and we've let JT go. I think you should get down here pretty quick," he explained quickly.

"Okay Chris, I'll be there as soon as I can," she sighed. Alex waited patiently for Joanna to get back; they had come to an arrangement where Alex came home at lunch to be with Sam, and away from Gene, and Joanna went out to wherever to get food.

She smiled brightly as Joanna came in and kissed Sam's head before dashing out of the house and hurrying to the station.

Chris stood uneasily next to Sean to take down his retraction and nodded at Alex as she came in. He quickly stepped over to her. "They're in interview room 4," he said and pointed then walked back over to Sean.

"So, that's done. The Guv will let you know what he decides to do about the charges of wasting police time," Chris told him shortly and then walked away. At least this time, he hadn't been nervous. Of course, it helped that Adam was right there.

Alex nodded at Chris and walked down the hall. She knocked briefly on the door and then went inside and took her seat next to Gene, she saw the red light on the tape recorder, signalling that it was recording and cleared her throat

"For the benefit of the tape, DI Hunt has just entered the room," she said then gestured at Gene to continue.

Gene nodded and kept on. He wasn't even asking questions, just listening as Rhys talked and talked, encouraged by his sister. Gene was sure he could keep Rhys from being sacked, if not for the false arrest of Sean when he thought Sean had raped his sister. That had been a mistake. He held back a sigh and waited for Rhys to finish so he could lock him up and get on with things. Rhys had been such a good officer.

Ffion read the text from Ginger and gasped. She hurried over to where Rowan was sitting, having lunch and staring at her babies as she ate.

"Rowan, something's happened and I need to go to the station, I'll see you later okay, please?"

Rowan looked up at her in surprise and nodded. "Sure, fine, no problem," Rowan said and watched Ffion run off.

Ffion got to the station and rushed inside.

"Where's my brother, where's Rhys?" she asked in a rush.

"He's been arrested. It seems he was the one that attacked Sean," Adam told her.

"I know that," she snapped. "I want to see him, where is he?"

"No, sorry, you can't. You should just go, Ffion," he told her.

"I want to see him," she demanded.

"What makes you think he wants to see you?" a voice said behind Ffion. She turned and saw her sister, Katie standing there.

"This is all your fault, Fee, this is all down to you and you not being able to keep your hands to yourself, and then having the nerve to lie about it," Katie admonished. Ffion looked at her sister in shock.

"He didn't have to do what he did, I never made him do that," Ffion cried.

"He thought he was protecting you," Katie said sharply. "So, this is all your fault."

Ffion pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Don't bother calling home," Katie told her. "I'm not the only one who is on Rhys' side in this, Fee. You should avoid the family for now."

Ffion blinked back tears and bolted from the station. Katie watched her go.

"I'm here for Rhys, I'm his solicitor," she told Adam. He nodded and led her to the interview room where Rhys was.

Sean scowled at Ginger. He didn't want Rhys to go down for this! Yeah he didn't like Rhys either but if he got JT out of the picture then he got Roxy back to himself!

He pushed Ginger away and stalked after Gene and Rhys. He would have to retract his statement know! He didn't want to, but he would.

Roxy watched them leave and leaned heavily on the bar. So Rhys had hit Sean over the head? She would have to thank him, for maiming Sean and for finally turning himself in.

Ginger went down to the cells and let JT out.

"Rhys confessed to attacking Sean, so you're free to go. I don't suppose I need to tell you how sorry we are."

JT shook his head. "You don't have to. It was Gene's plan to keep me locked up to goad the real culprit into confessing," JT admitted.

Ginger looked at him in shock. "Pull the other one."

"No, really," JT said with a chuckle and clapped Ginger on the back before heading out of the station. He went straight to the pub and smiled when he caught sight of Roxy. His big strides took him quickly across the pub and he grabbed Roxy up and swung her around.

Roxy's face lit up at the sight of JT and she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she buried her face in her chest. She had missed him so much while he had been locked away. But now he was back.

"I'm so glad you're back!" she gushed. "Amy's been really upset and one more day and I would have lost it completely and told Gene where to stick his stupid plan."

"Thanks for going along with it. I just can't believe it was that Rhys!" JT told her and kissed her.

"Are you all right otherwise though? And uh…I hate to ask but…any chance you'll divorce the guy now?"

He reached into his pocket and held out a box. "I'd sort of like to spend the rest of my life with you."

Roxy looked at JT in shock as he held up the box to her. She gaped at him for a moment, then gently took the box from him and peered inside. She bit her lip and snapped the box shut before throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.

Roxy pulled back from the kiss and beamed at him. "I sent a letter to my lawyer a week ago," she told him. "I didn't want to tell you yet, I just need Sean to agree, which he had better, then it should only take about 6 weeks given there's no complications," she told him.

Roxy kissed him once more and unwound herself from him. "Come on, there's a small girl upstairs that is missing you terribly," she said with a small smile as she tugged on his hand to get him to follow her.

Roxy spotted Amy colouring in the kitchen and beamed at the girl. "Amy," she whispered and the girl looked up. "Guess what?" she said.

"Wha?" Amy replied curiously.

JT couldn't hold back his smile and spun Roxy around again.

"I want to see her, too," he remarked and followed her up.

JT hid next to the doorframe and then peered around and growled when he heard Amy ask what. Two steps took him to her so he could pick her up instead of her attempting to climb out of the chair and hurting herself in her excitement.

"I think, maybe, we should have cake. What do you think?" he asked her and winked at Roxy.

Roxy laughed as Amy hugged JT tightly. Her scream of his name had only widened Roxy's smile and she felt whole again now that JT was back with them.

She nodded and moved to the fridge.

"I think that we've been saving this," she said as she pulled a cake from the fridge. "For a special occasion, I think this counts," she smiled as she set the cake on the table and passed a knife to JT as she got down a few plates.

Roxy passed the plates to JT as she sat down next to him and smiled at him fondly. He had promised before that he wouldn't leave her, now he wanted to marry her. Even after all of the stuff with Sean.

"I agree," said JT and grinned at Amy and got her to rub her hands together at the same time he did.

Ffion ran back to Jack and Alyssa's house in tears and let herself in and collapsed on the couch. How could her family do this to her? Now she was glad more than ever that she was going away with Jack and Alyssa this weekend. She so desperately needed to escape.

Ffion quickly washed her face when she heard someone get home. She crept out of her room and nodded at Whitney with relief. Jack or Alyssa would no doubt want to talk to her about what was happening and she didn't want to talk about it. Her whole family wanted nothing to do with her? How was she supposed to deal with that?

She went back to her room and curled up on her bed again.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Sean scowled as he took a seat in the corner. He would wait here and demand to know what was happening rather than leave it to the Police and have himself arrested later on.

Gene walked back up front and looked at Sean sitting there.

"So, Mr. Slater, I assume you've retracted your statement?" he asked. He folded his arms and smiled.

"I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do with you, so why don't you run along like a good little boy and I'll have a think," he suggested. With a final smirk at Sean, he turned on his heel and walked off.

He went back into the main office and looked at Alex.

"I take great satisfaction in watching Sean Slater squirm," he told her.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Alex sat patiently and felt bad for Rhys. He had only been trying to help Ffion. But she couldn't help feeling a little happy that her instinct had been right after all. Rhys had done it, not that she was pleased about that. He would have to be charged and they would lose a fine officer! He was their DS! She listened patiently until Rhys finished.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Patronising, arrogant bastard!

Sean scowled after Gene as he walked away and stood up from his seat. Now he had to wait! He hated waiting when it was for something bad. Waiting for something he was planning he could do. When someone else held all the cards it made him uneasy! He glared at anyone who looked at him as he stalked from the station.

Alex looked up at Gene and allowed a smile at him. "I think everyone takes pleasure in seeing Sean Slater being made to squirm," she said with a smile.

Gene smiled back at her, glad to see her smile. It was so rare he got to see her smile these days.

He took a chance and stepped close to her. "So," he said softly, his voice tinged with longing, "looking forward to going on this trip tomorrow."

He extended his hand to her slightly.

Alex raised her eyebrows at him.

She glanced at his hand for a moment then returned her gaze to his face.

"I'm going to go and type up Rhys' interview," she said as she turned away and headed to her desk, picking up the tape recorder as she did so.

Gene put his hands in his pockets and drew in a long breath through his nose and let it out slowly. What was wrong with that woman?

/\\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/\\

Whitney came down as Jack was cooking dinner.

"I don't know if Ffion will be down or not," she told them. "She was crying earlier. She tried to hide it, but I could tell."

Alyssa looked up at Whitney and sighed "I'll go up and see her" she said as she stood up. She patted Whitney's shoulder as she went past her and climbed the stairs.

Alyssa knocked on Ffion's door. "Fee?" she asked as she knocked again.

Ffion glanced at the door as she heard Alyssa knock. She stared at it for a moment and then got up and opened it.

"I'm not hungry thanks, I ate a lot at lunch," she said, her tone slightly dead. But she didn't want to talk to anybody. Her family didn't want her anymore. Why would anyone else?

She tilted her head as she looked at Alyssa. "I suppose you heard about my brother?"

Alyssa walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. "Yeah," she said sadly.

"Are _you _okay though, Fee? Jack and I are worried about you," she said gently.

"I'm fine," Ffion lied. "Just not hungry," she added and got off the bed.

"Think I'll go for a walk," she announced and left the room. She went straight to the Minute Mart, bought several bottles of vodka and snuck them into the house in her bag and got quietly drunk.

Alyssa sighed as she heard the front door shut and then went back downstairs to eat. Clearly Ffion didn't want to talk.


	31. Chapter 31

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 31**

Gene checked his suit in the mirror and looked at Alex.

"All ready for court," he told her. "We'll get this business with Rhys sorted and then head out with Jack and Alyssa. I'm all packed, are you?"

Alex nodded as she smoothed out her trousers. "I'm packed," she replied with a short nod. She was going to be stuck in a car with him, for the entire journey up there! She wondered if Ffion was willing to ride in the Quattro so that she could go up with Jack and Alyssa. She guessed not. Molly was looking after Sam for the weekend so she didn't have to worry there, at least.

She checked the time and nodded at the door. "Come on, best get this over with," she sighed.

"I've got some cover in for while we're gone. No me, no you, no Ray, we're a bit shorthanded for this weekend. Nobody else is ready to be in charge and I don't want that lot left on their own."

Jack got up and made sure his packing was ready and went downstairs.

He put the kettle on to make some tea and dug out stuff to make breakfast.

Ffion slumped into the kitchen and dropped onto a chair.

"You all ready for today?"

"Yeah," she replied listlessly. Jack wished she would open up to to either him or Alyssa. Something had clearly happened. He had an idea it was to do with her brother being arrested, but he also had an idea it was more than that. He had put fresh sheets in her room last night and had noticed all the photos of her family that used to hang on the dressing table mirror had gone.

He reckoned that was what it was about, somehow. He made her a cup of her favorite tea and placed it on the table before turning back to the stove.

Alyssa shoved her clothes into her case and dragged it across the landing and then downstairs. Alex was still coming along with them, and Fee. She sighed, she had seen Ffion falling ever since Rhys had admitted to putting Sean in hospital. She wished Fee would open up, maybe a weekend away would help her to clear her head?

She went to find Jack and looked up at him, "Are we waiting until the case is done or are Alex and Gene following us up later?" she asked him. "I'm all packed and ready," she added with a smile.

Jack looked at his watch. "They should be here soon enough. They were coming over here right after court," he told her, making sure Ffion wasn't nearby to hear the last bit. She'd already gone back up to her room, he noticed.

"I'm getting worried about her. I hope this weekend away helps. I really do."

Alyssa nodded at him and sighed, she rubbed his arm gently. "Me too, she's not herself at all!" she said "And have you seen how she hasn't had any contact with her family at all? You'd think they would want to know what was going on with Rhys, but they certainly aren't coming to Fee to find out," she said, keeping her voice low.

"Some time away from here, a new place, might be just what she needs," Alyssa said hopefully.

/\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\\\/\\/\

Rowan finished tidying up after breakfast and looked at Ray.

"Ready to go?" she asked as she put the container of muffins she was taking to the station into the diaper bag and then slung it over her shoulder. She picked up Denis and looked expectantly at Ray. She knew he wasn't keen about going shopping, but it was for the babies and besides, it was Friday, surely he wanted to pick up his pay.

"Raaayyy," she sang and then grabbed the folded up stroller and handed it to him after he finally came out and picked up Claire.

She grinned at him and headed downstairs quickly. She waved at Syed and Ffion and hurried out the side door, holding it open for Ray since he had his hands full.

She expertly opened the stroller once he'd put it down and loaded the twins into it.

"So, station first," she said cheerily and set off at a brisk walk.

Ray nodded at her. "Station first," he agreed with a chuckle as she set off. Ray followed and slung an arm around her as she pushed the stroller along, he glanced down at the twins with a grin as they walked.

Ray led Rowan into the office and set the twins with Shaz as Rowan darted off. He shook his head with a smile and went to the locked drawer in his desk where Gene put his wage slip. Ray pocketed it then went to talk to Chris and Shaz for a bit while he waited for Rowan.

Rowan went straight in to see Chris and Shaz when they got to the station.

"So, have things settled down now?" she wanted to know and then held her hand up. "Be right back."

She hurried off to the bathroom, glad now that she didn't have to go as often as she did when she was pregnant. Yes, she was more tired now that the babies were out and seemingly determined to make up for being quiet their first couple of days home, but she didn't mind. She was glad not to be pregnant anymore.

She began walking back to the main room and had turned to go down the hallway when a voice behind her made her stop.

"Well, well, well, well, well, what do we have here, then?" a man's voice drawled behind her.

Rowan's brow furrowed and she slowly turned to look behind her. "Are you talking to me?" she asked quietly, somewhat curious, but somewhat worried.

"Indeed I am," the man said, his voice mildly surprised at her accent and he moved closer to her and looked her up and down.

Rowan turned slightly and looked at the man, brown hair, mustache, about the same height as Ray with a sort of oily look about him. She was sure he must be a police office, but she'd never seen him before.

He moved a couple more steps closer to her and Rowan backed away and realized that the wall was now behind her.

"Don't run away, little American darlin'," he reassured silkily, "I don't bite."

He put his hand up on the wall next to her and leaned close. His eyes dropped and his gaze lingered on her chest before slowly rising to her face. "You've certainly got a lot to offer, haven't you, love?" he asked and tapped his forefinger at the base of her throat. Rowan slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me," she warned, keeping her voice low.

"Oh, I am so sorry, slipped," he defended and put his other hand on the wall, fencing her in. "Why don't you and I go to that nice little pub I saw earlier and I'll buy you a drink or two and then maybe we can go somewhere a bit more private," he suggested.

"Look, you need to back off," she tried again.

"You want to watch how you talk to me, love, I am a police officer," he said and took his hand from the wall to run a finger down her cheek.

She brushed his hand away again. "Look, Officer Whoever-You-Are, I've asked you nice, not to touch me, now please, back off."

He chuckled. "Well, darlin', I'm DCI Litton, and I'm helping out around here while Hunt and his posh tart are away, so you could be a bit more welcoming I think."

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Ray checked the time and frowned. He left the twins with Shaz as he went to look for Rowan, the toilet did not take that long!

His eyes widened in surprise and anger as he spotted Litton caging Rowan to the wall. He walked up, pulled Rowan gently out from between the wall and Litton and folded his arms as he directed his curious and angry glare at Litton.

"What the devil are you doing here, Litton?" Ray demanded to know, an undertone of anger colouring his voice.

Rowan nearly wept with relief as she saw Ray coming towards them. She gladly ducked away from Litton and stood close to Ray, frowning at Litton as she did so.

Litton's eyebrows went up.

"So, the lovely little armful belongs to you, well done, mate," Litton drawled. "Hunt asked me to come and keep an eye on things while he and that wife of his are up north for the weekend. Seems there's no one around to be in charge while he's gone," he observed snidely. "Though if I had that at home, I'd no doubt take a few days off myself," he said with a gesture at Rowan.

Rowan gritted her teeth, but said nothing. She gave Ray a quick pat on the back and then slipped away and hurried off down the hall.

Litton pursed his lips and watched her go, then glanced back at Ray and grinned.

Ray frowned at Litton, the woman had just given birth a few days ago, she didn't need this! He felt Rowan leave and glared at Litton.

"Just leave her alone, Derek," he said with a sigh. "Find someone else to wind up," he added as he turned and followed Rowan down the hall.

Litton followed after him. "Aw, come on now, Ray, we're mates aren't we? No harm done," Litton cajoled. "She seems a very nice bird."

Rowan shuddered as she went back into the main room.

"Do you know that Litton person?" she asked no one in particular as she checked on the twins. "He is one slimy piece of work."

"Yeah, we knew him back in Manchester . I don't know why the Guv wanted him here, they've never been mates. Though, I guess they got along all right when he came to Fenchurch," Chris said with a shrug.

Shaz shuddered. "I don't like him, but even he is better than that DI that came down to Fenchurch with him," she said with a shrug. "He was worse than Litton," she said.

Ray came back into the office and frowned. "What is bloody Litton doing here?"

"Well someone had to cover for you, Ray," Shaz argued back. "And Alex and the Guv have gone to Yorkshire with Jack," she added.

Ray shrugged and looked at Rowan. "Ready to go"?

Rowan glanced over as Ray came back in and nodded.

"I'll see you later, Shaz," Rowan said and turned the stroller so she could back out of the door then caught sight of Litton holding the door open. She glanced at Ray, turned the stroller again so it was in front of her and headed out the door, barely murmuring a thank you to the man.

Litton raised a brow and looked at Ray as he let the door swing shut behind Rowan.

"That's why you're taking time off? You…," Litton broke off, unable to even complete the thought. "You disappoint me, Raymundo, but well done on that tasty bird all the same," he said and slapped Ray's back.

Ray looked up at Litton, he had never really liked Litton, but Gene saw fit to trust him with the station while all of them were absent so he couldn't be all bad. He nodded shortly and watched Rowan back out of the room. He smiled lightly at her as she started away with the twins.

"Bye, Ro," Shaz waved at Rowan and smiled at the twins. She looked up as she saw Litton and exhaled through her nose in annoyance at his very presence before returning to her work.

Ray looked at Litton and shrugged. "I'm not disappointed, I'm ecstatic," he grinned then hurried after Rowan and took the stroller from her, carefully carrying it down the steps and setting it back down on the pavement carefully.

"Ignore Litton, he's always been a douche," he said. "Back up in Manchester there was always tension between his department and ours, we once had this fist fight over him us getting in the paper and him not," he grinned. "And whenever he did get in the paper for the work that he'd done we would defile the picture and pin it up."

Litton clapped his hands together and looked at Chris, Shaz and Ginger.

"Right, let's get to work," he said and rubbed his hands together.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Gene drove them to court and was glad when it was all over. He thought about stopping at the station, but Litton was there. He could be trusted to take care of things for a couple of days. Gene trusted his team anyway.

He looked over at her as he drove home.

"So, are you riding with me or them?" he asked, careful to keep his tone neutral.

Alex raised her eyebrows at him. "Are we really going to manage to spend 3 and half hours in a confined space without something happening?" she asked and shook her head. "I'll see if Jack and Lyss have room in their car," she told him.

She didn't want to risk having an argument, not if they were trying to be civil to each other. Especially if he was supposed to be driving, his driving was bad enough when he was calm, but when he was angry it was downright chaotic, and dangerous. She would be much safer in Jack's car. His temper wasn't as bad as Gene's.

"Fine," he sighed and put their things in the Quattro. "Can you bear to ride with me to their house or would you prefer to walk?" he asked her, more sharply than he'd intended. Why couldn't the bloody woman just leave it? He hadn't done anything. She knew he hadn't done anything and yet, he was till being treated like he had.

Alex scowled at him "This is exactly what I'm talking about! We can't be civil to each other during a 5 minute drive! So can you imagine a 4 hour drive," she asked. "No, thank you," she said with a sharp shake of her head. She folded her arms as she got into the car and stared out of the window.

"You know, Alex, I'm trying here, but I don't know what bloody else you want me to do. You know I didn't cheat on you, I don't appreciate being punished for it any longer," he said in a tone of finality.

He opened the car door for her anyway and then climbed in himself. He was beginning to wish he had had an affair, just so he would deserve this treatment he was getting. He remembered back when he'd been caught sleeping with a stripper in bed next to him. Alex had shrugged it off, knowing he wouldn't have done anything. Why was it so different now?

Alex was silent on the short drive to Jack's house. She got out of the car the minute he pulled up and went to ring the bell.

He shook his head and drove them to Jack and Alyssa's and then stood by the car and smoked.

/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Jack nodded. "The pictures are gone from her mirror; I noticed it when I put fresh sheets in her room last night. I think they might have been in the bin, but I didn't go check. Do you think they're blaming her?" he wondered and then turned his head as he heard the sound of Gene's car pulling up outside. He grinned at Alyssa.

"Why don't you go get Fee and I'll let these two in. This little trip better get them back together. I'm getting tired of keeping Gene company in the pub every night to keep him from drinking himself insensible," he remarked and opened the door.

"Hey, Alex, Lyss is just up getting Fee," he told her and picked up his and Alyssa's cases. "I assume we're all ready to go?"

Alyssa nodded and darted upstairs. She knocked on Ffion's door once.

"Fee, Alex and Gene are here, are you ready to go?" she asked as she looked at her, concern written all over her face. Jack was right, she noticed the absence of pictures of her family anywhere in her room. Alyssa sighed inwardly and hoped that this trip would work.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Declan whistled as he left the B&B. He'd got Jack's rooms booked. Apparently he was bringing mates, that was fine. He was over Alyssa, he was. He walked over to the Woolpack and nodded at various people before sitting down with Ella.

"So, I've spoken to Eric and they are all sorted at the B&B," he told her.

"That's nice. Will we be having a party while they're here? I'll have to sort out catering if we are," she told him.

He shrugged. "I suppose we could, or we could just bring them here, it's usually a party with free entertainment," he chuckled and barely nodded his head in the direction of the others in the pub. Ella nodded. "There is that," she remarked.

"So, what's cousin Jack's wife like?"

"I think you'll like her. She's posh, like you, very into clothes and all that business. She manages a salon down in London ."

Ella's brows went up. "Really? Well, I like her already. What about the others?"

"Jack's best mate and his wife, a DSI and a DI, so that should be interesting," he snorted. "They're also bringing a young girl he and Alyssa have sort of taken in, they're hoping this little trip will do her good. Apparently, things aren't going well for her," he shrugged.

"Maybe Mia could show her around then," she suggested. Declan nodded.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Alex nodded at Jack and smiled as she saw Alyssa and Ffion making their way downstairs. She waved merrily at Alyssa.

"Heya, Lyss," she grinned.

Alyssa beamed at Alex and looked over her shoulder to see Gene smoking in silence by the car. She sighed and raised her eyebrows at Alex. "Alex..?" she said and nodded at the scowl on Gene's face. Alex shrugged it off.

"Do you have space in the car for me, too? There's no way I'm spending 4 hours in a car with him," she said with a sigh.

Alyssa sighed inwardly, they hadn't even set off and Gene and Alex were already arguing. She looked over at Jack and then back at Alex. "I'll ask Jack," she said as she led Alex down the steps, closing the front door behind her and making sure it was locked.

Alyssa put her hand on Jacks arm gently to get his attention. "It seems that Alex and Gene are already at each others throats, Alex wants to know if she can ride with us?" she asked him. "Do we say yes or force them to go up there together?" she asked quietly.

Jack frowned. "We already have Ffion riding with us and with what's going on with her brother she's not going to want to ride with Gene," he stated. "Someone has to ride with Gene," he shrugged.

He went back out. "We've got Ffion in the car with us, someone is going to have to ride with Gene. We certainly can't ask her to do it, so it's down to you two," he said and gestured at Alex and Alyssa. "I'm driving, so, lets me out an all."

He picked up the bags and carried them out to the car and then stood with Gene and lit up.

Gene blew out a long plume of smoke. "I've done nowt wrong, apologized more times than I can count for it and she's still like ice with me," Gene said in a low voice. Jack made a noise of commiseration and glanced over at the house.

"We're trying to get Alex to ride up with you, but you might end up stuck with Alyssa," Jack told him.

"Makes me wish I'd done something to get punished for," Gene mused.

"So you've said a hundred times, mate," Jack reminded him. Jack watched Ffion come out of the house with her overnight bag slung over her shoulder and nodded at her as she climbed in the car. He glanced back over at Gene and then they both turned their gazes to the door of the house to see who would ride with whom.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Cain overheard Declan and Ella's conversation as he sat with his daughter and her boyfriend and frowned. That woman he'd kidnapped for Declan was coming here? He'd worn a disguise, but still, he didn't want to be around her at all. He grunted at Debbie's questioning looks and left the pub.

He would just stay away from where they were.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Rowan nodded. "Consider him stricken from my mind. I'm so glad you came along when you did, acuisle, it was trying my considerable patience not to hurt the man," she confessed.

She walked happily with him to the High Street and spotted a baby shop she'd been to before. She grinned and looked at Ray.

"C'mon," she said and headed across the street and led him inside.

Ray grinned at her. "Well, the last thing we need is you banged up for assaulting a police officer," he told her and then bent down to kiss her cheek. "Well, a police officer that isn't me," he grinned at her as he pulled away, pushing the stroller with one hand and reaching for hers with the other.

Ray looked down at the twins in the stroller and sighed as Rowan went into the shop. "Well kids, welcome to your first proper shopping experience," he mumbled to them as he followed her inside the shop.

"Or Gene," she joined in the joking.

Ray chuckled at her. "Or Gene," he agreed. "Though he deserved that," he added with a shrug.

Rowan let go his hand and looped her arms around one of his arms and laced her fingers together instead. Rowan wandered through the shop, pulling baby outfits off racks and looking at them. Some she put back, some she held up for Ray to approve of or not. When she had a nice little pile of things, she went to the counter and paid. She looked at Ray.

Ray took care of the stroller and the children inside it as he watched Rowan flit around the shop, picking up clothes. He shrugged, nodded and shook his head at her choices. He watched her pay and raised his eyebrows at the twins.

"So, what now do you think?" she asked.

He shrugged at her. "What else did you want to get?" he asked as he moved the children out of the shop.

Rowan shrugged. "No plan really, got the babies some more clothes so now it's whatever," she told him. "We can just walk around if you like."

Ray nodded. "So, we could take them for a walk through the park?" he said with a shrug as he nodded in the direction. "Shame to waste a lovely day" he smiled as he pushed the push chair gently and walked down the street, pausing to reach for her hand.

Rowan smiled. "Sure, I don't think I've been to that park," she said and wrapped her arms around his arm instead of taking his hand. She liked both his hands on the stroller and she just liked being so close.

"You know, there's karaoke at the Halloween party, I should see if Alyssa wants to do something again. That was fun that time we did it before. Seems so long ago," she remarked. Of course, she'd enjoyed the look on Ray's face more than anything as she'd danced in that skimpy outfit Alyssa had talked her into wearing. She smiled and leaned her head against his arm as they walked.

Ray smiled down at her. "It was over a year ago since you last did karaoke with Alyssa," he told her with a grin. He quite liked this he decided, walking around with Rowan on his arm, and pushing his kids in the pushchair, in the park with the sun. He would enjoy it even more when he was teaching them both how to play football and taking them to the swings. He smiled dreamily to himself as they walked through the park.

"So, if you do do the karaoke then what do you plan on singing this time?" he asked curiously as he pulled himself from his daydreams and looked down at her.

Rowan looked up at Ray and shrugged. "I have no idea. I'm sure Lyss will come up with something fun to do," she replied and tugged on his arm to lead him to a bench. She sighed as she sat down. She pulled a baby blanket out of the diaper bag and draped it over her shoulder before picking up one of the babies to start feeding and let out a small sound of relief. She actually started to ache now when it was time to feed them and that combined with the walking was more than she could deal with.

Ray watched Rowan and picked up the other baby from the pushchair. He rocked the baby gently as he watched Rowan, she was doing that in public? Really? He frowned slightly and looked back at the baby in his arms, trying to work out which one it was that he was holding.

Rowan caught Ray's glance and shook her head. "I have a blanket covering me," she told him. "Besides, it starts to hurt if I don't."

Ray nodded slowly at her and continued to rock the baby in his arms. He sighed down at it. "S'pose it's your turn next?" he grumbled. He wasn't going to get a turn for ages, he would wait patiently though, he could do it.

Rowan let a small chuckle escape her at Ray's comment. She checked that Claire was finished and slipped her out from under the blanket, shifted the blanket and traded babies with Ray.

"Hey, c'mere," she said and leaned towards him for a kiss. "Only a few weeks," she told him.

Ray smiled at her as he took the other baby from her and held that one warily, he had seen one of them puke after being fed and he didn't fancy being covered in baby puke. If this kid started burping then it was going on the floor.

Rowan frowned, bent down and pulled a towel from the bag and tossed it over Ray's shoulder.

"Ray, burp the baby, I can't do it and feed at the same time," she said in an aggrieved tone.

Ray sighed and slung the towel over his shoulder. He held the baby upright and rubbed small circles on the baby's back as he made sure that the towel would stop his clothes from getting covered in puke.

Rowan watched him to make sure he was doing it right and smiled. He really could be so uptight about baby mess. He was going to have to get over that.

Rowan finished feeding Denis and took care of burping him.

"Should we have lunch out or go home do you think?" she asked.

Ray held Claire gently in his arms and leaned back against the bench luxuriously. "Well, we could go out for lunch, or we could get back in the car," he said. "If I'm honest I'm all in favour of eating out," he grinned at her. "There was a nice little Cafe back down by the shops," he commented. "And I'm sure I saw an ice cream van," he told her with a grin.

"Well, then let's go back and see this café," she said as she put Denis back in the stroller and fixed her top before putting the blanket back in the bag. She chuckled at his comment about ice cream.

"You can have ice cream after we eat," she told him and tapped his nose. "I don't want you to spoil your appetite," she teased and then looked thoughtful.

"When is it Maggie is coming back to visit?" she asked.

Ray looked at her and shrugged. "Soon I guess, she's dying to see the twins but doesn't want to intrude until they've settled in!" he told her as he set Claire back in the push chair, too.

"And I never spoil my appetite," he told her as he took the pram and started to walk, looking behind him to grin at her as he set off.

Rowan caught up and took his arm again and pointed out the cafe.

"That it?" she asked. "We go there first," she told him, keeping a firm grip on his arm.

"Yeah."

Ray grinned at her. "Whatever you say, Ro," he shrugged and pushed the pram towards the Cafe.

Rowan couldn't help but laugh. She opened the door so he could push the stroller through and followed him inside. She took the stroller from Ray. "Get me that chicken salad and a coke," she told Ray and went to sit down.

Ray nodded at her and dutifully made his way to the counter. He stood patiently in the queue and returned to her with her chicken salad and her coke, and a bottle of water and a ham sandwich for himself.

"Here," he smiled at her as he handed over her food and sat down.

"Thank you, acuisle," she said and gratefully began to eat.

"Okay, let's go home. I need to rest and be ready for these two later," she sighed. She grabbed the stroller and headed for the door. She paused at the door and looked back at him as he followed her.

"We can get ice cream now," she chuckled and waited for him to open the door for her.

"Good," Ray nodded as he went and held the door open so that she could get the twins out. He dropped an arm over her shoulders as she pushed the pram along the road and he left her on the pavement as he dashed to the ice cream van. He came back with two ice creams and handed one to her as they made their way back to the car.

She put the babies down once they got home and sighed as she dropped onto the couch with a wince.

"I'm beat," she put a hand to her chest and made a face. "And I'm sore, I think I'm going to have to change to bottles," she told him. She hated that her chest was bigger and she hated that a lot of the time her breasts felt like rocks. She stood up and walked over to him and took his hand and put it against her breast.

"I hate that," she told him and then grabbed her pump and some bottles and went to the bathroom. She was definitely going to switch.

Ray frowned at her as she wandered off. She hated what? He didn't understand. She put his hand on her breast and said she hated it? He folded his arms and stared at the TV. Fine then.

Ray sighed, that couldn't be right, before the twins had been born he had never had any sort of objection from her about him touching her there, in fact, she had seemed to rather enjoy it. What was the woman going on about?

Rowan put the bottles in the fridge and went back to curl up next to Ray on the couch. She took in his face and sighed.

"I know, most of the time they don't even feel normal, more like rocks," she said sadly with a gesture at her breasts. She leaned against Ray. "They ache a lot, too."

Ray sighed in relief as he tightened his arm around her gently. He chuckled lightly and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Is that all?" he asked her with a relieved sigh. "I thought you didn't like me touching you," he told her as his arm relaxed around her and he pulled her a little closer.

"You didn't?" Rowan gasped. How could he possibly think that. "Ray, of course I like you touching me, you great lump," she nudged him and shook her head. "Couldn't you tell what I was talking about? Surely you felt the difference?" she asked him.

Ray shrugged. "I'm just relieved," he told her.

Ray pulled back for a second and looked at her chest. He reached out and cupped one of her breasts gently. "What difference am I supposed to feel?" he asked curiously as he moved his gaze from her breasts to her face.

She took his hand from her breast and kissed it then laced her fingers with his and leaned against him.

"Wait a couple of hours, then I'll show you what I mean," she told him. "They feel pretty much normal now."

She sighed. "I'll teach you how to make formula so you can help with that."

She pulled her feet up onto the couch and cuddled up next to Ray.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Alyssa nodded and looked at Alex, she walked a little way away from Gene and Jack, gently tugging Alex so she came, too.

"Lyss, I'm not riding with Gene," she said confidently.

Alyssa sighed and ran her hands over her face ."Alex, it's 4 hours, sit in the back, put the radio on, ignore him, whatever!" she said in exasperation. "I don't understand why you're still arguing! You know that he didn't sleep with Debbie! Everyone knows that," she said.

Alex frowned. "I can't stop Lyss, I've started and stopping now means admitting that I'm wrong and I can't do that! I can't admit that I'm wrong," she said.

Alyssa sighed. "I'm sorry Alex, but I'm not riding up there with your husband, he'll either interrogate me about you or it'll be really awkward the whole way up there," she said. "Please, Alex, it's not like you have to hang around him while we're up there! It's just 4 hours, less if the traffic is good," she said.

Alex threw her hands up in the air. "Fine!" she snapped and marched to the car. She got into the Quattro and shut the door, her arms folded as she glared out of the windscreen.

Alyssa walked back over to Jack and Gene. "She's going with you," she said to Gene. "But I wouldn't expect much from her Gene, she's a bit.." she trailed off and sighed, he got the idea. She looked at Jack "Come on, if we don't leave soon we'll get stuck in traffic on the motorway," she said as she got into Jack's car.

Gene's eyes widened as he watched Alex storm out and slam into the Quattro. He looked at Jack and then Alyssa and slowly nodded as Alyssa spoke.

He climbed into the car and waited for Jack to pull out before following behind him. He kept his mouth shut the whole time.

Jack nodded and climbed into the car. He felt for Gene, he really did. For all Alyssa's fiery temper and willingness to hold a grudge, she was able to admit she was wrong.

He started the car and with a quick glance at the rearview mirror, headed out of Walford.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Jack navigated his way slowly through the village until he saw the B&B that Declan had spoken of. He parked in front of it and clapped his hands together. "Here we are," he said cheerily and got out of the car. He watched as Gene pulled the Quattro up behind him, the car drawing looks from the villagers as he did so.

Jack flashed a smile at Alyssa and headed inside.

"Hello," he said as he walked in. A woman standing not far away turned and smiled.

"Hiya, Declan, can we do something else for you?" she asked.

Jack chuckled.

"No need to laugh at us, perfectly understandable question," he woman said, slightly offended.

"No, I'm not Declan. I'm Jack Rimmer, his cousin, he was supposed to have booked rooms for me and my wife and my friends?"

"OH! Well, of course he did. He never said you were the spit of him," she chuckled. "I'm Valerie, welcome," she introduced.

Jack looked back as Alyssa came in.

"Well, I'm Jack and this is my wife, Alyssa. Our friends are coming in behind us I think," he said with a glance at Alyssa.

Alyssa glanced into the Quattro and sighed at the look on Alex's face. It didn't look like she and Gene had had a chance of talking. She grabbed the cases out of the boot of the car and wheeled them both into the B&B, glancing up as she heard Jack say her name. She smiled at the woman and gave her a small wave.

"Of course," she reached over and picked up the keys she'd set aside and handed them to Jack. "Here's the keys, you can sort out which you want amongst you, they're all the same. Breakfast is served right over there," she said with a gesture. "And you're all set."

"Thank you. Um, where's a good place to eat?"

"Well, our restaurant serves a very nice meal in the evenings, but if you want something now, I would try the Woolpack. Marlon's quite a decent cook," she suggested. Jack nodded to her and went back outside to hand Gene his key.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Ffion sat in the car sullenly for a few minutes and then got out and stretched. She knew the tight very mini skirt and somewhat revealing top left little to the imagination, but she was beyond caring. She looked at Jack as he came out of the B&B and took the key he handed her.

"Any chance of food?" she asked him idly as she looked around the village.

"Yes, the woman inside said there's a place called the Woolpack that's supposed to have decent food," he told her.

"Uh huh," she said and ran her hands through her hair and began to walk away, noticing the sign for the Woolpack right away and heading in that direction.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Gene stood next to the car and smoked. He had not smoked the whole drive, he knew it bothered Alex. He took the key Jack handed him and shoved it in his pocket. He nodded as Jack told him about the place to eat and he ducked his head into the car.

"Jack says there's a place just over there where we can get some grub it you're hungry. If not, I'll give you the key and you can settle in," he told her, keeping his tone carefully neutral, even if he was sick of treading on eggshells around her. This trip better not turn out to be a mistake.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Alex climbed out of the Quattro and went to get her case out. "I want to put my stuff in the room," she said as she held her hand out for the key.

Alex took the key from him and looked at the room number, she wheeled her case inside and smiled at Alyssa. "I'm going to put this upstairs, coming?" she asked.

Alyssa nodded. "Sure," she replied.

Alex led Alyssa up the stairs and walked along the corridor until she found the room number. Alyssa followed her into the room and dumped her case, taking her seat on the bed. Jack had their room key, she would have to wait until he came upstairs.

Alex unlocked the case and hung some stuff up in one of the wardrobes then turned to look at Alyssa. She frowned.

"Stop it, Lyss," she sighed as she went and sat down on the other side of the bed.

"I'm not doing anything," Alyssa protested.

"Yes you are, you're giving me that look," Alex sighed. "That 'please give him a break look' that people keep giving me, I'm sick of it," she grumbled.

"Well maybe if you did give him a break you wouldn't have to suffer that look and everyone would be a whole lot happier!" Alyssa replied shortly. "Alex, he didn't do anything, so shove your pride and forgive the man!" she said. "Because, I'm telling you if you don't then he's going to do something that will actually warrant your anger" she said as she stood up and grabbed her case.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked in alarm.

Alyssa turned. "I'm going to find Jack and get the key so I can put my stuff in the room," she replied as she left the room. Alex sighed heavily and collapsed backwards onto the bed. Now she had upset Alyssa! Great start to this weekend.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Carl swirled his beer around the inside of his glass glumly. He was bored. Nicola still wasn't talking to Jimmy. He had tried to tell his brother that Nicola was the one he wanted! But no, Jimmy had thought he wanted Kelly! Well, they'd seen the truth when his memory had finally came back some.

Carl took a gulp of his pint. Living with Kelly had been hell on earth. The woman was a complete bitch and he was glad she was gone.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Ffion looked up at the sign over the pub a moment and then walked inside. It was very different from the Queen Vic. She liked the atmosphere immediately. She squared her shoulders and walked across the room to the bar and smiled at the pretty woman serving drinks.

"Vodka tonic, please," Ffion ordered and let her gaze casually roam the room. Hmmm, a lot of talent around here, she couldn't help but notice. She picked up a menu and looked at it curiously.

"Ere ya are love," the woman said as she placed the glass in front of Ffion. Ffion absently handed over a few bills and placed the menu on the bar. "I'll have a burger and chips, too, please. I've heard the food here is really good."

"Oh aye, it is," the woman said agreeably and tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder. "I'll have that brought out to you."

Ffion nodded and made her way slowly over to a table where she could see most of the place. She smiled warmly at a man sitting on his own as she passed. Shame someone so good looking should be frowning; she thought and then added a wink. She sat down and idly crossed her legs as she sipped her drink and waited for her food.

Ffion giggled.

"We just got here," she told him. "And that's not Declan, that's his cousin Jack, and the redhead is Jack's wife, Alyssa and the other two are their friends Gene and Alex," she told him and sipped her drink. "We came up from London, just a weekend holiday, Declan invited Jack. He sort of caused problems at Jack and Alyssa's wedding and now he's trying to mend his fences," she leaned on the table on her elbows and toyed with her drink.

"I'm from Cardiff myself. Moved to Walford to be closer to my brother, but not sure if I'm going to bother staying there now," she said with a shrug. "Maybe it's time to look for someplace new to live."

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Gene and Jack entered the pub shortly after Ffion sat down and went up to the bar.

"All right, love?" Gene asked the attractive woman behind the bar.

"Why yes, I am, thank you," she replied cheerily and looked at Jack.

"The usual, Declan?" she asked him.

"I'm not Declan," he immediately corrected.

"What?" the woman honked.

"He's my cousin, my name's Jack," he told her and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, then, Jack," she said her tone mirroring her confusion. "I'm Chastity, but me mates call me Chas," she introduced and smiled as she leaned over and stuck her hand on her hip. "So, what can I get you then?"

"Two pints, please," Gene ordered.

Chas looked Gene up and down. "Yes, sir," she replied and got the drinks.

"Oh, and food," Jack said.

"Yeah, I'm starving. Surprisingly my fight with that crazy woman has stopped affecting my appetite," he said to Jack agreeably. He looked back up at Chas. "I'll have steak and chips," Gene told her.

Jack nodded. "Yep, sounds good."

He looked behind him and pointed at an empty table. "We'll be over there," he told her and picked up his drink.

"So, when do we see this cousin of yours?" Gene wanted to know.

"I thought I'd tell him we're here after we eat, that way Alyssa doesn't lose her appetite," Jack explained.

"Good plan. I'm sure I've already ruined Alex's," he sighed.

"Look, mate, she'll come around, she has to."

"I'm not so sure about that," Gene said glumly and drained half his pint. He glanced over at Ffion sitting by herself and shook his head and looked at Jack. He made a small gesture in Ffion's direction.

"You wouldn't think someone could make such a big production out of having a drink," Gene remarked.

Jack leaned over and saw the way Fee was sitting and drinking her drink and looked back at Gene.

"She's a mistress of being casually provocative; I've seen her do it before. This isn't good. Lyss and I were hoping this trip might help her loosen up and maybe open up about what's bothering her. But looks like she's reverting to some old, not to good behavior."

"Should we go sit over there then?"

Jack shook his head. "No, we'll just keep an eye on her," Jack advised. "For now."

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Carl looked up as Declan walked into the Pub with someone new. He raised his eyebrows at the sight of them and snorted at Chas. He could see right through her. He drained his pint as he looked around the pub. Another new person, he looked over the small brunette and smiled at her slightly. He looked back at the bar and waited to be served.

He looked at the other two women that came into the bar and sighed, both had wedding rings on. He waited patiently for his turn. He didn't fancy going home. The less time he spent in the company of Jimmy the better at the moment.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Alyssa packed her stuff in the room then returned to Alex's room. She knocked on the door softly and waited patiently.

Alex heaved herself off the bed and dragged herself to the door. She pulled it open, hoping it wasn't Gene, she half-smiled at Alyssa. "Hey," she said.

"Hey," Alyssa repeated then jerked her head. "You coming to get some food?" she asked. "I think they'll have gone down the pub," she smiled.

Alex shrugged. "Come on, then," she sighed. Alyssa tapped her foot. "Alex, you could at least try to enjoy yourself," she said as she followed Alex downstairs. Alex reached the foot of the stairs and turned to look at Alyssa. "Fine, I'll make you a deal, I'll be more upbeat if you stop going on about Gene, and if you stop giving me that look," she said. Alyssa nodded. "Deal," she said.

Alex linked her arm with Alyssa's. "Pub?" she asked.

Alyssa spotted Jack and Gene as she walked with Alex into the pub. She smiled at them then followed Alex to the bar.

Jack waved at Alyssa as she came in and took a drink of his pint. Gene watched Alex walk to the bar with Alyssa and sighed. She hadn't even acknowledged him. He frowned and looked at Jack.

"I'm going out for a smoke. Don't let anyone touch my food when it gets here," he told Jack.

Jack nodded and watched him go. Good grief, when would Alex let up. He hoped Alyssa would be able to talk some sense into her. He glanced over and watched Ffion flirting with the chef and sighed. There was another disaster waiting to happen.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Chas looked over at Carl as she came back from giving Marlon the food orders.

"Carl," she said her tone frosty and then looked at the two women who were standing at the bar.

"Alright, what can I get ya?" she asked, ignoring Carl for the moment. He could wait.

Marlon got the burger prepared and stopped short at the woman he was bringing it to.

"Um, here's your order," he said, slightly nervous.

Ffion watched him put the plate on the table and then smiled at him and touched his hand.

"Thank you, it looks lush," she told him. Marlon chuckled nervously and blushed.

"Oh, well, you're welcome," he stammered and turned back to the kitchen. Ffion watched him go, a smile hovering at the corners of her mouth. She glanced at the man at the bar. Clearly he and the barmaid didn't get along; no doubt they used to be a couple. Ffion had seen that before. She picked up a chip and ate it. Judging by the way the woman was acting, the man had probably cheated on her. So, he was likely available then. She ate another chip and carefully licked the salt from her fingers, aware of and yet ignoring the stares she was getting.

Carl scowled at Chas as she ignored him and went to serve the two women instead. He flicked his pint glass idly with his fingernail as he found his gaze drawn back to the new girl sitting on her own.

Carl watched Ffion eat, his intrigue rising. He pulled his refreshed pint off the bar and walked over to her. He took the seat next to her and smiled as he took a sip of his pint.

"So, you waiting for anyone?" he asked.

Ffion looked at up Carl and put down her burger. She swallowed the bite she'd taken and smiled.

"No, not at all," she replied. "I'm with them over there," she said and slightly turned her head, gesturing with her eyes at the table where the others were sitting. "But I prefer to sit on my own, more chances to meet interesting people," she added and tilted her head at him.

Carl smiled at her and glanced over at the three people sitting with Declan. He nodded and then grinned at her.

"How long you here for then? And how long have you known Declan for?" he wanted to know as he watched her eat.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Alyssa smiled. "I'll have a white wine spritzer please, and a bowl of chips," she said with a smile. She was hungry but didn't want to stuff herself, not if they were going to see Declan later. Alex smiled. "And I'll have a glass of red wine and a tuna mayo jacket potato, please," she smiled.

Alyssa paid for the drinks and food and she and Alex carried their drinks over to the table. Alyssa took the seat next to Jack and Alex took the one remaining seat. She sighed, she was sitting next to Gene, it seemed Jack and Alyssa were determined to push her and Gene together.

Alyssa sipped her drink and glanced over at Ffion. She sighed and looked at Jack. "Ffion's up to her old tricks again," she noted. "What're we going to do Jack? If she won't open up then how are we supposed to help her," she said as she reached for her glass again.

Chas got the drinks and took the food orders back to Marlon and finally got Carl his pint, giving him a smarmy smile as she did so.

"You're welcome, Carl," she said snidely and glanced over as Gene came back to the bar after finishing his smoke.

"Two more pints, please, love," he said and she smiled and got them. Her eyebrows went up as she checked him over while he walked away. Not too shabby, she'd seen worse.

Jack nodded at Alyssa's question with a sigh. "I don't know what to do about her. I guess we just wait it out. Though I'll have Gene cuff her and take her back to the B&B if things get too out of control."

He glanced up as Gene came back to the table and took the fresh pint gladly. He batted Gene's arm as he saw the man with the food walking in their direction. Gene glanced back and stepped out of the man's way.

Gene looked up at the very tall man and sniffed. "Thanks, mate, looks good."

"Sure, thanks," Marlon said and headed back to the kitchen, noting that Carl was sitting with that pretty girl now. He shrugged. Oh well.

Marlon came back out a few minutes later with the rest of the food and put it on the table.

"So, is there anything else I can get you?" he wanted to know.

"Oh, and before I forget, Declan, John was in here earlier, said he needed to talk to you about something," Marlon said and then walked away before Jack could correct him.

"That is getting old," Jack grumbled. "I may have to wear a name tag. Hello, I'm Jack, Declan's cousin," he sighed and cut a bite of his steak.

Alex's eyes narrowed as she saw the barmaid eye Gene. Her fists clenched involuntarily. She realised what she was doing and relaxed her hands, she reached for her wine glass and took a large sip of it before replacing the glass.

Alyssa nodded at Jack and looked over at Ffion warily, she sighed and toyed with her wine glass. "I hoped she wouldn't get like this," Alyssa sighed. "She seemed so much better with Bradley," she said with a small sigh.

"Yes, she did," Jack agreed. "But that didn't seem to work out after the Sean situation. I'm more worried about her lack of contact with her family."

Gene looked up. "That older sister has been at the station a lot. She was Rhys' solicitor," he told them.

Jack pursed his lips and looked at Alyssa, then sighed.

"Well, it was Ffion's lie about what Sean did that sort of started all this," Jack pointed out.

"Doesn't help that Rhys overreacted," Gene grunted. "He has that tendency; it's just never been a problem till now."

Alex sighed. "The blame doesn't just stick to one person, in this case it's a whole mix of people," she said.

Alyssa nodded. "But that still doesn't mean that it's fair for Ffion to be treated how she is!" she argued and Alex nodded. "Yeah, but there's not a lot we can do about it."

Jack nodded. "Very true. Looks like they're siding with her brother for now."

He reached over and covered Alyssa's hand with his. "We'll just make sure we're there for her. She has people who love her, even if they aren't proper family."

Alyssa looked up and licked her lips as the food arrived, she made space on the table and grabbed a sachet of ketchup ready for when her chips got brought out.

Alex looked up at Gene and sighed lightly, she was beginning to think that Alyssa was right, Gene hadn't actually done anything wrong, and she didn't like the way that barmaid had looked at Gene. She watched the tall man go away again and hoped he would bring her and Alyssa's food out soon so she would have something to do, she could feel her need to start fidgeting starting up.

Alyssa smiled as she grabbed at a sachet of ketchup and squirted it on her chips. "Or, you could just wear a mask, then you wouldn't look like him and no one would mistake you for him," she suggested with a grin. "You never know, it could be a vast improvement," she added with a look at him face. She smiled at him as she picked up another chip and ate it hungrily.

"Well, if I have to wear a mask, then you have to wear a bag," Jack told her and jokingly gave her shoulder a light punch.

Gene looked at his steak greedily and dug in.

He snorted a laugh at Jack's comment. "Maybe you should do, mate," he remarked. He noticed Alex seemed upset. What had he done now? He sighed inwardly. He was just never going to get a break with this woman. When they went back the B&B he was going to get his own room. He didn't care if he had to pay for it. He wasn't willing to put up with this treatment any longer.

"Oh, thanks, mate," Jack retorted. "This is as bad as you and Rowan," Jack said, looking back at Alyssa. He shook his head and turned his attention back to his steak.

"That's because the pair of you are vicious little mares" Jack accused. He grabbed Alyssa's hand and kissed it. "Not that I love you any less, my little pony," he teased and popped a chip in his mouth.

Gene rolled his eyes at Jack and glanced at Alex. It was nice to see her almost-smiling, he thought. Shame it wasn't because of him.

"So, I thought we'd finish eating and then text Declan that we're here," he told Alyssa. "If that works for you, although, with everyone thinking I'm him, he may have already heard."

Alyssa smiled at him and rolled her eyes. She chuckled lightly and shook her head at him as she turned back to her chips with another bubble of laughter.

Alex raised her eyebrows at Jack briefly and smiled again.

Alex allowed herself a small chuckled as Alyssa teased Jack, she sighed inwardly, they were so happy together. If she could forgive Gene then they would be like that again too. She was so frustrated with herself! She wanted to forgive him, but couldn't! She ate her food unenthusiastically.

Gene made his way steadily through his food.

"Right," he said when he was finished eating. "Cracking good steak. I'm going to go move my stuff from the car and have a smoke, I'll be back in a bit," he said and headed out of the pub. He noticed Chas watching him and since his back was to Alex he flashed Chas a cheeky grin and a wink then headed out the door.

He went back to the B&B and was easily able to get the woman there to give him his own room. He carried his bag up and then walked slowly back to the pub. It felt a bit weird being out in the country like this, he was too used to being in the city. He dropped onto the seat of one of the tables outside the pub and lit up.

Alex watched Gene go and sighed. Alyssa raised her eyebrows and Alex "That's it?" she asked

"What?"

"A sigh," Alyssa said. "That's it? You didn't talk to him once!"

"You promised you would drop this!" Alex huffed.

"I will once you at least try, Alex," Alyssa replied. "Ignoring him is not going to fix anything, and don't think I missed that look on your face when that barmaid was checking him out," she said seriously. "You love him Alex! Just let him back in," Alyssa said.

"That's harder than you make it sound," Alex retorted sharply.

"No it's not!" Alyssa said in exasperation. "All you have to do is talk to him."

"And talking leads to an argument Lyss, we do enough arguing," Alex said with another sigh.

Alyssa shook her head at Alex. "I could bash your heads together Alex! I really could!" she growled.

Alex finished her food, drained her wine and stood up. "Whatever, Lyss," she muttered then looked down at the pair of them. "I'm going for a walk," she said and then left the pub.

Alyssa ran her hands over her face. "Can we just lock them together in a room," she muttered to Jack as she watched Alex leave.

Jack watched Alex go and chucked at Alyssa's comment.

"Such a crazy plan it just might work," he agreed.

Alyssa smiled at Jack. "If we put a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of red wine in a room as bait we can lure them inside," she said conspiratorially."Then lock the door," she smiled. "Mind you, we'd have to make sure the whiskey bottle is full of cold tea, and the wine bottle is full of Ribena," she said with a chuckle. "Giving them alcohol in that situation could be disastrous."

Jack grinned at Alyssa. "Have I told you my lovely wife, how very devilishly clever you are?" he asked her and kissed her hand again.

"Not recently, no," she smiled at him as she finished up her chips and took another sip from her glass. She looked down at their empty plates and then turned her gaze back to Jack

"Go on then, let your doppelganger know that we're here," she smiled at him as she played with her glass.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Jane went round to Tanya's when she got done at the café.

"Hey, Tan? You in?" she called through the door. "I've got a bottle with our name on it."

She wasn't sure how Tanya was taking the whole situation with Rhys. Granted, they hadn't been in a hot and heavy relationship, but still, she might be feeling a bit down. And it was Jane's job as Tanya's best mate to cheer her up.

"Well, wasn't sure how you were taking the whole situation with Rhys, so thought it best to be prepared," Jane explained as she opened the bottle.

Tanya sighed and shrugged as she reached for a chocolate from the box. "I don't really know how I'm taking it," she shrugged. "I mean, as much as I don't like Sean, but Rhys did seriously injure him," she sighed. "I am going to miss him though," she said. "But it's not like we were in a relationship or anything," she said.

Jane nodded. "Well, I wasn't sure how you felt about him," Jane said. "So, I came prepared."

She grinned and handed Tanya a large glass. "Guess we'll have to go out and find you a new man."

Tanya took the glass and took a large sip.

"Yeah, but come on, Jane, Rhys was the best looking single guy around here! Where am I going to find someone?" she sighed with a smile as she glanced down at Oscar. "And I have baggage, an ex-husband and 3 kids, one of whom is barely out of nappies," she smiled down at her son.

"Tan, who doesn't have baggage nowadays, come on," Jane exclaimed. "I mean, look at me! I've got a load of baggage, too. Though, at least Ian isn't around on the scene," she shrugged.

Tanya smiled at Jane. "But I have an unusual amount of baggage," she sighed as she cradled her glass.

"Well, who needs men when I have this?" she said happily. "A bottle of wine, a box of chocs and my best friend," she smiled.

"Nowadays, a lot of people have a lot of baggage," Jane said. "Don't worry about it."

She leaned over and put her arm around Tanya's shoulder and smiled.

"I think we have a chick flick, too," she said and smiled as she handed Tanya the remote.

Tanya smiled as she took the remote and set up the film.

She refilled Jane's glass and gave Oscar a biscuit to keep him happy for a while, then curled up on the sofa comfortably.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Chas watched Carl flirt with the young brunette and frowned, then quickly turned to serve Ryan and Andy.

"Thought you didn't care what he did anymore?" Ryan asked her.

Chas narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't, but he is making a spectacle of himself, girl that young," she snorted.

Andy chuckled. "She doesn't seem to mind."

"Yeah, well there's not accounting for taste, is there," Chas replied tartly and put their drinks on the bar.

"Hey, tell you what, why don't you send her a drink over on me?" Ryan offered.

"Why?"

Ryan shrugged. "It would be fun," he replied blithely. Chas smiled. "All right."

She quickly made up another vodka tonic and took it over and placed it in front of Ffion.

Ffion looked up at her. "Um, I didn't order another one," she began uncertainly.

"I know, love," Chas replied and grinned. "It's from blondie at the bar over there," she said and gestured at Ryan. She smirked at Carl while Ffion was looking at Ryan and walked away.

Ffion looked over at Ryan and smiled and mouthed "thank you". He winked at her and then glanced at Andy.

"Let's go sit down," he said. He gave Ffion a quick "join us if you want" wave and then sat down.

"What's going on?" Diane wanted to know.

"Oh nothing," Chas trilled and began to wipe the bar.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

"Wish mine had amnesia, instead he's been arrested for assaulting someone I had an affair with," she said with a shrug. "The whole family isn't talking to me now."

"He assaulted someone and it's your fault?" he asked with a snort. "They need to get themselves sorted out," he said shortly.

"It's sort of a bit more complicated than that," she said dismissively, "but I really don't want to talk about it."

Carl shrugged at her. If she didn't want to talk, she didn't want to talk. He wasn't sure he wanted her to go into the details anyway.

She glanced past Carl's shoulder and saw the man who'd bought her a drink looking over at her. She quickly turned her attention to Carl so he wouldn't notice and smiled at him.

"So, maybe I should relocate here," she mused. "I'm well trained in restaurant work. My boss back in London is really quite an amazing cook; she's taught me a lot. I could easily work in a café," she added and caught the barmaid directing a frosty glance in Carl's direction again.

"Well, the country has it's advantages, and disadvantages," he told her. "Everyone around here knows everyone else, and knows their business, too," he grumbled. "You do one little thing and suddenly everyone knows," he smiled at her.

She nodded as he spoke. "Walford's a bit the same way. The whole assault caused quite the fuss," she remarked.

"Mmmm, I think most communities are, you always get the gossips," he sighed.

"That barmaid doesn't like you at all," she observed and giggled.

Carl deliberately didn't look at Chas. "Yeah well, no more than I like her," he said. "She stole a lot of my money," he growled.

Ffion followed his gaze and then looked back at him. Surely, there was more to the story than that. She smiled inwardly.

"No, really," Ffion gasped. "Why would she do such a thing?"

Carl smiled at her. "She found out about my affair," he told her. "Did some nasty stuff to Eve, and decided to steal the money she was supposed to be using to plan her perfect wedding," he said with a glare at her.

"Ahhhh," Ffion said. "I see." She knew there had to have been more. "So, are you single now or are you and this…Eve…together?" she asked curiously and glanced at Ryan over Carl's shoulder again. Her head turned and she kept her jaw from dropping as John came in. She eyed the woman next to the burly farmer. Obviously married. She didn't want to bother with the effort. Not now. Single men were much easier prey. She had two dangling from her line already.

"God no!" Carl exclaimed. "I broke it off with Eve once Chas proposed!" he told her. "I'm not a complete dick," he added with half a grin.

"I'm just checking that you're properly single," Ffion teased and finished the drink Ryan had bought her.

Carl smiled at her. "Anyway, I don't even know your name," he smiled at her. "I'm Carl," he told her with a grin as he took another drink of his pint.

"I'm Ffion, Carl, nice to meet you," she told him and took a sip of her drink.

She looked back at Carl and flashed him a smile. "What's to do around here for fun?"

Carl took a drink from his pint and shrugged. "Depends, there's nothing much in the Village but if you go into town then there's a few clubs and such," he smiled at her.

"Well, I've finished eating and I think I might go stretch my legs," she said and stood up. She glanced over at Ryan and then looked back down at Carl. "Nice to meet you," she said and began to walk slowly from the pub.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

"She keeps looking over here," Ryan said. Andy turned his head for a quick glance and then looked back at Ryan.

"So, go talk to her," he said in annoyance.

"Nah, not while Carl's there. Besides, she might come over and talk to me," he grinned and took a drink of his pint.

"You are…mate…I just don't know," Andy sighed.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Jack thinned his lips and looked at Alyssa as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

"That's trouble," he said with a glance at Ffion and began to text Declan that they'd arrived and were at the Woolpack.

Alyssa watched Ffion leave and sighed softly, she would have to keep an eye on her, she had an awful feeling that Ffion was only going to get worse. She sipped her wine as she moved her attention back to Jack and pushed her nerves down. She didn't know why she was so nervous about seeing Declan, well apart from the fact that he had wanted her so much that he had had her kidnapped. She swallowed and cleared her throat softly.

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Gene sat at the table outside the pub and watched Alex walk away. He was tempted to say something, even just her name to call her over, but changed his mind. She'd made it clear she didn't want to talk to him at all. He sighed and simply watched her walk away.

He glanced up as another woman came out of the pub to pick up the few empty glasses.

"I'll have a pint, please, love," he said to her.

"I'll get that for you right away," Diane told him and went back inside to get it.

She put it down on the table and took his money. "Why so sad, if you don't mind my asking?"

Gene shrugged. "Just…family," he said.

"Ahhh, I know that answer well," she said agreeably and went back inside. Gene picked up his pint and took a sip and then lit up another smoke.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Cain went into the pub and noticed that woman he'd kidnapped for Declan was there. He quickly ordered a pint from Chas and went to sit with Ryan and Andy, choosing the inside seat of the booth so she wouldn't be able to see him.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Alex wandered around the village curiously, it was small and pretty she decided. She was glad she had brought her wellies too. If she was going to spend the majority of her time avoiding Gene then she was going to have to trudge around some fields, and she was anticipating mud. To be honest she was looking forward to exploring the countryside here, it did look quite beautiful.

She had seen Gene smoking outside the pub, she debated going back to the B&B, she was sure there was a bar there and she didn't fancy going back to the pub while Gene was there. Alex checked the time and shrugged, now she didn't have to worry about Molly or Sam she felt like following Gene's tactics and getting drunk. She hadn't for a while and it seemed like a very good idea. Alex carried on walking and headed back to the B&B.

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Chris nearly dragged Shaz from the station at lunchtime.

"I'm glad Litton's only here for the weekend, he's doing my head in," Chris complained. "Why couldn't the Guv have just asked Ray to cover just for the weekend?"

"I agree, I wish he had. I'd really like to punch that man," Ginger nodded.

Shaz sighed. "Because Ray is off spending time with Rowan and the twins, it's unfair to drag him off his paternity leave just because the Guv and Alex are taking a weekend off," she sighed. "Besides, we only have one more day of him after today," she smiled. "Chin up," she added with a small grin.

"We could always try to do our utmost to piss him off, you remember when you were at school and you had a substitute teacher for a lesson and you'd automatically be on your worst behaviour just to annoy them?" she said thoughtfully. "We should do something like that, just to get on his nerves, you never know, we might make him snap."

Ginger nodded excitedly, but Chris looked doubtful.

"I don't know, Litton is about as hard as the Guv. It wouldn't be easy at all. We'd need…" he broke off and took a breath. "I'm not sure we can pull it off."

"I think we could. I'm pretty good and I think Shaz might already have an idea."

"Well, for today I'm thinking minor stuff," she smiled. "Toothpaste on the earpiece of his phone, sticking his coffee mug to the desk, just little things to wind him up," she shrugged. "We can plan some major stuff for tomorrow," she smiled.

"And it's not like he can fire us, he's only temporary," she said.

"Right," said Ginger. "Good plan," he held out his hand. "I'm in."

Chris looked at Ginger doubtfully and then put his hand on top of Ginger's. "Okay, I'll regret this I'm sure," he said in a resigned tone and looked at Shaz.

Shaz put her hand on the top of the two men's and grinned.

"Lighten up Chris, he can't do anything to us. And the worst that will happen is a bollocking off the Guv," she said with a shrug. "And we've survived plenty of those," she assured him.

Chris nodded. "That's true enough," he agreed with a shrug and started in on his food.

Ginger pondered for a moment and then grinned. "We could do a bucket of water. He's using the Guv's office, yeah? So, we booby trap the door to the outer office so when he leaves he gets soaked. The door leads onto the hall so everybody else should see it and leave the door alone, except Litton," Ginger suggested.

Shaz started laughing and nodded. "That's a classic," she grinned at Ginger as she took Chris' hand and kissed him gently. "Lighten up, Chris," she smiled at him. "It's just a bit of fun to annoy Litton because he's such a prick," she smiled. "We're not hurting anyone."

"I know, I'm just no good at this sort of thing," Chris told her.

"That's fine, Chris, Shaz and I will plan and you can distract Litton when we need you to," Ginger told him.

Shaz smiled at him. "You'll be fine, Chris," she told him. "I'm not going to force you into something you don't want to do," she told him as she squeezed his hand.

"Right" she said in a business-like tone "Food?" she asked.

"Food," Chris nodded. Ginger nodded agreeably.

/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\\\

Chris happily played lookout when they got back to the station while Shaz and Ginger proceeded to set up all their pranks on Litton. He stopped them at the bucket of water.

"Little stuff today, save that for tomorrow," he told them after listening in satisfaction to Litton's howls.

"Oh we'll have all sorts for tomorrow," Ginger nodded and looked over at Shaz and winked.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Ryan saw the girl walking out and looked at Andy and Cain.

"Well, looks like I better get back to doing something," he remarked and got up to stroll out of the pub.

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Carl picked up his glass as she left and sighed, he took a large gulp of the drink and sat back against the chair comfortably. She was around for the rest of today and tomorrow, it was a small village, no doubt they would bump into each other again

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Eve checked the time and then left the house leisurely, she was meeting Kelly for a drink in a while, and she was bored. She walked along to the Woolpack and raised her eyebrows at the man sitting alone outside on his own. She licked her lips at the sight of him, a great hulk of a man, attractive too from what she could see of his face. She made her way up to the bench where he sat and joined him quietly, she looked at him.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked with a cheerful curiosity as she looked him up and down, her eyes glinting as she smiled.

Gene raised an eyebrow at the very pretty blonde that sat down across from him. He put his glass down and looked at her.

"Nothing another pint or two wouldn't cure," he told her. "Who wants to know?"

He was pretty sure this woman with the great pair-sonality as Ray would have put it was flirting with him and considering Alex's attitude, he found he wasn't minding a bit.

/\\\\\/\/\\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Ryan glanced back and noticed Carl wasn't following the girl. Result! He hurried out and tapped her on the shoulder.

Ffion turned and saw Ryan. She smiled.

"Thank you again for the drink," she said to him.

"You're welcome, though, if I'm honest, we mostly did it to wind up Carl," he admitted.

Ffion chuckled. "Aw, I'm so disappointed it wasn't my stunning good looks," she joked.

"Welllll, it was a bit of that, too," he confessed. "Can I uh…show you around?"

"Won't your friends miss you?" she asked him.

"Nope, not at all," he told her and held out his arm.

"Then I guess I'm yours," she said and took his arm. She glanced at Gene and then back at Ryan as he led her away from the pub. She knew Jack and Alyssa had brought Gene and Alex to try and get them to patch things up, but it looked like there might be a blonde complication in that plan of theirs, she noted.


	32. Chapter 32

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 32**

Declan pulled up near the Woolpack and parked. Jack was finally here. He climbed out of his car and noticed Jack's best friend Gene was outside the pub…and was he flirting with Eve? Declan had thought for sure the man was married to one of his officers. Declan shrugged and headed inside. He ordered a pint of Chas, who did a double take and then joined Jack and Alyssa where they were sitting. He smirked at the looks they were getting. He was sure everyone had assumed Jack was Declan and wondering who the stunning redhead was. Declan would have told them the one that got away. But, he was back with Ella now, and reasonably happy. He wasn't going to complain. He knew he would never have a chance with Alyssa.

"So, you made it here in one piece then?" he asked.

"Yes, all safe and sound. Thank you for the rooms at the B&B, it's quite a nice little place," Jack said.

"Yeah, it's got a great little restaurant there, too. We could meet up there tonight for a late supper; I'll have Ella and Mia come along with us. Could be fun," he suggested. He took a sip of his pint.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the big fellow out there in the coat, that's your mate isn't it? Gene? I only ask because I thought he was married and he's out there being chatted up by Eve," he told them. Jack frowned and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa looked up at Declan and smiled at him, she was determined to be pleasant.

Alyssa's smiled faltered and she looked at Jack.

"I told Alex this would happen if she didn't pull her act together!" she grumbled. "But did she pay the slightest bit of attention!" she added and threw her hands up. She sighed, it looked like Alex was about to get a viable reason for being in a mood with Gene.

She turned her attention back to Declan. "How're you anyway?" she asked politely as she reached for her glass again.

Declan chuckled. "I'm fine, thank you for asking. Sorry to have been the bearer of bad news," he apologized.

Alyssa looked at Declan and shrugged. "It's hardly your fault," she told him.

"Why don't you call Alex, or text her and tell her what's going on?" Jack asked.

She looked at Jack, nodded, sighed and pulled out her phone with a small nod.

"Gene being chatted up by pretty blonde - though you should know. Lyss," she sent then snapped her phone shut and pocketed it again.

She looked back up at Declan and Jack, then smiled at them both.

"Okay, I will get on the phone and book us in at the restaurant?" Declan offered and looked from Jack to Alyssa.

Jack nodded. "What time?"

"Errr...7 or 8?"

Jack opened and closed his mouth and then looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows at Jack and nodded, she turned to look at Declan and smiled at him.

"Fine by us," she said with a small smile at him.

Declan got off the phone.

"Okay, that's us in for 8," he told them. He sent off a text to Ella and then put his phone away.

"So, what do you want to do now?" he asked them. "We could go out to the estate if you like, meet Ella and Mia, or around the village?"

Alyssa looked at Jack and shrugged. She didn't really mind, she was settling back into the way they used to be around Declan, before he had tried to spoil their wedding.

"All right then, I'll show you the village," he told them and then if you like we can go out to the estate for a bit before we have to be at the B&B," he said and stood up and led them out of the pub, ignoring the stares as he did so.

Marlon looked at Chas. "I thought I was talking to Declan earlier," he admitted in a low tone. Chas laughed. "Yeah, did that too, he corrected me. His name's Jack and he's Declan's cousin."

Alyssa nodded and slid her hand into Jack's as they followed Declan. She gasped and smiled, leaning her head on Jack's shoulder as she spotted Gene and Alex a little way away, locked together. She nudged Jack and pointed.

"Amazing the miracles that jealousy can work," she smiled. "Looks like we won't be needing to forcibly lock them in a room together, they might just do that willingly," she smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

"Bout bloody time," Jack remarked and looked at Alyssa. "We'll have to buy that blond a thank you gift," he added.

Alyssa smiled at him. "I'm just glad they've finally sorted this out, it's taken them way too long to get themselves in gear," she sighed happily as she watched Gene drag Alex off. He really did remind her of a caveman sometimes.

"Be careful or she'll think you fancy her," Declan warned.

Jack grinned. "Lyss can give it to her," he chuckled.

Alyssa raised her eyebrows at Jack. "Oh really?" she asked. "Your going to use me as a shield?" she asked incredulously. "Man up, Jack."

"Not if she's going to think I fancy her, or are you spoiling for another fight?" he teased. "If so, I'll do my best to oblige."

Alyssa rolled her eyes at him and smiled. "No, I've had enough of fighting," she said. "Especially over you," she added with another small grin at him.

Declan bit back a chuckle and walked with them back to the B&B. "Ready to head over to the estate?" he asked them.

Alyssa nodded at Declan.

Alyssa nodded and climbed into the back of Declan's car. She had to admit that she was curious as to where he lived. Jack and he had talked about 'The Estate'. She wasn't too sure what to expect. Alyssa kept her grasp on Jack's hand as she sat next to him in the back of Declan's car. She still was unsure.

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Eve smiled at him and held out her hand. "Eve," she smiled at him.

"You're not from around here," she commented with a smile, that was good, she was bored of the local guys, they were all either taken or uninterested. This man however...

"Well spotted, love, ever thought about becoming a detective?" he asked her and grinned. He stuck his cigarette in the corner of his mouth and shook her hand. "Gene."

Eve smiled at him. "I have, yes, but only for the free handcuffs," she told him with a small wink.

"Come on," she smiled as she stood up "You can get that pint and buy me a drink while you're at it," she smiled at him. Her chat with Kelly could wait, this was much more entertaining than listening to all of Kelly's problems with Jimmy again.

"I'd rather sit out here, it's quieter," he told her and then pulled some money from his pocket and held it out to her. "Here, get a drink in and then we can relax. Or wait…" he said as he noticed the nice woman from earlier coming out.

"All right, love," he said to Diane. "I'd like another pint and whatever this lady is having," he told her and gave Diane the money.

"Sure thing," Diane replied and looked at Eve. "What you having, pet?"

Eve looked at Diane with a smile. "White wine please, Diane," she asked as she settled on the bench and looked back at Gene.

"So, where are you from then?" she asked curiously as she put her bag aside and crossed her legs. He had that attractively brash exterior.

Gene couldn't help but chuckle at Eve's remark. He drained the pint he had in front of him and leaned on the table.

"Manchester, originally, then transferred to London with my team. I'm just up here on this crazy trip my mate Jack planned. Part of it's so he can visit his cousin, Declan, the other part is he and his wife are trying to get me and my wife back together. But I've had it. She's been punishing me for something I didn't do for weeks. So, that's it," he waved his hand in a cutting gesture. "I'm finished with it. I've come on this trip, but when we get back, I'm going to ask her to put in a transfer somewhere else and I'm moving out of the flat permanently," he told Eve. "And that's it."

Eve snorted. "Then she's a stupid woman!" she said. If she had this man she wouldn't even consider doing anything like that. She smiled inwardly, if she had this man she doubted she would let him leave the bedroom.

"Sooo, let's see what your story is, then," he said and looked her up and down. "You're here with a relative, you're single and you're a very bad girl," he told her. "Might be a good job I brought my handcuffs," he joked and flashed her a grin.

"Ta, love," he said to Diane as she came back with the drinks. She gave Gene his change and went back inside.

"Now then," he said, "how well did I do?"

Eve's eyes widened in amazement. "Wow," she smiled at him. "You got all that from just looking at me?" she asked incredulously.

She smiled at him. "You did well, in fact, pretty much all of that's right," she smiled at him.

"The Gene Genie knows all," he remarked and smiled at her again. He took a drink of his pint and enjoyed the sight of her leaning over.

Eve leaned forward slightly and smiled at him. "So, about these handcuffs..." she grinned at him. "Have you got them with you now?" she asked curiously as she reached for her glass and took a tiny sip.

He chuckled at her question about the handcuffs and leaned over.

"Darlin, I'm a DSI, I always have my handcuffs," he replied, "and my gun. If you're lucky, I just might show them to you," he said, his voice nearly a growl.

Eve smiled at him cheekily and sipped her wine. "I look forward to it," she purred back.

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Alex looked down from her second glass of wine as her phone chimed in her pocket. She read Alyssa's text and felt her temper flare. He was chatting up, being chatted up! She drained the wine and stood angrily. He was doing it again! How dare he! She pushed the glass away and stood, gaining her balance and marched out of the bar of the B&B. She would see about this!

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Alex stormed out of the B&B and made her way back over to the pub. In the office was bad enough! And he hadn't done anything with Debbie, she believed that now. But he was not going to sit there and deliberately cheat on her!

Alex's blood boiled at the sight in front of her. Alyssa's text had been right. He had the audacity to sit there with that blonde! Alex's heart clenched painfully: they were all over each other.

Her expression hardened and she went and stood, her hands on her hips in front of the pair of them. She cleared her throat and glared coldly at the blonde.

Eve looked up at the fierce-looking, tall brunette in front of them. She looked her over lazily. "Can we help you?" she asked.

Alex scowled. "You can take your hands off my husband," she growled out.

Eve smirked. So this was the wife? She was certainly striking to say the least. "Well, you don't seem to want him, I'm more than happy to take him off your hands," she smirked back and Alex's glared grew colder.

"One chance," she said slowly and carefully. "Leave him alone."

"But he looks so lonely," Eve grinned back as she ran a finger up Gene's arm.

Alex snapped. "Right." She marched round and seized Eve by the hair and yanked until she stood up. "I did give you a chance, so you little tart," she said angrily as Eve struggled out of her grasp. "Go away," she said icily. Eve rubbed the back of her head. Why did they always grab your hair?

Gene looked up as Alex stormed over. She was sexy when she was angry. He watched as she told off Eve, but stood up when she grabbed Eve's hair.

"Fine!" she snapped and glared at Alex before grabbing her wine glass and stalking into the pub, it looked like she was going to have to meet Kelly.

Alex watched her go, her glare following her until she was out of sight. She closed her eyes and let out a breath.

"That's enough, Alex," he snapped and frowned as Eve walked into the pub. He turned his frown on Alex.

"That was completely unnecessary, we were just talking, you never talk to me anymore, except to be nasty. I've had enough, Alex. I've spent weeks apologizing for something I didn't do and still nothing. I'm done with it. I've got my own room at the B&B, so you won't have to be in the same room with me and when we get back to Walford, I'll move out of the flat, then you won't have to put up with me at all on a personal basis. I'll provide you a list of places you can transfer to an all."

He huffed out a breath and drained his pint. "I'm tired of this treatment, Alex and I'm done," he looked at her and sighed. "I'm done."

He turned and began to walk down the road.

Alex gaped at him. Done...

Her heart stuttered painfully in her chest. She'd done it again! She'd pushed her husband too far and was losing him. A sob caught in her throat as she watched him walk away from her, and she wrapped her arms tightly around her middle.

"Gene," she whispered brokenly. Her throat felt tight. This was exactly what happened with Pete. Except Peter had cheated on her, Gene hadn't. Maybe she shouldn't have got married again. Maybe them getting married was a mistake after all. Maybe she was one of those women that just couldn't make a marriage work!

She took a deep, shaky breath. He was going to leave her. Her and Molly and Sam. He wanted her to transfer? She felt her eyes well up. She'd pushed him too far, her and her stupid pride! "Gene," she said a little louder, she loved him too much, he couldn't leave her. She didn't want him to leave her. She needed him. They were supposed to be unbreakable. The Gene Genie and Lady Bols.

She took a few steps forwards as she watched him move further and further away, her heart constricting with every step he took.

"GENE!" she finally called desperately as she took a few more stumbling steps in his direction.

Gene stopped walking as he heard Alex call his name behind him. He turned around and looked at her. Why couldn't she just stop?

"What?" he snapped. "Haven't you done enough?"

Alex visibly recoiled at the tone of his voice and she stopped where she stood, just looking at him. She swallowed, he didn't want her. She felt her tears coming and held them back as much as she could.

"I'm sorry," she told him quietly as she looked up at him. "I'm sorry," she whispered and then turned away from him before he could see her tears fall. She didn't want him to see her cry over him. Alex wrapped her arms more securely around herself as she started to walk in the other direction. Maybe she would take a walk over those fields, at least she would be unlikely to bump into anyone else there.

"Sorry for what?" he called after her. He started after her. "You don't just say that and then walk away from me. I don't accept it. You come here and you tell me you're sorry and then walk."

He quickened his steps to catch up to her. "Talk to me, woman!" he demanded and reached out to grab her arm.

Alex closed her eyes and turned back around to face him, wiping furiously at her tears before looking up at his face.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away when you did nothing! I'm sorry that my pride stops me from admitting that I'm wrong! I'm sorry that it's taken me this long to start letting you back in! I'm sorry that it was jealousy that made me realise how much I need you! And I'm sorry for everything else that I can't think of right now," she said as she eased her arm out of his grasp.

"There!" she said and wiped at her eyes again. Alex swallowed again and looked up at his face once more before turning again and walking back in the direction she had been going.

"Oh no you don't," he growled and grabbed her. He pulled her to him and kissed her hard as he pulled her close against him.  
>Alex made a shocked noise as she found herself crushed against Gene and his mouth on hers, but didn't fight him. She had no desire to fight him. She slid her arms around his waist and clung to him, her eyes closing. Did this mean she was forgiven? She hoped she was forgiven. She didn't want to lose Gene, she loved him far too much. Alex broke the kiss and rested her head on his chest as she hugged him tightly.<p>

"I'm sorry," she whispered again to him. It was now that she realised how much she had missed being in his arms, she fitted there, and she felt right when she was held to him like this.

"It's about time you stupid woman," he said gruffly. "Now, you're coming with me," he said and marched her to the B&B. He ignored Val's chirpy greeting and pulled Alex up the stairs and to his room. He pushed her inside and closed the door.

"You're gonna get what's coming to you," he growled and slung off his coat as he paced across the floor towards her. He grabbed her again and kissed her, lifting his hands up to tear her top off. He threw it aside and slid his hands over her skin.

"Don't ever do that again," he purred in her ear and pressed his lips to her neck as he slipped off her bra and covered her breasts with his hands.

Alex arched into him and whimpered slightly, her hands coming up his chest to pull at the buttons on his shirt. "No," she agreed, her voice a murmur as she tried to undo his shirt. She wanted to see his chest, a sight she hadn't seen in too long. Alex sighed happily as she finally pulled open his shirt and slid her hands inside, closing her eyes at the feel of him beneath her hands. She lifted her head and pressed her lips to his with a small sigh.

Alex broke the kiss as her hands stroked down his sides to the waistband of his trousers. "I've missed you Gene, I really have," she told him as she unfastened his trousers and pushed them until they fell from his hips.

Alex pushed his shirt from his shoulders and frowned as she finally took in their surroundings. "You booked another room?" she asked quietly as her hands rested on his arms.

"Can you blame me, all things considered," he asked her and pushed her onto the bed and stripped off her jeans before pulling off his boxers. He crawled onto the bed and leaned down to kiss her again.

"Oh, Bolly," he breathed and tore off her knickers before plunging into her.

Alex moaned at the feel of him inside her, she wrapped her arms tightly around him and pressed a kiss to his neck.

"Gene," she breathed as she moved her legs around him and gazed up at his face. She couldn't believe she'd gone without him for so long! She ran her hands up into his hair and pressed her lips to his again in another kiss.

"Bolly," he groaned as he thrust. He needed her, he never felt quite right without her. As lovely and alluring as that Eve had been, she wasn't Alex.

He thrust a final time and growled her name as he felt himself go inside her. He panted and quickly caught her lips in a rough kiss.

Alex moaned out his name and hugged him tightly. She buried her face in his shoulder and clung to him.

"Don't push me away like that again, Bolls," he said with a sigh.

"I'll try," she murmured. She couldn't make any promises, they both knew what her temper was like. And they were both as stubborn as each other, and they both knew it.

"I love you, Gene," she sighed as she cuddled close to him.

"I love you, too, you crazy woman," Gene said gruffly and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "S'pose a nap would be in order before we go down for some posh grub," he yawned and his eyes slowly closed.

Alex smiled gently at the feel of being pressed to him tightly.

"Mmmmmmmm."

She clung to him and closed her eyes as he held her tight. This was the bit she had missed the most: sleeping next to him with his arms wrapped around her. She sighed softly as she snuggled into him and let the warmth of him and the sound of his calm breathing lull her to sleep.

Carl finished up his pint and left it on the table as he stood up. He sniffed at the sight of Eve nursing a glass of wine looking a bit disgruntled, and Chas wandering around serving people. Ffion hadn't come back and he wanted to see her.

He spotted the man and woman from earlier and paid no attention to them as he passed them, keeping his eyes open in case he spotted Ffion somewhere.

/\\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\

Ffion broke off the kiss and looked at Ryan.

"Well, I better get back before they come looking for me. Two of them are detectives," she said with a small laugh. She patted his cheek and left him standing there as she hurried back into the village and towards the pub. She slowed as she saw Gene and Alex arguing in front of the pub and then caught sight of Carl. She took a deep breath and kept walking towards the pub, lifting the corners of her mouth into a smile as she glanced at Carl.

Carl's face brightened slightly as he saw Ffion. He made his way towards her casually, making sure to keep his distance from the two arguing people standing a little way away. He smiled at her.

"I was wondering if you were going to come back," he smiled at her warmly.

"Well, now you know," she replied cheekily. She tilted her head at him. "You know, I thought you might follow me out," she confessed. She stepped a bit closer to him. "Why don't you show me around?"

Carl smiled at her and nodded.

"Of course, I'm pretty sure I can take some time to be your personal tour guide," he said to her with a grin as he slid an arm around her shoulders.

"Step right this way," he said with a small grin down at her.

Ffion smiled at him and didn't shrug his arm off when he put it around her shoulders. She was free and single.

As they walked along, him pointing things out to her, she pointed herself. "What's that..is that a cafe over there? Is it open?" she asked curiously.

Carl smiled as she allowed his arm around her shoulders. He grinned to himself as he walked her through the village.

"Yeah, and no it's not open at the moment," he told her. "There was a fire a while back and the place is being sorted out," he explained to her with a shrug.

"Really?" she asked absently and walked over to the building to peer in the windows. From what she could see, it was lovely and new inside. She glanced back at Carl. "It looks finished, why isn't it open?"

"Because I didn't want to," came a voice from behind her. Ffion turned and looked at the older man who stood there. Older, not bad looking, the exact type she went for. Though, she'd been nervous every since accidentally sleeping with Alyssa's father, not that it had stopped their affair, but it still made her a bit cautious.

She smiled at the man. "So, this is your cafe?" she asked.

"It belonged to me and my ex-wife, we lived in the flat upstairs. But she died in the fire," he told her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I guess I can understand why you wouldn't want to go back in there," she said to him, tone sympathetic. She put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile.

She glanced at the cafe. "What if you got someone to run it for you?" she wanted to know.

Bob let out a long breath and looked at the cafe. "I don't know. I suppose it might be possible, don't know who around here would be up to it."

Ffion's smiled widened. "I might be persuaded," she offered.

"You? Do you know anything about it?"

"Well, I've been working for nearly a year now at a restaurant down in London . I've helped out doing the books and Rowan, my employer, has taught me a great deal about cooking," she replied smugly.

"But that's it," he said.

"I could persuade her to let me have some of her recipes. Rowan is American, you see, and she's very good at making Mexican food, which would certainly be new around here," she told him.

"I'd have to think about it," he told her. "You're a bit young," he observed.

"I'm 23," she countered. "I'll be here all weekend," she added. "My name is Ffion and I'll be around."

Bob looked at her another moment and then nodded and walked away.

Ffion smiled again and turned back to Carl. "That was productive."

Carl listened to Ffion and Bob talking idly, and curiously. He looked down at Ffion and raised an eyebrow.

"So, you're thinking about staying around here then?" he asked with an inquisitive grin.

"Well, there's nothing for me in Walford, really," she began, "and my family want nothing to do with me. Might as well find someplace to make a fresh start."

She shrugged and grinned at him.

"So, where would you like to take me now?" she asked him curiously, a hint of flirtation in her tone.

Carl grinned down at her and looked around.

"Well, we've been to the pub, we've been to the Cafe, we've been around the Village," he said thoughtfully as he looked around. He spotted Kelly marching towards the pub and his grin widened.

"Could always go back to mine," he said as he glanced back at her.

Ffion gazed at him for a few minutes, one eyebrow raised, then smiled.

"I suppose we could at that," she replied. "Lead on, then," she told him and followed him to his house.

/\\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\

Shaz grinned back and delighted in the renewed fit of loud curses coming from the main office. Hiding all the pens had been a stroke of genius after they had worked out that Litton was even more technologically retarded than Gene was. They were all using their computers and had locked every single pen in CID in one of the filing cabinets, the key to which was safely hidden in Shaz' pocket. She chuckled lightly and beamed at Chris.

/\\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\

He led them to his car and looked around.

"Guess it will just be you," he remarked as he noticed the people who'd accompanied them were nowhere to be seen. "We'll all meet up at the B&B," he shrugged and opened the car door so they could get in.

Cain watched from the shadows as Declan ushered Jack and Alyssa into his car. He wondered how long they were staying, no doubt the weekend only. He could always ask that pretty little thing Carl was chatting up. He chuckled. He was sure he'd seen her earlier snogging the face off Ryan. He shook his head and went back into the garage.

Declan drove them out of the village and out to Home Farm. He pointed things out as they went and grinned at Jack's face when he saw the house.

"Quite a shack," Jack remarked.

"It's home," Declan said dismissively and grinned. He pulled up near the door and then let them out of the car.

"I've got acres here," he gestured, "plus I own a number of properties that I rent out."

Jack's eyebrows flew up, impressed, and he glanced at Alyssa.

"I have one for sale in the village in fact, if you're interested in a second home at all," Declan told them. "It's called 'Brook Cottage'. The tenants couldn't afford to buy it and now there's some," he sighed, "family issues going on."

Alyssa climbed out of the car and admired the house. She slid her arm around Jack's waist as she looked up, she had been told that Declan was rich but this way beyond what she had expected.

"It's beautiful, Declan," she told him with a smile as she glanced back up at the house and then around her at the fields. Sometimes she thought that she would like to live somewhere out of the city, to be around more green and trees. But then her brain reasoned that she would miss the hustle and bustle of the city too much if she lived somewhere as quiet as this.

Declan led them into the house and into the kitchen where Ella, Mia and her boyfriend, Adam were chatting and having tea.

"I see everyone is hard at work around here," he remarked and grinned. Ella glanced at him and smiled when she spotted Jack.

"Jack, you made it," she said delightedly and walked over to give him a hug. She turned to Alyssa and looked her up and down and then looked at Jack.

"You're well out of your league with this one, did you have to resort to bribery or drugs?" she teased and grinned at Alyssa and winked.

"I'm Ella, nice to meet you, finally," she said and gave Alyssa a quick hug.

"Uncle Jack!" Mia exclaimed and jumped up to rush over and nearly knocked him down with the force of her hug.

Jack made a noise and quickly hugged the girl back and looked at Ella.

"Yes, well, this one is actually convinced she loves me," Jack retorted and chuckled.

"How's little Mia, then?" he asked. "You've got tall," he observed.

"That's because I've grown up," she chirped and gave his arm a punch.

"Ow, you've not lost the violent streak I see," he complained and she giggled.

"This is my wife, Alyssa, this is Mia," he introduced.

"Hiya," Mia said and smiled at Alyssa.

"So, I booked us a table at the B&B," Declan said. "The three of us plus Jack and Alyssa and their friends that traveled up from London with them."

Ella looked around and then at Declan curiously.

"Gene and Alex went to the B&B to sort something out, and Ffion seems to have found a friend who was showing her around the village," Jack answered.

"Yes, but they will be with us at dinner. I think you'll get along well with Ffion, Mia, she's around your age and Gene and Alex are both very nice," Declan told Ella, who nodded.

"Well, we were just having some tea if anybody is interested," Ella offered.

Alyssa smiled at the pretty blond and gave her small hug back. "You too," she said politely as she looked at the woman curiously.

She chuckled in amusement at Jack and Mia and smiled back. "Hey," she said back with a small grin.

Alyssa smiled at Ella and nodded. "I'll have cup of coffee, please," she asked. "Do you want a hand?" she offered with a smile.

"Oh, I've got it, no trouble," Ella said. "But you can pick out which biscuits you prefer," she said and pointed at a jar.

Mia dragged Jack over to the table. "This is Adam, my boyfriend," Mia told him.

"Hello," Jack greeted and shook Adam's hand. "Hope you treat her like the princess she is."

"Yeah, I think I do all right," Adam said with a smile and shook Jack's hand. It was weird how much the guy looked like Declan.

"So, what time are the reservations for?" Ella wanted to know.

"Roughly 7:30," Declan said. "Eric said they weren't very busy this evening so we'll mostly have the dining room to ourselves."

Ella nodded and turned back to finishing the coffee. She looked at Alyssa.

"I hear you run a salon down in London . That's what I do. I've been looking around for premises in town, not much luck yet, though," she added.

Alyssa smiled and nodded as she headed over to the jar. She took off the lid and pulled out a packet of biscuits and looked at Ella before picking a plate off the side and arranging the biscuits on it neatly.

Alyssa looked at Ella interestedly. "Really?" she asked curiously. "Surely there's somewhere around here? You could have a home business," she said thoughtfully as she went to place the biscuits on the table. "It's a pretty big house," she pointed out.

Ella shook her head. "No, I'd rather have a place in town," she replied quietly. "It's too out of the way here, I'm thinking nice, upscale nail bar," she said.

"You could always turn Brook Cottage into one," Declan suggested.

Ella turned to him and frowned. "No, bad enough you turfed them out for your grand money scheme, I'm not adding to that by buying it off you for that," she told him. "You'll be lucky if Nicola ever comes back to work. With all that's going on with Jimmy, this was the last thing she needed," Ella scolded and turned back to the counter and poured the coffee.

Declan looked at Jack and his daughter and shrugged at Jack's expression. Jack sighed inwardly. He had forgotten how cold Declan could sometimes be.

Alyssa turned to Declan, slightly shocked. "You chucked one of your employees out of their home just so you could make a few quid?" she asked incredulously, she hadn't known that Declan could be quite so cruel, kicking someone out of their home was heartless, but someone you knew and worked with? That was just plain diabolical.

Declan looked over at Alyssa. "I was talking about it before we came over here. I gave them first refusal. They didn't have the money. I'm selling the place because I need the money for an investment. They could have stayed until the place was sold. Nicola found the potential buyers too disruptive with all the family problems she was having, so they moved out. I think they're staying with Brenda at the moment, she's got that whole house just her and TJ rattling around since Terry died. It will do her good to have some other company," Declan replied huffily.

Jack looked at Mia who barely nodded and then looked at Adam, who looked down. She didn't want to bring up what her father was doing to the Bartons. It was hard enough of Adam already.

Alyssa nodded, that made sense, Ella would get more business if she wasn't quite so out of the way, though this house could make a lovely spa hotel. She smiled at Ella and then looked over at Declan curiously.

She looked over at Jack as Declan was talking, she fought back a smile at Declan's defensiveness and just nodded silently at him.

Ella handed Alyssa a mug and put the rest of the stuff on the table and picked up her own mug.

"Come on," she said to Alyssa. "I'll show you the house."

She jerked her head at Alyssa and headed out of the kitchen.

Declan watched them go and then turned to Jack.

"So, want to see the grounds?" he asked Jack, who nodded.

"We'll just stay here then, shall we?" Mia asked in a sarky tone and Declan looked at her. "Just be here when it's time to go eat."

Alyssa took the mug from Ella with a word of thanks and nodded at her. She took a small sip of the coffee before following the other woman.

Ella led Alyssa throughout the house and then down around the grounds, showing her the immediate area and the stables, introducing her to Katie, who ran them.

She dropped onto the couch with a smile once they'd got back to the house.

"So, that's the place," she announced and grinned at Alyssa. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

She glanced over towards the kitchen and could faintly hear Jack and Declan clearly goofing off.

"I was thinking we could have a small party tomorrow, invite over some of the people we know in the village. Declan has some mates, if you can believe it," she joked.

"Shall we set off?" Declan finally asked when he knew everyone was back in the house.

"I'm ready," Jack stated and went into the front room and looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa nodded with a smile. "It's beautiful," she sighed. "Not just the house but all of those fields and the area, too," she smiled.

Alyssa placed a hand over her stomach and nodded. "A bit peckish, yes," she agreed and looked over her shoulder at where Jack and Declan were. She smiled at Ella.

"A party sounds good," she said with an eager nod and a chuckle.

Alyssa looked away from Ella and at Jack as he came into the room. She nodded and walked over to him, taking his hand and smiling. She wondered whether he was worried about her, he hadn't spoken to her much since they'd met up with Declan.

"I'm good to go," she said to Declan as she squeezed Jack's hand reassuringly.

Ella snatched Declan's keys from the board and smirked at him and led Alyssa to the car.

"We'll take Declan's car," she said with a hint of mischief in her tone as she climbed in.

"Yes, Declan's pals Jai and Nikhil live here, so he'll no doubt want to invite them and their current," she cleared her throat, "girlfriends." Ella took a moment to give Alyssa a look before turning her attention back to the road. "Jai's girlfriend Charity is a bit….well…you'll see," Ella told her. "Nikhil's girlfriend Gennie is sweet, a bit odd, but sweet. I've no idea who else Declan will want to invite."

Jack watched as Ella drove away with Alyssa in Declan's car and looked at Declan.

"She took your car, mate," he deadpanned.

Declan sighed. "She does that a lot. "We'll take your car. Mia, you and Adam riding with us or on the quad?"

Mia looked at Adam. "Quad," she said and grinned.

Alyssa grinned as she followed Ella out of the house and climbed into Declan's car.

She nodded. "Then there's Alex, Gene and Ffion," she smiled.

Alyssa climbed out of the car once Ella had pulled up outside the B&B and grinned as Jack pulled up alongside them. She smiled at him and jerked her head in the direction of the B&B.

"What're the odds that they've made up?" she asked with a chuckle.

She turned to Ella.

"Alex and Gene have been fighting for weeks now, she got it into her head that he was sleeping with his secretary because Ray saw them kissing once and she caught them kissing, too. Turns out that his secretary had this plan to get to the top by sleeping with her bosses but Gene refused. So recently, because Alex refuses to admit that she's wrong for being angry at him, they can't stay in the same room as each other without arguing," she sighed and shrugged. "But, we saw them earlier in the street and it looked promising," she grinned. "Amazing what jealousy can do," she grinned.

Jack grinned. "I think there's a good chance. I'm wondering more if Fee will be here," he added in a mumble.

Ella nodded along as Alyssa explained. "Sometimes jealousy can be a useful tool," she agreed and walked with them into the B&B.

Jack looked at Declan curiously. Declan shook his head. He did not want to explain Ella's remark. He gestured Jack to go inside and followed them in after waving at Mia and Adam when they pulled up.

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Ray squeezed her gently and looked down at her. "Just add powder and stir right?" he asked. "Like those packets of soup?" he added curiously.

"When can they eat normal food?" he wanted to know.

"Well, you have to be a bit more careful than that, but yes, that's the general idea," Rowan agreed.

"We can start them on baby food around 3 or 4 months," she told him. "They won't have teeth for awhile yet, you know," she reminded him.

Ray shrugged. "As long as it's something like that then I think I'll be able to cope," he grinned down at her.

"Yeah, I know that," he said and snorted. "Baby food? That's just mushed up stuff right?" he questioned.

"Bit more than mashed up," Rowan said and gave a small chuckle. "More like pureed."

Rowan sighed. "I'm glad JT's name is cleared, but I feel so bad for Ffion," she told Ray. "Do you know her family aren't talking to her at all? Her sister is here, helping Rhys and completely blanked her in the diner the other day. She's come in to eat and Ffion was so excited and the woman just pretended like Fee wasn't even there."

She looked up at Ray. "I know how that feels, but I can't get her to talk about it. I'm glad she's gone up north with Jack and Alyssa, maybe take her mind off things and maybe they can get her to open up," she sighed.

"She'll be okay, Ro," Ray told her as he rubbed her arm gently. "She'll sort it out, her family will see sense, or at least one of them will," he said as he dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

"She'll open up and talk eventually, everyone does," he assured her. "Try not to worry, this holiday might be just what she needs," he murmured.

"I hope so, I can't help but worry."

Rowan huddled a bit closer. "Did I ever tell you what happened with my sister?" she asked. She couldn't remember if she had or not. "I can understand what she's going through to have your family reject you," she added. She had an idea Ray might know a bit how that felt, but she had no intention of prying. She loved him so much and she was sure they knew each other better than anyone else, but there was still so much they hadn't shared.

Ray hummed in response. He stroked her arm gently.

"I think you said something briefly about it," he answered. "Before we went over to Virginia, " he added, trying to remember what she had told him. He rested his head against hers and pulled her a little closer. He sighed softly and kissed the top of her head.

"Fee will get herself sorted her way, Ro," he sighed. "There's only so much we can do to help her, she knows she has people that care about her, even if her family have given up on her," he added softly.

"I kind of wish we'd been able to go up north with them," Rowan remarked and lifted her head to look at Ray.

"How about…not this weekend, but next weekend we invite your mother to visit? That's two weeks for the twins to get more of a routine going and get used to being bottle fed. Maybe we could go out while she's here, see if she'd babysit for us so we could have a night out," she suggested.

"We could get completely pyjamaed," she giggled. "I'll admit, I've missed having a drink," she confessed. She widened her eyes at him pleadingly and smiled. "What do you think?"

Ray nodded silently. He would have liked to have gone up with them all, too.

He smiled. "Sure, do you want to ring her? Or me?" he asked and then chuckled out loud. "I'm curious about her reaction to meeting her grandchildren, I'm betting that she's going to completely dote on them," he said and looked down at her. "That's what my Gran was like with me, she spoilt me rotten," he chuckled.

"We can get the whole gang together, go out to the Club maybe, we haven't done that in a while," he suggested. "You talk to Alyssa and I'll talk to Chris, and Gene," he suggested with a smile. "I doubt that Mam will have any issues with babysitting for us."

Rowan looked at him. "I can tell," she teased and put a hand on his cheek. "I like spoiling you, too," she said and kissed him.

"You can do it this time," Rowan said and grabbed up his phone from the coffee table and handed it to him.

She bounced a bit on the couch in excitement. "Yes, yes, yes, it's been so long," Rowan agreed with a slight whine in her tone.

"I'll call Shaz," Rowan said as she picked up her phone. "We can also see if maybe she and Chris want to come over tomorrow night. You and Chris could go to the pub maybe and Shaz and I can sit here and watch scifi," she told him.

Ray grinned and nodded as he took the phone from her, he tapped in the number. He looked over at her as she bounced and smiled.

"Fine by me," he said as he pressed the call button.

"Hey, Mam," Ray said down the phone as he heard Maggie pick up.

"Ray!" Maggie beamed as she put down her mug of tea. "How is everything?" she asked.

"Fine Mam, absolutely brilliant in fact," he said with a look over at Rowan, he winked at her.

"Oh really? What's put you in such a good mood then, or is it better that I don't know?" she asked, the laugh evident in her voice.

"Well, I think that you should know that you're now a Grandmother," he said and quickly took the phone away from his ear as he heard Maggie's shriek of delight. He winced and looked over at Rowan with a smile.

Ray pressed the phone back to his ear cautiously. "Yeah," he added. "We were thinking you could come up in a couple of weeks? Once we've got them into some sort of routine," he told her.

"Yes, yes, yes, of course!" Maggie practically squealed. "What names did you both decide on in the end?" she asked.

"Claire and Denis Carling," he said with a proud smile.

"Lovely," Maggie said, sniffing.

Ray sighed. "Mam, don't do that," he grumbled.

"What?"

"Cry and go all emotional," he said.

"I, young man, shall do as I like, and If I want to 'go all emotional' over the birth of my grandchildren then I will," she told him.

Rowan's eyes widened at his mother's shriek and she bit back a laugh so as not to confuse Shaz.

She gave Ray a slap on the arm as he teased his mother. She shook her head at him. "You're terrible," she mouthed. She watched as he put his cell phone down and smiled.

Ray chuckled in response. "All right, Mam, all right," he said.

"Now, you go and tend to your children and leave me and my emotions, just let me know dates for when I can come down."

"Sure, I'll come and pick you up," he offered.

"Good," she agreed.

"Love you, Mam."

"See you soon, Ray," she sighed as she hung up the phone.

Ray put the phone back into the cradle and looked over at Rowan.

"Shaz reckons she and Chris are up for going out and for coming over tomorrow," she told him. "I'll talk to Lyss when she gets back. It sounded like Ginger was at dinner with Chris and Shaz so he and Simon could maybe join us," she suggested. "You know, the more the merrier."

She put her own phone down and leaned against Ray again. "I wonder if there will be karaoke at the party," she mused.

Ray slipped his arms around her and rested his head against hers. He groaned softly and grimaced.

"Not karaoke!" he complained, "We'll end up with Heather singing some George Michael rubbish, and then someone will sing that Titanic trash and Alyssa will get up there in a stupidly short dress and sing one of her songs, and she has awful taste in music!" he grumbled.

Ray sighed and dropped a kiss on her head and squeezed her gently as he pulled her a little closer.

Rowan chuckled. "But what if I wear a stupidly short dress and sing with her? I seem to recall you didn't mind so much last time."

She looked up at him and grinned and then glanced at the clock.

"Okay, they're going to need to eat soon," she told him and stood up. "I'm going to go and get some formula. If they wake up before I get back, there's two bottles in the fridge you can heat up," she said, glad she'd shown him how to heat the bottles properly. Of course, he had also learned how in the classes they'd taken, but reminding him didn't seem to bother him.

She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss and then went to pull on her jacket.

"Do we need anything else while I'm out?" she wanted to know.

Ray replayed the memory and chuckled to himself. He hadn't minded at all, course, the other men leering at her hadn't been fun, but watching her up on that stage he hadn't minded.

"Well of course I wouldn't mind you doing it," he retorted. "But if you do make sure it's a decent song!" he added.

Ray shook his head. "No ta," he said as he stretched.

Ray watched her go then stood up from the sofa and headed towards the nursery. He opened the door cautiously and tiptoed inside. He smiled at his sleeping babies and sat himself down in the rocking chair next to the cot.

"I'm not sure what you consider decent, acuisle, but I'm sure we'll find something fun," she told him.

She stood and admired him as he stretched and then headed out. She liked when she could leave him on his own with the twins, she didn't want him to think she thought he needed watching all the time.

Rowan took her time shopping, enjoying being out on her own. She still didn't love it, but having gone so often with Alyssa and Alex and sometimes Davina also, when she happened to be passing through London , Rowan had decided it could be fun. She paused as she wandered through a section with Halloween costumes. She smiled as she noticed several "party dresses" in a very bright pink. The dresses were about knee length with loads of fluffy lacey petticoats under the skirt and ruffles and lace all over the dresses. Rowan looked them over and grabbed one in her size and one in Alyssa's as a plan formed in her mind. She kept walking around with the dresses draped over her arm and nearly laughed aloud as she stopped at another rack.

She eyes the dresses that were hung there: hot pink, basque-style bodice and very short, very tight skirt. She looked at the frilly dresses and then the mini-dresses and bit her lip in thought. She grabbed two mini-dresses in her and Alyssa's sizes and went to the counter to pay, a plan taking shape in her mind.

She stopped at another shop and bought the formula and then headed home. She stowed the bag with the costumes in the cupboard near the bathrooms in the restaurant and hurried upstairs with the rest of the shopping. She couldn't wait to talk to Alyssa.

Ray raised his head as he heard the snuffling sounds of one of his child's breathing change. He stood up and peered into the cot to see one of them open their eyes. He smiled and leaned on the side of the cot, just watching the tiny child wake up. The other still seemed fast asleep. His eye's widened in slight alarm when a small wail left Claire's mouth and he reached down to pick his daughter up out of the cot. He sat back down in the rocking chair and attempted to soothe her.

Ray huffed out a breath, rocking her wasn't working and if she carried on like this then he'd have Denis to deal with too when he woke up. Ray looked around the room for inspiration and his gaze fell on the book of nursery Rhymes he had bought. He looked down at Claire and began to sing softly to her in an attempt to pacify her and quieten her down.

Ray heard the sound of Rowan's footsteps coming back upstairs and rose with Claire still in his arms, gently singing to her still. Denis seemed to have slept soundly through his sister's crying, though she had quietened a little now. He smiled at Rowan and waited for her to put the bags down before handing her their baby. He dug in the bag and pulled out the formula then set about preparing it.

"Denis is still asleep," he told her.

Rowan took Claire with an exasperated gasp.

"Ray, I told you there were two bottles in the fridge," she said and quickly opened it and grabbed the bottles out and showed him. She quickly stuck one in the pan of water she kept on the stove and shook her head at Ray.

"You really need to stop panicking when they cry," she told him. She didn't know why, but he always seemed to just go blank when the babies cried.

She grabbed the bottle and tested it before sticking the other bottle in the pan.

"I'll go feed Claire," she told him. "When that's ready, you feed Denis."

She walked over to the couch, popping the bottle into Claire's mouth as she did so, and sat down.

Ray watched her walk away with Claire and leaned against the stove as he waited for the other bottle to heat up

"I just don't get it!" he told her "I sang to her and she still didn't stop crying, singing always used to calm them down when you were pregnant with them, so I don't understand why it doesn't work now!" he explained to her.

Ray turned back to the stove and pulled the bottle out. He left it on the side as he went into the nursery to see if Denis was up. He smiled as the tiny boy gradually opened his eyes and started to snuffle. Ray reached down and picked him up.

"Come on, little man, your Mam says you need feeding," he told his son as he carried him back into the kitchen to get the bottle. Ray held Denis carefully as he sat down next to Rowan and started to feed his son.

"It's because she was hungry, Ray, I did warn you," she said, her voice on the verge of laughter. She didn't want to treat him l like he was helpless, but sometimes... She would have to make sure that until he got more used to it to make sure to have bottles ready. If he couldn't even heat up a bottle when he was in a panic, he'd never be able to mix formula.

She glanced over at him and smiled. This was much easier.

"Oh, when I was out I saw a flyer that there's going to be a Halloween party the Saturday before Halloween at the club. We could go to that. Bring your mother down Friday so she doesn't feel like we only invited her to babysit of course," Rowan suggested.

Ray looked over at her and nodded. It would be nice to have a break from the twins for an evening, and spending time with their Gran would be good for them he reckoned. No doubt she'd dote on them from the word go. He chuckled.

"I'll give her a ring tomorrow," he said, he'd already called her once today and didn't fancy doing it again.

Ray looked down at the tiny boy in his arms and smiled at him, he looked back over at Rowan. "I still can't believe it," he told her with smile as he looked at Claire in her arms.

Rowan grinned. "I know...I still get so excited at the idea of seeing them I almost don't want to leave them in the crib," she bubbled. "We'll have to time how long they sleep and keep to the schedule," she told Ray as she lifted her face to look at him.

"I'm sure you were as much work as two, but still, the better we can time going out with the time they will be sleeping, the better," she advised. "Besides, we don't need to be out all night anyway, three or four hours is more than enough," she told him. "And that way she's not left with two screaming little ones for hours."

Ray grinned at her "So, note down times that they fall asleep and all that malarkey?" he asked. "You want I could make a chart?" he suggested with a shrug. "Make it easier to keep track."

Ray nodded and chuckled. "Besides, we're parents now, we can't be staying out all night," he smiled at her. "We've got two littleuns that need us," he said and looked fondly down at Denis in his arms. He smiled down at his son and glanced at Rowan feeding Claire.

She grinned at him and put the bottle aside when Claire was finished with it. "Although I doubt she'll freeze up and panic the way you do."

"Nah, cool as a cucumber, my Mam," he said. "She's brill in a crisis," he added.

He still could barely believe it, but was so indescribably happy that it was real. He'd never really imagined himself as a father, but he couldn't wait until the Twins were older and he could take them down the park, and teach them how to play football and ride bikes, and swim. They'd all have to go back over to America at some point, too, to see all of Rowan's kin. He settled back against the sofa happily and hummed to himself.

"I don't want to stay out all night anyway, there's other things I'd much rather be doing all night," she said to him with a sly smile.

She shook her head. "I don't think a chart will be necessary," she told him. "We'll time it so they shouldn't need feeding while we're gone. Maybe they'll even be to the point where they sleep through the night," she said hopefully.

"At any rate, it will be nice to get out on our own for a bit," she said and put the bottle aside and burped Claire.

Ray raised his eyebrows at Rowan curiously, but said nothing in response. He was determined not to think about it until she initiated it. That way he wouldn't feel like he was pushing her into anything.

Ray grinned at her. "Fingers crossed," he smiled.

"True," he agreed, time away from the twins would be nice, he loved them but they were a lot of work.

Ray watched them go and looked down at Denis, he still hadn't finished his bottle

"Come on mate, Carling men are supposed to be fast eaters," he encouraged. "The amount of times your Mam has told me to slow myself down when I'm eating," he said with a small chuckle. Ray checked the level of milk in the bottle and sighed as Denis finally finished. He dumped the bottle next to the one Rowan had used with Claire and carried Denis through to Rowan.

"Now, I think it's bed time," Rowan announced and took the bottle to the sink to rinse it out and then carried Claire to the nursery for a quick change before putting the girl to bed.

Ray handed him over to Rowan so she could change him and looked down at his daughter in the cot, he stroked her small check gently and put on the CD softly to lull them to sleep. He waited patiently for Rowan to put Denis to bed next to Claire and then took her hand and pulled her to their bedroom.

Rowan held back a chuckle at the look on Ray's face. She was not going to wait any longer than she had to. She'd find some way to have him that night, his mother being here or not.

She meekly followed Ray to the bedroom and curled up with him to go to sleep.

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Ffion draped her arm across Carl's chest. Well, that had been entertaining to say the least, she decided.

She lifted her head for a quick glance at the clock.

"It's getting on," she said with a small sigh. "I'll have to be meeting the other for dinner soon. I won't lie to you though, that was pretty fantastic," she told him.

Carl grinned at her and nodded as he sat up and smiled down at her.

"We should do it again sometime," he told her as he climbed off the bed and grabbed his clothes. Carl dressed himself and smiled at Ffion again. "I've got to get to work before something happens, I'll see you round," he told her as he walked to his bedroom door.

"You can let yourself out," he smiled as he left the room.

Ffion watched him go and got out of his bed and got dressed. Interesting that he would go and leave a total stranger in his house. He was lucky that Ffion wasn't a thief. She went into the bathroom and tidied her face and hair and went downstairs to get quick glass of water before leaving. She paused as she rushed down the stairs at the sight of a very crestfallen looking man sitting in the front room. Ffion blanched. He wasn't bad looking, but he was clearly in a bad way. She hurriedly slipped from being in his possible line of sight and got out of the house. She set out across the village, humming slightly to herself, finding her attention drawn once again to the little caf?.

She felt a very sharp acquisitiveness for it and folded her arms and stared at it. She wondered where that man, Bob, the owner had got to. She'd really like the chance to work on him a bit. If she played her cards right, she was quite sure she would have a new home here, in this village. She knew Jack and Alyssa didn't know she'd packed all her belongings to bring with her when they'd left. She already intended not to go back to London with them, she had no reason to. But this, this was perfect. She could no doubt even stay in the flat above the place. It looked to have at least two or three bedrooms.

She gazed at the building and made sketchy plans in her head, not even noticing a smile beginning to play at the corners of her mouth.

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Ffion made her way slowly over to the B&B. She'd stood and stared at the caf? most of the day, ignoring the curious looks and comments of passersby. She hadn't seen Bob reappear, however. No worries, she'd try again tomorrow. She had checked out the local talent, there were quite a few men who were right up her alley, she noticed. This place was a veritable smorgasbord!

She went inside and smiled at Val before glancing at her watch. The others should be here soon, she thought.

"Can I help you, pet?" Val asked.

"Yes, well, the others will be here soon. Can I go ahead and have a seat and wait for them at our table?"

"Sure, will you have a drink?"

"Umm, a glass of white wine would be nice," she replied and went to sit down at the table that had obviously been put together to accommodate their group. She noticed there were only a couple other people in the place, an older man, a blond woman who was probably his daughter and a little girl of about 2. Ffion smiled at the man, who was facing in her direction and then sat at the end of the table and sipped the wine Val brought her. A few minutes later, she saw the man she'd seen earlier at Carl's come in and hesitantly sit with them. She watched from the corner of her eye as the older man began to look uncomfortable, he was obviously feeling a bit of third wheel and she carefully did not look at him as he came over and sat at the table next to her.

She sipped her wine and pretended to study the menu until she heard him clear his throat.

"Meeting a few friends?" he asked. Ffion looked up from the menu and smiled. Oh, he sounded very nice.

"Yes, they should be along any time now," she replied. "I guess you were the odd one out?" she asked him and jerked her chin slightly in the direction of the table he'd left.

"My daughter and her husband, it's a bit complicated at the moment," he told her. Ffion nodded in understanding and took a sip of her wine.

"I'm Rodney," he introduced himself.

"Ffion," Ffion replied and held out her hand, which he took and kissed. Ffion couldn't help but smile. He was charming, too. She was more than happy to sit and flirt with this man until the others arrived.

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Gene woke and glanced at the clock and nudged Alex.

"We should get ready and go downstairs," he said to her. "Nearly time to meet the others."

Alex sighed as she looked up at him, now that they had made up she didn't really want to get out of bed. She just wanted to stay here with him. A smile crossed her face; they had all day tomorrow, and all night tonight. She shifted in his arms and stretched, and they could now hold a conversation without snapping at each other or arguing. She looked down at him and smiled as she bent and pressed her lips to his.

Alex climbed off the bed and looked around the room, she sighed as she went to pick up their scattered clothing and chucked his over to him. She set about dressing herself and sighed, he'd managed to tear her top. She looked over at him and pointed to the rip. "We're going to have to detour to my room," she informed him then frowned. "You do realise that I'm going to have to tell them that they can cancel my room so that I can stay in this one?" she said as she sat down on the bed again. "There's no point giving this one back, they don't have to clean mine, I haven't used it," she said.

"We'll tell her when we get downstairs. I'm sure she won't mind. We're just weird Londoners to her," Gene remarked and got dressed. He made sure he was presentable and went to her room and got her bag.

"Here you go," he told her as he dropped it on the bed and grinned as he watched her get dressed. He was heartily glad the fighting was over. He was looking forward to going back home, his own home, his own bed.

Alex snorted. "You're not a Londoner!" she protested. "You're from Manchester which incidentally isn't too far from here," she told him with a smile.

"I know that, but I've moved from Manchester to That London," Gene remarked. "And I married you, a Londoner," he teased.

Alex grinned at him. "That still makes you a Mancunian," she told him. "You can't just marry and then convert to being a Londoner, you don't even have the accent," she told him with a grin.

"Yes, I know I'm still the Manc Lion, but others might not see it that way is my point," he joked.

Alex smiled at him and moved to wind her arms around his neck. "You're not just the Manc Lion Gene, you're My Manc Lion," she informed him, then kissed him before letting him go.

"Ooo, I quite like the sound of that," Gene purred at her and smiled.

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Ffion moved from her chair to sit closer to Rodney at the table where he was sitting. She would move back when the others arrived, but for now, she was busy. She ignored the looks the blond woman was shooting at her, which tended to be followed by a curious over the shoulder glance from the man she thought was likely Carl's brother. It looked like he was trying to mend a few fences, but that blond did not look very forgiving. She turned her smile back on Rodney and ignored everything else.

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Alex smiled at him as she dug in her bag and dragged out some fresh clothes. She changed swiftly and looked back up at him. She stood after dropping her bag onto the floor and slid her shoes back on. She glanced at the untidy and bed and shrugged. There was no point making it, they'd be back there in a few hours.

Alex left the room first and headed downstairs, she made her way over to the front desk and gave the woman behind it an apologetic smile.

"I was wondering if I can return my room?" she asked. "It seems that I'm not going to be needing it," she added with a small grin.

"Of course, pet," Val said, noting the woman asking seemed to be with the strapping man who'd got his own room earlier. She'd been in enough rows with her Eric to know one when she saw one. And just as clearly, they'd made up.

Gene turned his head as he heard the door of the B&B open and lifted his hand at Alyssa as she walked in, Jack, Declan and a few other people following right behind her.

Jack noticed Gene was smiling, so was Alex and he gave Alyssa's arm a quick tap and grinned at her when she glanced back at him.

Val took in Jack and Declan standing next to each other and her eyebrows went up, but she said nothing.

"The young lady with your party is already in the dining room," Val told them and led them towards the entryway leading there. She blinked as she noticed the young girl sitting and quite obviously flirting with Rodney, but said nothing.

"I'll get you all some wine," she said and hurried away.

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Ffion turned and smiled at Jack and Alyssa and turned back to Rodney.

"Well, it seems my friends are here," she told him.

"Surely, you can sit here, they won't mind?" he asked.

"I really should sit with them," she replied softly. "But it was lovely talking to you, I hope to do so again," she added.

Rodney kissed her hand again and Ffion smiled and moved back to the chair she was sitting in earlier.

"Ffion, this is Declan, and his wife, Ella and their daughter, Mia and her boyfriend, Adam," Jack introduced. Ffion smiled at them all.

"Alright?" she trilled in greeting and watched Mia and Adam as they sat down near her. Ffion noticed Adam looking at her legs and noticed Mia noticing and clearly not happy about it. Ffion leaned over to Mia who had sat next to her and dropped her voice to a bare whisper. "He's not my type, too young," she told Mia, who's eyebrows flew up in surprise, but she nodded slowly. To each their own, Mia thought.

Ella quickly sat down next to Alyssa and Jack on Alyssa's other side, Declan sat down next to Jack at the end of the table against the wall. Ella noticed Nicola and Jimmy across the restaurant and leaned over to Alyssa.

"Them over there, that's Declan's assistant, Nicola and her husband, Jimmy. Jimmy got amnesia after head injury, then his old girlfriend turned up. He left his wife for the woman, then found out, she was the one that attacked him in the first place, so he dumped her. Looks like he's trying to mend fences with Nicola now, wonder if she'll take him back. He hurt her pretty badly. That was Nicola's father Rodney that your young friend there was talking to," Ella added.

Alyssa listened to Ella and looked over towards the couple curiously. She sighed and shook her head.

"I wouldn't take him back," she said. "Not if he'd left me for someone else, I don't care if he did have amnesia," she said as she watched.

She glanced over at Rodney then her gaze flitted back to Ffion. She sighed, she hoped that Fee wasn't going back to her old ways. Last time had been bad enough and she knew what it was like to find out that your father was sleeping with someone younger than you.

"I can't say for sure if she'll take him back. But he wants them to at least get along for their daughter's sake," Ella explained.

Alyssa nodded, they had a child. That would make sense then.

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Alyssa grinned at Jack and made her way over to Alex. She tapped her arm gently and glanced over at Gene.

"Now, judging by the look on your face and the lack of an argument, I'm assuming that you've finally forgiven him?" she asked.

Alex nodded and looked over at Gene with a smile "Well, I couldn't stay mad at him forever could I?" she shrugged and glanced at the people who had come in with Alyssa. "Assuming the blond is Declan's wife?"

Alyssa nodded. "Ella. Then the younger girl is his daughter Mia and her boyfriend Adam," she said as she began to walk towards the table and took her seat.

Alex followed and took the seat opposite Alyssa and smiled.

Alyssa looked at Ella. "This is Alex, Alex is this is Declan's wife Ella," she introduced.

Alex smiled readily at Ella. "Hi," she said.

"And her husband Gene," Alyssa pointed out as Gene sat down. She was incredibly glad that Alex and Gene had made up. It would make this trip a while lot more enjoyable if they didn't have to tread on eggshells.

She smiled at Alex. "Nice to meet you," Ella said and then nodded at Gene who nodded back.

"I hope you'll like eating here, the food is actually quite good," Ella said to Alyssa and Alex.

Alex smiled at Ella. "I'm not picky, as long as it's tasty, then I'm happy," she grinned.

Jack looked at Gene.

"So, things sorted then?" he asked quietly. Gene grinned and nodded. Jack gave Gene a surreptitious pat on the shoulder and took a drink of his wine.

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"So, what's to do around here for fun?" Ffion asked Mia curiously.

Mia shrugged. "Well, we go to the pub, or we go into town," she replied. Ffion glanced over at Rodney again and then back at Mia.

"Anything on tonight?" she wondered.

"I'm not sure," Mia said uncertainly and looked at Adam.

"Well, it is Friday, I suppose a bunch of us could go out somewhere," he suggested. Ffion nodded idly and took another sip of her wine.

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Declan sighed as he finished eating and nodded over at Eric and Val who were sitting not far away and talking.

"Excellent food, Eric," he said and Eric smiled.

"So," he said and looked around the table at the others. "Party, tomorrow afternoon out on the estate. I'm thinking we can start around noon?" he suggested and looked over at Ella.

"Not a problem," she agreed.

"Well, then I'll look forward to it. Jai and Nikhil will be there you said, who else?" Jack wanted to know.

Declan shrugged. "Hard to say, I'm sure people who weren't invited will simply show up," he said with a chuckle. "Not that I mind, quite a few of the people around here are nice enough," he said.

Alyssa listened interestedly to Declan, Jack and Ella as they discussed the party arrangements and chewed her mouthful. She swallowed

"So who else are you inviting?" she asked Declan, she was curious to meet the people around here, so far everyone she had met had been lovely.

Alex smiled at the conversation but she wasn't really paying attention. Now that she had relented and the argument was over, all she could think about was Gene. She glanced over at him and admired him from where she was sitting. She wasn't sure how she ever really believed that he had been sleeping with Debbie, she had believed him instantly when he told her he didn't sleep with the stripper from the Stag Party. She supposed it was the cliche of having an affair with your secretary that had made her instantly believe it. That and finding him kissing her and then learning that it wasn't the first time it had happened.

She was heartily glad that she wasn't angry at him anymore though. She sneaked another look at him and idly played with her mashed potato. She looked up sharply as she felt someone kick her leg and caught Alyssa's knowing smile. She pulled a face at her and focused back on her food.

"Well, as I said, I haven't really officially invited anyone else, but word will spread like wildfire and the whole village will no doubt turn up," he told her. Ella nodded.

Ella leaned over and lowered her voice.

"Should I let Nicola know?"

Declan nodded. "She's more than welcome to come. She does still work for me, unless she's decided to quit, of course," he told her. Ella walked over and had a few brief words with Nicola before returning to the table.

"I think she'll come, but you never know," Ella said as she sat back down.

Declan nodded and then glanced at his watch.

"Good grief, it's gotten late," he remarked.

Gene glanced down at his watch and was surprised by how quickly the time had passed. He was impatient to curl up in bed with Alex again.

"Well, I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow," Ella said to Alex and Alyssa and went over to settle up the bill for the meal with Eric.

Jack grinned and leaned over to Alyssa. "Glad that's over, now I get you all to myself," he whispered and then pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before standing.

"We will definitely see you tomorrow," he said to Declan and Gene stood up and nodded.

Declan shook their hands and then walked over to Ella.

Mia waved at them.

"Nice to meet all of you," she said and grabbed Adam's hand as she followed her parents out.

Ffion stood up and left the dining room. She stood near the stairs a moment and then walked out the door instead of going up to her room.

Jack caught sight of Ffion leaving and looked at Alyssa.

"That doesn't look good. Should we go after her?" he wondered.

Alyssa smiled at Jack as he stood up and followed his example. She waved goodbye to Declan and Ella as they left.

Alyssa watched Ffion and sighed and looked at Jack "What can we honestly do Jack? We can't lock her in her room and to be honest, if we did she'd find a way to get out. Maybe she just needs to get this out of her system?" she suggested as she took his hand and squeezed gently.

"Come on," she sighed as she watched Ffion leave. "She'll be fine," she added uncertainly. There wasn't much they could do about it, if Ffion wanted to go out for the night then there wasn't much they could do to stop it.


	33. Chapter 33

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 33**

Litton was glad when the day finally ended. It had been a never-ending stream of missing pens, things being glued down, things falling, just general chaos that he did not appreciate. He glared at Chris, Shaz and Ginger as he noticed them filing past down the hall on their way out for the day. He thought they were no doubt behind all the problems today, but he had no proof. If he told Gene, he would look like he was whining and he had no intention whatsoever of Gene getting that impression.

At least it was only for the weekend. He frowned and then decided he would cheer himself up at the pub.

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Chris and Ginger both made sure not to look in Litton's direction at all as they passed his office on the way out. Ginger immediately began high-fiving Shaz and Chris once they had made it outside.

"I vote we go to the Arghee Bhaji to celebrate our first day of making Litton's life hell," Ginger suggested.

Shaz grinned. "And some a major plotting session for tomorrow," she grinned as she high-fived Ginger and then slid her hand into Chris'.

She looked from Chris to Ginger, a conspiratorial smile crossing her face. "What do you think about locking him in the cells?" she asked conversationally with a small shrug. "We could...make like there's a problematic prisoner and, well, Litton's pretty full of himself, so we make out that we need his influence to help us pacify this guy. Lead him into the cell, and 'accidentally' lock him in. No one is going to bat an eyelid at a prisoner banging on a cell door and trying to convince everyone that he's a police officer, those sort of things are claimed daily," she smiled.

"That would be a very bad idea," Ginger countered. "Today was all about everything going wrong, he couldn't point at us for any of it, cause it's just stuff that could happen to anybody. But locking him in the cells, he'd know it was us. We need to stick with the stuff we can set up and be far from when it happens," he told her.

"I think we should do the bucket of water tomorrow, though," Ginger added.

"Let the air out of his tires?" Chris suggested.

"Brilliant!" Ginger said with glee and did a little skip.

Shaz sighed and nodded reluctantly, she knew that they were right but the idea had been so appealing. She shrugged to herself and chuckled lightly as she watched Ginger skip with glee.

"So, what else can we do to get on his nerves?" she wonder aloud.

Ginger shrugged. "Let's wait till we get there, I don't want too many people overhearing our plans. You never know, someone might grass us up to Litton. I don't know who, but…you know," he said.

Shaz nodded at Ginger. "Fine," she smiled and squeezed Chris' hand gently as they walked.

She let go of Chris as she led the two men into the Argee Bhaji.

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Sean raised a hand to his head and closed his eyes tightly, his head was killing him. He muttered under his breath and stumbled into the shop to get some painkillers. He walked over to the counter and squinted at the little boxes of pills on the shelf. He closed his eyes tightly and opened them again. The words didn't look like words. He squinted harder then growled under his breath and gave up. He grabbed the closest box and took it to the counter. He slammed it down angrily. He didn't want a headache, he needed to think and this wouldn't help him, it would hinder him. He shoved some coins at Heather and then grabbed the box up and walked out of the shop.

Sean struggled with the box, why the hell was this thing not opening? He tore at the box until he managed to get inside and leaned heavily on a building. He pulled out two of the pills and dry swallowed them. He leaned his head against the wall and covered his ears with his hands, willing the headache away.

Simon noticed Sean standing against the wall near the Minute Mart and rushed over.

"Are you all right?" he asked in concern and took hold of Sean's head to make him look up. "Can you hear me?"

He studied Sean's face and shook his head. Something was very wrong here. He looked around and grabbed Shirley as she passed.

"Call an ambulance for me, please," he asked her. She looked at Simon and then at Sean and frowned, but pulled out her phone.

"Now, please," he begged as he continued to study Sean.

"Gerroff!" Sean growled out at Simon as he pulled his hands from his head and opened his eyes blearily. He directed his gaze at Shirley and scowled at her

"Dun need an ambulance!" he slurred as he slid a little way down the wall.

Sean fished in his pocket and pulled out the box of painkillers. He popped two pills out and groaned: the two he had taken earlier had done nothing to alleviate the pain in his head at all!

Simon checked Sean's eyes and glanced up at Shirley who quickly called the ambulance.

"I'm a doctor and you'll forgive me if I disagree with that assessment," Simon argued.

"Duneed a Doctor," Sean slurred as he pushed off the wall. "M'fine" he said angrily as he swallowed the pills and pulled away from Simon.

He stood uneasily, swaying slightly and took a step. He glared at Shirley and started to move away: weaving slightly as he walked and stumbling off the curb.

Simon dashed forward and grabbed Sean back out of the street and pushed him to stand against the wall.

"You go nowhere until the ambulance arrives," Simon told him. He looked up at Shirley and noticed a few other people were gathering. He let out a relieved breath when he finally heard the siren announcing the arrival of the ambulance.

Sean groaned and covered his ears as the sirens got louder and louder. He screwed his eyes shut and kept his hands fixed to his head, he felt dizzy, and this migraine was painful. Really painful. He couldn't make out the voices around him as he heard the sirens off and refused to take his hands off his ears. He grudgingly allowed himself to be bundled into the ambulance, narrowly stopping himself from collapsing by leaning heavily on the paramedic.

Simon watched as Sean was lifted into the ambulance and then climbed in with him. He caught sight of Mo walking up and stopped.

"Sean's going to the hospital," he told her abruptly and then pulled himself into the back of the ambulance before the door was shut. Mo gaped after him, but turned to home.

Simon followed as they rushed Sean to A&E and spoke briefly with the doctor before sitting down to wait for Sean's family to arrive. He couldn't just go off and leave a patient alone, and if his suspicions were correct, Sean didn't have much time.

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Alyssa tugged his hand. "Come on, Mr Rimmer," she smiled at him. "I've had to share you all day and now I'm going to be selfish," she told him decisively.

Jack sighed, but nodded in agreement. Alyssa was right, what could they do really?

He grinned as she called him 'Mr. Rimmer'.

"Yes, ma'am, Mrs. Rimmer," he teased and quickly followed her upstairs. He barely shut the door behind them before shoving her up against the wall and pressing his lips hard against hers.

"All this fresh air has got me quite...frisky," he said in a low growl and buried his face in her neck.

Alex waved goodbye to Declan, Mia, Adam and Ella then looked at Gene with a smile. She went over and raised her eyebrows at him "So, upstairs?" she asked him with a small grin.

Alyssa held onto his shoulders and eased her hands down his chest to undo the buttons on his shirt. She slid her hands underneath the material once it was undone and caressed the expanse of his chest.

"I think we should move out of London then if fresh air does this to you," she smiled as she moved her hands to his trousers and undid the buckle there. She pushed his trousers down and slid her hand into his boxers.

Her other hand tunnelled through his hair and she tilted her head back against the wall.

"Are you complaining that I don't give you enough attention oh love of my life?" he teased and roughly pulled off her top, his hands immediately moving to cover her breasts. He bent his head and pressed his lips to her neck.

"I could never live here, I'm a city boy," he murmured as his lips trailed over her chest. "But we can visit anytime you like," he assured her and began to explore her breasts with his lips and tongue.

Alyssa smiled as her back arched. "Well, you've barely spoken to me all day," she murmured. "Especially since we met up with Declan," she commented quietly.

"Well, I thought you'd prefer not to have to speak to Declan and Ella was there so you could have girl talk," he mumbled against her skin.

Alyssa stroked him as her hand that was on his head encouraged his face back to hers. She pressed her lips to his as she inched his boxers down. "Well, we need to have more time in the country and still live in the city then," she smiled back as she broke the kiss and looked up at him happily.

Jack grinned against her lips and shoved her onto the bed. He shoved his boxers off and pounced on her, quickly pressing his lips to hers as he hurriedly pulled off her knickers and plunged into her.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, but me not wanting to speak to Declan doesn't mean that I don't want to speak to you either," she told him with a smile. "Believe it or not, I rather like talking to you," she said to him.

"Maybe we should buy that cottage then," he remarked as he broke off the kiss. "Declan just might give me a deal seeing as I'm family," he mused and then sought her throat with his lips.

Alyssa wrapped her arms around him and moaned as he filled her, she lifted one of her legs over his hips and pressed herself against him.

"You should ask him," she told him as she tipped her head back into the soft pillows and arched her neck to his seeking mouth, her eyes closed and she pulled him closer.

"I like talking to you, too," he said, "but not right now."

"Oh, I think I will," he whispered as he lifted his lips from her neck and began to thrust harder as he grabbed her leg.

Alyssa moaned his name out long and loud and slid her hands into his hair and pressed her lips to his again in a hungry kiss.

"Jack," she gasped out as she came and her grip on him slackened, she smiled up him dreamily as she stroked a finger down his cheek.

Jack breathed her name as he went with her and lowered his head to press a gentle kiss on her cheek and dropped next to her on the bed.

He lazily traced a finger over her breasts and grinned at her before planting a kiss on her shoulder. "I might be ready for round 2 in a moment," he teased and wrapped her in his arms.

Alyssa smiled at him and moulded herself to his side, her hand rested on his chest and she pressed a gentle kiss to the side of his neck.

"Be careful," she warned him. "I may just hold you to that," she grinned.

/\\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\

"Actually, I need a smoke," Gene said and tugged her hand to follow him outside. He kept his gaze fixed on Ffion as she headed in the direction of the pub as he leaned against the building and lit up. He could at least give Jack and Alyssa some idea of where the girl had gone if they needed to know later.

"So, how's Molly doing?" he asked after he blew out a long plume of smoke.

Alex slid her hand out of his as he lit up and moved it around his waist as she leant against him and found herself watching Ffion move away, too.

She glanced up at his question. "Fine," she shrugged. "She's been off with me all this time that I've been arguing with you," she sighed. "She had the abortion, but I don't know whether that's a good thing or not, she won't talk to me about it," she sighed. "She's spending an awful amount of time with Peter, more than usual," she added.

"Sam's better though, well, he has been since you moved back in. He was missing you terribly."

"I'm not sure that's such a bad thing. Seems he's supporting her whatever she did, I can't say there's owt wrong with that," he remarked and watched Ffion go into the pub.

"I was missing him an all," Gene said gently. He knew he would no doubt have to tread lightly. Alex's anger was possibly not entirely dissipated yet, so he would have to be careful not to set her off again.

He slipped an arm around her shoulders and continued smoking in silence.

"Mmmmmm," Alex hummed back. "I just wish she'd open up to me about it, I don't know whether she's happy that she got rid of it, or whether she's regretting it," she sighed.

Alex smiled as she leaned against him and continued hugging him with one arm. Molly was avoiding speaking to her, maybe because of the tension between her and Gene, or maybe because she didn't want to talk. Alex just wished that she would sit down and they could talk about whatever was going through her head. Though she was glad that she at least appeared to be talking to Peter about it. So she wasn't on her own.

Alex peered up at Gene's cigarette and watched him smoke. She would stay out here with him until he was done and then they could go upstairs and get back into bed. She wanted him arms around her as she slept.

"Well, Peter proposed to her right there in the middle of the pub," he told Alex. "She said not yet, but I guess he's not all bad," Gene reluctantly admitted. He finished his cigarette and stuck it in the ashcan.

"Now then, Bolly, let's go to bed," he insisted and took her hand and led her upstairs.

/\\\\/\\\/\/\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\/\/\\\/\

Ffion wandered back over to the pub after gazing at the cafe for a few minutes. She couldn't hold back her smile as she saw Bob in the pub. He was sitting at the bar and talking with that tall man who cooked. She squared her shoulders and perched onto a stool next to him.

"Back again? What can I get ya?" Chas wanted to know.

"Vodka tonic," Ffion replied and looked at Bob.

"So, have you thought about my offer," she asked him after tapping him on the shoulder. Bob looked at her in surprise.

"Um, well, I'm sorry, I hadn't...no," he stammered.

"What's this?" Marlon wanted to know.

"She's interested in helping me out with the cafe when I open it," Bob told him.

"Oh, really?" Chas interrupted.

Ffion nodded.

"I've been working quite awhile now at a restaurant down in London, but I need a change of scenery," Ffion said. "I'm a decent cook, go on, please," Ffion pleaded.

Ffion put a hand on Bob's arm and leaned over. "I'd do anything, I really would," she whispered in his ear and then moved away and smiled at him.

"Let me have some more time to think about it, okay?" Bob asked, slightly startled by Ffion's "offer" was the only way he could think to describe it. "Where would you live anyway?"

"I'm sure I could find a room to rent somewhere," Ffion shrugged and sipped at her drink.

"Well, you're very confident, I'll give you that," Bob remarked.

Ffion shrugged. "Why shouldn't I be? I don't need my stupid brother to smooth the way for me," she said, her tone a bit sharper than she'd intended. "He didn't help me at all when I moved to London to be near him, and now, well, I just..." she sighed.

"I have confidence and I work hard," she said with a note of finality in her tone.

Bob nodded. "Okay, why don't you meet me tomorrow morning at the cafe and I'll show you around inside," he finally said. "I'm not promising anything, though."

Ffion couldn't hold back her squeal of excitement and flung her arms around Bob in an enthusiastic hug.

"Thank you," she said excitedly and leaned back and picked up her glass. "Cheers."

Marlon looked and Bob and nudged him. "You sure about this?"

"What can it hurt? Besides, I'm not sure I'm going to open the shop back up, Leyla's really done a lot to make up for the loss of the shop. I might just rent the space out for something else."

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Cain watched as the young, dark haired girl crossed the village to the B&B. So far, he'd had no trouble avoiding Alyssa and Jack. He leaned against the wall and smirked as he took a sip of tea.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Jack woke up and kissed Alyssa's forehead before slipping from the bed to grab a quick shower. He was pretty sure breakfast would be soon, and after last night, he needed the fuel. Alyssa had worn him out! He quickly finished showering and got dressed and then gently shook Alyssa's shoulder to wake her up.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Rowan leaned against the wall as she sat on the edge of the bathtub and cradled Claire. She looked tiredly at the steam that filled the room and sighed. Just her luck Claire had to wake up in the middle of the night with colic. She took a deep breath again and stroked her daughter's head as she noticed the tiny girl had finally fallen asleep. At least Denis seemed fine. He'd actually slept right through Claire's wails before Rowan had shut herself and Claire in the bathroom. Ray had probably passed out, too. There had been nothing he could really do until Rowan realized what was wrong.

At least she could sleep today.

She shifted over and shut off the water and tiredly trudged from the bathroom and carefully put Claire back in the crib.

Ray lay in bed, listening. Claire had a pair of lungs on her, he'd never heard her scream for so long, that loud as well. He had had to pull a pillow over his ears, even when Rowan had taken her to the bathroom. His only consolation was that Denis had stayed asleep, though no doubt he would wake up soon. He was just glad that he had got paternity leave all this month to deal with them. Luckily for him he didn't actually have to go into work like Gene had had to.

Ray raised his head up as he heard Claire stop wailing and sighed happily as he pulled the duvet over him. Blessed silence. He waited for Rowan to come back and in and pulled her to his chest, pressing a kiss to her forehead before dragging the duvet over her and tucking her up against him. He would sleep now and sort Denis out when he woke up. There was a bottle in the fridge. He made a noise in his throat and he fell asleep again.

Rowan trudged wearily to the bedroom and dropped on the bed, barely aware of Ray being awake and pulling her close as her eyes closed.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Ffion woke and gave the sleeping Ryan a quick smile before climbing out of his bed. Last night had been quite a lot of fun, she had to admit. She pulled on her clothes and slipped from the house, pulling her hairbrush from her bag and brushing her hair as she walked over to the B&B. She was starving and ready for some breakfast and a cup of tea.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Ginger woke early and gathered his supplies together for that day's pranks. With any luck, Litton might leave before the Guv even got back. He grinned to himself and hefted the bag after giving Simon a quick kiss and headed to work.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Alyssa groaned and rolled over, tugging the duvet with her.

"No Jack, 'mmm sleepin," she mumbled into the pillow as she hid her face from the light and pulled the covers tighter around her. She sighed softly as she relaxed, she was so sleepy after last night.

"Come on, Lyss, I'm hungry, aren't you?" he asked her. "Can't you smell the bacon?" he pleaded.

"If you don't, I'll go down alone," he told her. "I'm that in need of food," he added. He gazed at her a moment and then shrugged and headed downstairs to eat. He loved her, but he loved his stomach, too. And his stomach was telling him he needed to eat. He also thought he might take the car over to that garage and get quick oil change. It had been quite awhile since he'd last had it done, he tended to be lazy about it. But with a longish drive home, he should probably make sure the car was okay.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Shaz got to the office, hardly able to contain her excitement. Litton wasn't in yet, good. Now all she needed was for Ginger to get here with his stuff and they could go about setting up their pranks. They had managed to get a plan sorted last night at the Argee Bahjee. She grinned at Chris as she waited impatiently for Ginger.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Ffion went upstairs to her room and took a quick shower and changed. It was a bit chill she noticed so she pulled on a pair of tight jeans and a low cut black top and grabbed her jacket before heading downstairs to eat. She lingered over her food and then headed outside to wander around the village a bit. She might as well get used to the place, she thought. She smiled idly at people she passed and shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

She walked into the shop and broke down and bought a tempting looking bar of chocolate before wandering over to the café to peer inside the windows again.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Ginger grinned when he got to the office and saw Shaz already there.

"Right, I've got itching powder for the chair and a dribble tea mug," he announced as he put the things on the desk. "Also, I got a pack of exploding cigarettes and put them in an empty pack of his normal brand," he chuckled. "I think we can do the bucket of water today, too."

Chris shook his head. "You have been busy."

Ginger grinned. "I know, and it will be well worth it, I'm thinking," he said and hurriedly gestured at Shaz.

"Let's get the office done before Litton arrives. I saw him just going into the café for breakfast when I was on my way here, so we should have just enough time."

Shaz looked up at Ginger as he finally arrived and looked at him expectantly, excitement written all over her face.

"Awesome!" Shaz squealed excitedly, she grabbed the bag he held and went to plant the cigarettes on his desk. She made sure his mug was switched with the new one and grinned at Chris as she returned to her desk.

"I cannot wait!" she beamed at him "Today is going to be so great!" she enthused.

"We can do the water bucket maybe after lunch, or before if he gets on our nerves too much," Ginger suggested.

"Good plan," Chris agreed and set about getting his paperwork caught up.

Shaz nodded at Ginger and took her seat at her desk, tapping her pen as she watched the door for any sign of Litton.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Alyssa grumbled and shook her head into her pillow. She sighed as she heard the door close and let herself doze lightly. Sure she would have preferred Jack to stay in bed with her but she wasn't bothered that he had gone downstairs. She snuggled back into the bedclothes.

She finally dragged herself up and out of bed and headed towards the en-suite to have a shower, she washed quickly and blasted her hair with the hairdryer before getting dressed. She skipped downstairs and spotted Jack at a table and made her way over. She dropped a kiss on his head before taking the seat opposite him with a smile.

"Morning," she grinned at him.

Jack looked up at her as he busily chewed a bite of sausage.

"Morning," he finally muttered and took a sip of tea. "Began to wonder if you were ever going to make it down." He took another bite of breakfast and watched as she ordered her food from the young girl who was serving breakfast. He watched the girl walk away and then looked at Alyssa.

Alyssa smiled at him "Well, after last night I'd say that I was entitled to sleep" she grinned in response as she settled herself.

"I think I should take the car over to that garage for a quick check up before we drive back. I really should have had it serviced before we left but it slipped my mind."

She watched him eat enviously as her stomach finally caught up with her and began to gurgle it's protest at the lack of food in front of her. She placed a hand on her tummy and watched him eat. "Sure, if it needs servicing then here is as good a place as any, and I'll bet it's cheaper to get it done here than in London," she smiled.

He finished off the sausage and gazed at her as he chewed. "So, do you still want me to talk to Declan about that cottage? You know, we could maybe rent out one of the rooms while we're not using it. It's got three bedrooms, after all. It would be nice, too, because there would be someone there taking care of it and looking after the place," he suggested.

Alyssa looked up as her food arrived and she thanked the girl before digging in greedily. She looked up at Jack and swallowed her mouthful. "I thinks it's a good idea if we are actually going to use it, there's no point having it if we decided that actually we can't really be asked to come all the way up here," she shrugged.

"Though, during the holidays, when it's sunny and you don't have school, I think it could be quite lovely," she smiled at him. "And this village is beautiful," she added with another shrug.

"I think an oil change is really all it needs. I reckon that will be pretty cheap," he remarked.

"I can't think of anything better," he told her with a grin. "I'll talk to Declan at the party and maybe we'll leave here with a nice holiday cottage."

He finished off a slice of toast and took a drink of his tea. "I think I'll quite like coming back up north quite often."

Alyssa nodded as she returned her attention to her breakfast, now that she had started eating she felt disinclined to stop. She looked up at Jack again.

"Maybe we will," she smiled back and looked down at her watch. "Did Ella or Declan mention what time the party would be?" she asked, she reckoned they had time anyway, it was still morning and she didn't think that the party would be until the afternoon.

"Noonish thereabouts," he replied around a mouthful of egg.

Alyssa smiled. "We could have a long weekend here a few times a year," she smiled. "And there are all sorts of appealing possibilities with a cottage," she grinned at him.

"I like that idea. We've got all the school breaks and we could bring folk with us. Next time, we'll have to bring Rowan and Ray, with or without the twins," he told her.

"And I get more time off now that I'm sharing with Tan, and Rowan can get JT to cover the Restaurant if she needs, and surely Gene will give Ray some holiday time," she agreed happily.

"I'm going to call Declan when I've finished eating. We'll take the car over and leave it and then have Declan show us the cottage and I'll see what sort of deal I can get out of him," he decided and winked at her.

Alyssa nodded at him, that made sense.

Alyssa beamed at him and nodded as she swallowed down her food. "How much of a deal do you reckon you can get out of him? He does seem quite businessy from what Ella was saying yesterday," she shrugged.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Alex smiled to herself as the sunlight streaming though the crack in the curtains hit her. She blinked and hid her face in Gene's chest. She breathed him in and lifted her head from his chest, pushing her hair behind her ear. She looked at her sleeping husband with a smile and bent her head to deliver a light kiss to his lips. Alex looked down at him fondly and settled back down against him comfortably. She slid her arm over his middle and sighed as she kept her face out of the sunlight.

She had slept more soundly than she had for ages, and she was sure that it was because he was there. She always slept better when his arms were around her. Alex stroked her hand up and down his arm happily.

Gene grunted and reflexively pulled Alex closer. He could faintly smell food and heard his stomach rumble.

"I suppose we should get up and go eat before much longer," he muttered. "My stomach is none too pleased with me."

Alex smiled and spread her hand over his stomach and then looked up at his face, she patted his belly lightly and sighed.

"Come on, then," she said as she pulled away from him and swung her legs out of the bed, she sat on the edge and looked back at him. "The sooner we fix your stomach, the sooner we can do whatever we feel like doing" she said with a smile at him.

Alex stood up from the bed and headed through to the bathroom to hop into the shower.

Gene glanced at the clock and hauled himself off the bed with a groan. He waited for Alex to come out of the bathroom so he could get a shower. He grabbed up his bag and pulled out clean trousers and shirt and then pulled some clothes out for Alex.

Alex sauntered out of the bathroom and smiled confusedly as she saw Gene had put out some clothes for her. When had he started picking her outfits for her? Apart from lingerie he tended to keep out of her wardrobe. She looked over the clothes and shrugged to herself as she put them on anyway. She dried her hair and did her makeup as she waited for Gene to finish getting ready then smiled as he came back.

"Come on," she smiled at him. "Before your stomach causes the ground to shake," she added with a grin.

Gene looked at the expression on her face. "What? Trying to be helpful," he grunted. "Not like it was difficult. Grabbed a pair of jeans, grabbed a shirt," he snorted and gave her a dark look before heading in to shower.

"I didn't say anything," she protested as he disappeared.

He quickly got dressed and ready to go.

He chuckled at her comment and followed her down to breakfast.

He nodded at the girl serving and ordered his food before he'd even sat down, then went to join Jack and Alyssa.

"So, posh do today up at the big house," he remarked lazily.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to get the car an oil change and talk to Declan about buying a cottage he has for sale here in the village."

Gene's eyebrows flew up. "Can you afford that?"

"Depends on what kind of deal he can give me, but I think so," he said. Gene nodded.

Alex smiled at the girl and asked for what she wanted too before following Gene and sitting down with Jack and Alyssa. She smiled at the pair of them.

"A cottage around here?" she asked and Alyssa nodded.

"Apparently Declan's got one he wants to get rid of,"she smiled. "We're planning to take it off his hands," she grinned.

"Yup, and you wanted to get the car checked, too," Alyssa reminded him.

Alex beamed back and looked over at Gene as his stomach grumbled again. She smirked at him quietly.

"I'll need to call Molly in a bit, check on her and Sam," she commented.

"I'm family, he'll cut me a good deal or else," Jack said and grinned.

Gene nodded at Alex and smiled when the girl brought over the tea for himself and the coffee for Alex.

"What you gonna do about the place being empty so much?" he wanted to know.

"Find someone who would be willing to live there and look after it while we're not there," Jack explained.

Alyssa nodded as she folded her knife and fork on her plate.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Ffion smiled as she caught sight of Bob and her smile widened as he approached her, holding up a set of keys.

"Glad I caught you, thought maybe you'd like to take a look inside," he told her. She nodded and watched as he opened the door and then followed him inside. It was new and bright and cheerful inside.

"So, does this mean you might consider me helping you run this place?" she asked him.

"I'm thinking about it. I'll want to hire Brenda back, too," he told her and led her towards where the shop portion was. "I'm just not sure I want to bother with the shop," he said as he looked at the empty space.

"You know, I went out with that Mia and some others last night. Her mum is looking for a place to have a nice little nail bar, maybe she could do it here," Ffion suggested. "You could keep that door shut so you wouldn't have to worry about smell or anything and you'd be getting money for rent instead of worrying about competing with the other shop."

Bob looked at her. "You know, that just might work. I'll ask her next time I see her."

Ffion grinned at him and kissed his cheek and Bob nervously cleared his throat.

"Just because you're a nice man," she told him.

"Okay," he conceded and led her from the building. "So, when could you start?"

"Whenever you want me. Like I said, I'm sure I can find someplace to stay," she told him.

"Well, if you need it, I could let you have one of the rooms in the flat."

"See, I knew you were nice," she told him and gave him a wink as she shoved her hands in her pockets. She caught sight of Ryan and with a quick wave to Bob, walked over to him.

"You left," he said, his tone slightly annoyed.

"Yeah, well, you were sleeping and I was hungry and I needed a shower and a change of clothes, so I went to the B&B. Besides, I also got a look inside the café and I think Bob is going to hire me," she told him excitedly. "He said I can even rent one of the rooms in the flat if I need it."

"That's brilliant," he told her and she gave a happy bounce before continuing to walk along with him.

Ffion took a deep breath of the brisk air and walked along with Ryan. She wondered if she should ask him to go to Declan's party with her...or maybe Carl. She wasn't sure. Carl might fit in a little better. But Ryan's youth might make him more acceptable to Jack and Alyssa.

She wouldn't worry about it now. She had a few hours yet to decide.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Rowan woke up and yawned and carefully extracted herself from Ray's grip. She went and checked on the babies; Denis was awake, but quiet. She was surprised. Apparently, Claire was going to take after her father, she thought with a chuckle. She picked up her son, changed him and then went into the kitchen to sort out his breakfast, making sure to put some coffee on while she waited for the water she had put the bottle in to heat.

When the bottle was ready, she sat down at the table to feed him, leaning sideways to occasionally sip at her coffee through a straw. She didn't care if she looked ridiculous. She wanted her coffee.

Ray grunted in his sleep and dragged the covers closer to make up for the warmth of Rowans body as she left the bed. He grumbled to himself, he couldn't sleep as well when she got up. Ray reluctantly sat up in bed and stretched himself. His gaze fell on the TV remote and he smiled as an idea came to him. He got out of bed and wandered through to the kitchen. He noted Rowan sitting down with Denis and made himself a mug of tea. Ray shoved some slices of bread in the toaster and managed to get a stack of toast on a plate. He put his tea, the plate of toast, and condiments on a tray. He picked up the tray and wandered into the front room to look at Rowan, he chuckled at her drinking coffee through a straw.

"When you're done feeding him, get the both of you into the bedroom," he said and looked down at the tray. "Breakfast in bed," he told her as he grinned and made his way back to bed. Ray poked his head around the nursery door. He listened carefully for a moment and smiled as he realised that Claire was still asleep. He went into the bedroom and set the tray on the bedside table as he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV he had finally bought for the bedroom.

Rowan looked up at Ray and smiled. She got up, grabbed her coffee and headed into the bedroom. She picked up Denis' carrier and put it on the bed and then climbed onto the bed, settled herself, put Denis in the carrier and looked at Ray.

"So, breakfast and TV in bed," she grinned. She picked up a slice of toast and gave Ray's cheek a quick kiss before beginning to eat.

Ray grinned at her. "Why else did you think I bought it," he scoffed. "Besides, with these two wearing us out all the time I think that breakfast and TV in bed is highly appropriate," he told her.

Ray looked at Denis and grinned at his son. "How long do you reckon before we're doing this, but watching cartoons with two littleuns snuggled up with us?" he asked quietly as he looked down at the baby. He wondered how long before Claire woke up too. He sighed as he grabbed a slice of toast and munched on it. Now he thought about it, as easy as toast was to make, crumbs in the bed was not fun. He sighed and shrugged, he could always run the vacuum cleaner over the covers if he had to.

"Yes, I know why you bought it," she teased.

She shrugged at his question. "I don't know," and glanced at Denis, who looked close to sleep again.

"I think Claire takes after you," she remarked and took another bite of toast.

Ray frowned. "How'd you work that one out?" he asked. "Because unless she's suddenly morphed into a lad then I don't think she does, this one is more likely to take after me," he said dryly with a nod down at Denis.

"See, likes his sleep, just like his Dad," he smirked at her as he took another large bite from his toast.

"I'm talking about all her shrieking and complaining last night. I am not so vocal," she teased. She picked up her coffee and took a sip and leaned against Ray. She trailed her free hand over his chest and then patted it.

"What do you want to do today?" she asked him curiously.

Ray shifted so his arm was around her shoulders and he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I'm not that vocal, dunno where she's inherited her lungs from," he sniffed.

"Dunno, anything," he suggested. "We're both off work, we can do whatever we like."

Rowan bit back a chuckle and said nothing.

"Well, we could just go for another walk," she suggested. She noticed a show she liked starting on TV and she gestured at the set. "After this is over."

Ray grinned at her and looked down at Denis again, he shook his head at the baby boy before pulling Rowan a little bit closer and dropping a kiss on her head. Once Claire was awake they could go out some place. Maybe the pub, they'd have to introduce the twins to the pub sooner or later, Ray was voting for sooner.

Rowan sighed when the show was over and looked at Ray.

"I'm going to shower now. You think of where we're going to go," she said and pressed a kiss to his lips. She climbed off the bed and went into the bathroom to get ready. She thought of the outfits hidden in the cupboard in the restaurant and smiled as she ducked under the hot water to wash her hair. She couldn't wait to tell Alyssa about it.

She dressed and wrapped her hair in a towel and went back into the bedroom.

"All yours," she told him brightly and then went into the kitchen to make up some bottles to take with them.

Ray nodded. He would suggest the pub. The pub was always good. Then there was the park, that was alright if it wasn't raining. Could you take babies out in the rain? They'd catch cold or something wouldn't they? He sighed, probably, he'd check with Rowan.

Ray looked up as she came out and then headed for the bathroom and had his shower as quickly as he could. He came out, dressed and headed for the nursery. He smiled at the sight of Claire's eyes being open and lifted her out of the cot. He carried her through to the kitchen and smiled at Rowan.

"So, here's my list, Pub, Park, Pub, Pub, Park and Pub," he informed her.

"Well, I guess we'll go to the pub and then we can go to the park," Rowan said agreeably and chuckled as she finished packing the diaper bag.

"Feed her while I get Denis changed and into some clean clothes," she told him and handed him a bottle she had ready.

Ray nodded and took the bottle, sitting down at the kitchen table with Claire in his arms.

"So, been giving your Mam and I grief already!" he told her. "I'd tell you off but I don't think you can understand me," he sighed.

Ray listened to the sounds of Rowan dressing Denis and looked back down at Claire, at least with a boy and a girl if you had any doubts you could check who was who. If they had been two girls, or two boys then he was sure that their names would get mixed up. He chuckled lightly to himself and noticed that Claire had finished.

"Come on then, Little Lady," he told her as he dumped the bottle in the sink and carried Claire through to see if Rowan and Denis were ready.

Rowan looked at Ray as he came into the bedroom and quickly traded children with him and got Claire ready to go out.

She slung the bag over her shoulder, made sure Claire was settled in her arms and smiled at Ray. "Ready," she said and gestured him to grab the stroller while she went to open the door and hold it for him so he could go through. She locked the door behind her and headed downstairs to get the door leading outside for him, too.

Ray carried Denis downstairs and let Rowan settle him in the stroller with his sister. He smiled at her. "Never too early to introduce them to the pub," he grinned at her as he began walking in that direction.

She took a deep breath of the slightly chill air and smiled at Ray. She wasn't looking forward to going back to work yet, but she also knew that she would no doubt be ready in a few weeks. Not just ready, nearly desperate. She waited for him to open the stroller and then quickly put the twins in it and took Ray's arm before they headed off.

Rowan shook her head at Ray's comment and walked along with him to the pub.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Litton spent the morning cursing a blue steak as once again, things just kept going wrong. It had started with the cup he was drinking his tea from spilling tea all over his clothes and now his shirt was stained. He tossed the towel he was using to try and dry himself aside in annoyance and realized he was itching. He hoped it wasn't because of that girl he'd slept with last night, what had her name been? Janine. He growled and kept at it.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Ginger looked at Chris and Shaz.

"So, it's nearly lunchtime," Ginger began. "Bucket now or bucket later?"

Shaz looked over at Gene's office and smiled contemplatively as she tapped her pen on her chin. She grinned over at Ginger. "Now," she said decisively.

Ginger nodded and got up and headed down the hall. He carefully opened the door to the outer office and peered inside. Litton had the inner office door open and Ginger could just see him engrossed in some file or something. He carefully stepped onto the chair he put outside the door and gestured Shaz to hand him the bucket. He carefully placed it and then jumped off the chair, grabbed it off and hurried back down the hall.

He dropped back into his chair and grinned at Shaz.

"Anytime now," he said and pretended to be busy.

Shaz did her best to sit still in her seat and kept her lips sealed as best she could. She fought her instinct to laugh out loud and took a deep breath. She glanced over at Chris and struggled not to squeal with excitement. She held herself together as she waited.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Peter woke up and looked at Molly. He hoped she thought she'd made the right decision. He would have been happy either way, as long as she was happy. He got up and went into the kitchen and rummaged around to put breakfast together. It was strange staying over at Molly's, but her parents were gone, so they couldn't say anything.

He could hear Sam chattering to himself in the other room and knew Molly would wake up soon enough. He dropped bacon into the pan and watched it begin to cook.

Molly sighed and pulled Peter's pillow towards her. She pushed it on top of her own and rested her head as she listened to him moving around the house and smiled as she smelt the smell of bacon beginning to fill the house. She reluctantly climbed out of her bed and grabbed her dressing gown. She wrapped herself up and left her bedroom, heading straight for Sam's room. She smiled at her little brother and lifted him out of bed easily.

"Come on, Sammy, breakfast time," she told him as she carried him into the kitchen and sat him in his chair. She smiled at Peter as she reached into the cupboard and pulled out the Weetabix. Molly fixed her brother a bowl of mushy Weetabix in warm milk and handed him a spoon before turning to Peter.

"Moorrnning," she smiled at him as she went and sat on the counter to watch him cook.

Peter nodded at Molly and put the bacon on a plate.

"How many eggs do you want?" he asked her as he put the plate on the table. He moved back to the stove and leaned over to give her a kiss.

"Just one, please," she smiled back.

Molly sighed as he pulled away and went back to cooking.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Good, thanks," she smiled. "You?" she asked as she swung her legs and looked over at Sam, she was glad he didn't seem to be spreading his breakfast all over his face this morning.

Molly was really beginning to consider Peter's offer of her moving in with him. She liked living with her Mum and Gene and Sam, but living with Peter could be fun too, sure Fatboy and Whit were there, but Whit was her best friend and Fatboy was fun too. She smiled to herself.

Peter put the plates on the table and sat down.

"So, have you thought anymore about moving in?" he wanted to know. "You are 18 now aren't you? They can't really stop you and it's not like you'd be far," he said.  
>Molly hopped off the counter and joined Peter at the table. She smiled as she reached for the ketchup.<p>

"I have actually, I think I'll talk to Mum about it, just to see how she feels," she said. "I don't want to upset her or anything," she said with a shrug.

Peter beamed at her. "I meant what I said, too, you can have Lucy's old room if you don't want to share mine," he reassured her.

Molly grinned at him "Who said I didn't want to share yours?" she asked with a smile at him.

Her gaze drifted to her brother and she groaned.

"It's food not make up, Sammy," she growled at him as she went to get a wet wipe to wipe the Weetabix from his face. She gave him back the spoon and dumped the wipe in the bin.

"It goes in your mouth, not on your face. If you can't do it right then I'll feed you," she threatened and sat back down once Sam looked to be making an effort to eat properly.

"I just want to make sure you don't think I'm pressuring you to share my room. I especially don't want Mr. Hunt to think it, even if you are 18, he might just tear my head off," he told her and chuckled at the mess Sam was making.

"Lighten up, Molly, they're supposed to make a mess at that age," he said and grinned at her.

"Yeah, but I'm the one that has to clean up his mess," she snorted and gave Sam a warning look.

"Besides, you're not pressuring me into sharing your room," she smiled at him. "And Gene isn't that scary, he's just overly protective," she chuckled. "Much more than Mum is."

"Yeah, well you're a girl and his step-daughter," Peter began, "and he didn't threaten to kill you once already."

He gave her a look and started in on his eggs.

"No, because if he threatened to kill me, then Mum would kill him," she replied smugly. "He was just pissed off Peter, he wouldn't kill you," she assured him. "He'd lose his job if he killed you and he lives for his job."

"That makes me feel so much better," Peter told her wryly and chuckled. He finished up his breakfast and put his plate in the sink.

"I'm going to grab a shower."

Molly nodded at him with a smile. She watched him wander off and looked at Sam. She raised her eyebrows, impressed by her little brothers attempts to keep his face clean. She smiled as she finished up her breakfast.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Ginger couldn't hold back the huge grin at the sound of Litton's bellow when the cold water dumped over him. He quickly bent his head to his paperwork. Chris did the same.

Litton came bursting through the doors a few minutes later, his face like thunder.

"Who's idea was this?" he demanded to know.

Ginger looked up at Litton, wide-eyed.

"What's happened, sir?" he asked.

"Someone put a bucket of water up that dumped on me when I came out of the office," Litton replied through clenched teeth.

Ginger's eyes widened farther. "Who would do such a thing?"

"That is what I'm trying to find out!" Litton nearly shouted and looked at Chris.

"Do you know who did it?"

"What...who...me? No, how would I know?"

Litton frowned and then looked at Shaz. "Well?"

Shaz held back her giggles as much as she could as she watched their soaking wet, temporary DCI storm into the office. She bit her lip against her laughter as he interrogated Ginger and Chris and her eyes widened as he rounded on her.

She couldn't do it.

Shaz burst into an uncontrollable fit of giggles and clutched at the sides of her desk as she tried to control herself, the laughter dissipating into small hiccups. She looked up into Litton's furious face.

"I've no idea," she told him. "But I'd really like to congratulate them," she added with another bark of laughter.

The phone on Chris' desk began ringing and he picked it up, putting his free hand to his ear to block out Litton's ranting.

He thanked the person on the phone and put the phone down before standing up.

"Um, sir?" Chris interrupted hesitantly.

Litton whipped his head around and glared at Chris.

"Uh, that was the hospital. Seems Sean Slater died last night. He had a brain hemorrhage and the doctor thinks it might be as a result of the injuries he sustained when Rhys attacked him," Chris explained.

Litton looked at him and frowned, then pulled out his cell phone. He pointed at Shaz as he dialed Alex's number, which Gene had given him to be used in emergencies.

"You, phone the prison, we're going to have to charge Rhys with murder now," Litton told her and waited for Alex to answer.

Ginger tried to call Ffion to tell her about her brother. It went straight to voice mail. He decided not to leave a message.

Shaz got off the phone to the prison and looked at Chris, a sad look on her face. She had liked Rhys, they all had. He had been one of her best friends. She would wait until Litton had gone and then go and hug Chris for a bit. She needed a hug from him.

/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\

Simon walked out of the hospital and heaved a deep sigh. He'd got back this morning to find out Sean Slater had died. Of course, there'd been nothing anyone could do. But now he had to go and tell Roxy, he wasn't looking forward to it, not at all.

She was owed more than a phone call. She might not have wanted him in her life anymore, but he was still her husband when it came down to it.

He removed his glasses and scrubbed at his face with his other hand and set off towards the pub.

Peggy hurried towards the door when she heard the pounding and looked at Simon curiously.

"I need to speak to Roxy, please," he said, his mild voice softer than usual. Peggy nodded and let him in.

"What's wrong?" she wanted to know.

"I'd prefer to tell Roxy," he said. "Shall I go up?"

Peggy nodded and led him towards the stairs.

"She's just in the kitchen," Peggy told him and pointed then went to the front room to check on Amy.

Roxy looked up as she heard unfamiliar footsteps coming up the stairs and her eyebrows went up in a mixture of alarm and confusion as Simon came in.

"Dr Bond?" she said curiously. "How can we help you?" she asked. They hadn't missed any of Amy's check ups as far as she knew and she didn't need a doctor.

"I'm sorry, Roxy, but I thought it better to come and tell you in person, rather than over the phone," he said to her quietly. "Sean Slater died last night, he had a brain hemorrhage. It was no doubt a direct result of the attack by DS Griffyths."

He breathed a small sigh and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm very sorry. I know you weren't getting along anymore, but it still must be...quite a blow."

Roxy froze. She shook her head.

"No, he's not," she said simply. "He can't be. He's not," she said and turned to Doctor Bond, an angry look on her face.

"I'm sorry, but he is," Simon corrected Roxy gently.

"Is this supposed to be funny?" she asked him angrily. "Because it's not!" she snapped.

"No, it's not a joke," he said with a shake of his head. "This can sometimes happen after a head injury, to someone who seems perfectly fine," he explained. "I found him and took him to the hospital, but there wasn't anything they could do."

"Leave now!" she ordered. "GET OUT!"

Simon sighed and slowly turned to leave, dodging the little girl, Amy, as she came into the kitchen, no doubt worried by the shouting.

He waved at Peggy, who opened the door for him, and left the pub. He hated losing patients, even if Sean hadn't completely been his patient, it still bothered him. He half-wished Ginger had the day off and headed for the surgery. He would keep busy.

Roxy turned to the sink and clutched at it as she shut her eyes. dead? No. He wasn't, couldn't be. She turned around to check Doctor Bond was gone and then looked down at Amy. Her face was a mixture of fright and worry. Roxy sighed and held herself together as she picked Amy up. She took her through to the front room and sat her down. Then shut the door and went into her bedroom.

Roxy threw herself onto her bed. She ached, she hated Sean, but she did still love him. And now he was supposedly dead. And she didn't know how to feel about that, so she got angry. She really hoped JT didn't come in, she didn't want to start shouting at him for no reason. She wanted to be alone. Roxy grabbed a pillow towards her and held it over her face to muffle her scream.

/\\\/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\\/\\\\/\

Alyssa smiled at Jack and absorbed herself in her food as Alex looked down at her phone.

Alex frowned as an unfamiliar number flashed up on her phone. She shrugged.

"Hello, Alex Hunt," she answered cautiously, she hoped this wouldn't take long. She wanted to call Molly.

"Um, Sean Slater died last night. The doctor believes it was as a result of the attack. Shaz is contacting the prison, we're going to have to charge Rhys with murder," he told her.

Alex's jaw dropped and she looked at Gene.

"This is a wind up," she said. "Hang on," she passed the phone over to Gene.

"They're saying Sean is dead," she told him incredulously. "The hospital said he was fine!"

Alyssa whipped out her phone and scrolled down to Ffion's number. She took a deep breath and rang Ffion's number. "I'll call Fee, find out where she is," she sighed as she listened to the ringing.

"Hunt," Gene barked.

"Yeah, Guv, like I was telling DI Hunt, the hospital called and Sean Slater's dead. The doctor said this can happen days later to someone who seems perfectly fine after a head injury," Chris told him.

"All right, Chris. It's fine. Get the ball rolling on altering the charges against Griffyths and we'll sort it out when we get back," he said.

"Sure, ta, Guv," Chris said and hung up the phone. He looked at Litton.

"Guv said he'll sort it when he gets back, but to get the charges against Rhys changed."

Litton nodded and left the room. He wasn't surprised Hunt wouldn't let him have any fun, especially after the constant harassment he'd been enduring. He growled under his breath. Hunt was welcome to this place.

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Alex took her phone back off Gene once he'd done and sighed.

"Not a wind up, then," she said sadly as she dialled the home number.

Alex pushed her chair a little way back from the table and waited for Molly to pick up the phone.

Molly looked up as the phone rang and left the table. "That'll be Mum," she told Peter as she picked up the phone.

"Heya, Mum."

"Molls, how's everything your end?" she asked with a smile.

"Fine," she smiled "Sam would say hello but he's busy trying to avoid getting breakfast on his face," she smiled.

"He was no trouble?" she asked.

"Nope, went to sleep when I put him to bed and woke up not long ago," she said.

"Molls, I have something to tell you," Alex said softly.

"What?" Molly asked, failing to keep the disinterest from her voice.

"Well, Gene and I seem to be back to normal," Alex said quietly.

"Back to normal as in, sleeping in the same bed, being lovey-dovey when you think I'm not looking, and generally back to how it was before you got pissed off with him over something he didn't actually do?"

"Pretty much," Alex smiled.

Molly laughed happily. "Good, it's about time!" she said. "I hoped this weekend away would be good for you."

"Yeah, it looks that way," she said sneaking a look at Gene and then catching Alyssa staring at her knowingly. She pulled a face at Alyssa and returned to her phone call.

"Mum, we're both okay, Peter says hi, and I want to finish my breakfast and let you carry on with whatever you're doing," Molly said as she sat down.

"Alright, Molls, and I don't appreciate that insinuation," she said, the laughter barely keeping itself out of her voice.

"What insinuation?" Molly replied innocently. "Don't answer that! I really don't want to know," she added.

"Bye, Molls."

"Bye, Mum."

Alex hung up the phone and put it next to her breakfast on the table, she glanced at Gene and smiled.

"They're both fine and apparently Peter says 'hi'," she told him.

Gene frowned at Alex's comment and waved vaguely at Jack as Jack stood up and headed out.

"I'm going to assume he just showed up this morning," Gene said, glancing at his watch. "It's not that early, after all."

He turned his attention back to his breakfast.

"Guess we're going to have a busy time of it when we get back."

Alex held her tongue, she didn't agree. It was more likely that Peter stopped over. She shook her head and started on her food.

She sighed and looked at her food glumly. "Poor Rhys."

She looked at Gene. "Sean didn't die on impact, surely he can get something shaved off his sentence?" she asked hopefully.

Gene shook his head slightly.

"Premeditated, I'm not sure we can go easy on Rhys," he said in a rueful tone.

Alex sighed and played with her food. It was bad enough having to put people in prison when they didn't deserve it. But when it was a police officer it was somehow always worse.

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do to make his sentence a bit easier? His bail won't come up for ages!"

"Alex, first he made an illegal arrest of Sean Slater and then he attacked the man. Clearly he hated Sean Slater for having had an affair with his sister, but to so coldly plan and attack the man, and he was almost willing to let JT go to prison for him," Gene said. "Rhys was otherwise a good officer, but can we afford to be that lenient?"

He looked at her. "How often do you have a go at me for roughing up a suspect? Rhys laid in wait and attacked, you heard his statement. He knew exactly what he was doing. I doubt he'll shed any tears that Sean is dead."

Gene sighed and pushed the remaining food around on his plate.

Alex sighed, she knew he was right. But Rhys was a fellow officer and a friend.

"I just don't like putting police officers in prison Gene" she sighed "We're there to keep these kinds of people in order, not become them" she said and she stabbed at an egg yolk with her fork. She sighed and took a mouthful of food unenthusiastically.

Alex sighed, she knew he was right. But Rhys was a fellow officer and a friend.

"I just don't like putting police officers in prison, Gene," she sighed. "We're there to keep these kinds of people in order, not become them" she said and she stabbed at an egg yolk with her fork. She sighed and took a mouthful of food unenthusiastically.

Well, he's gone bad, so there's not much else we can do," Gene said. He drained his tea and put the cup down.

"I'm going outside, be right back."

Alex watched him go and prodded her food again. She sighed and finished up eating, then sat quietly cradling her mug of coffee as she sat and watched the people around her.

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Chris saw the look on Shaz' face and went and folded her in his arms.

"I know, Shaz, he were my mate, too an all," he said softly and held her close.

Shaz wrapped her arms around him and hid her face in his neck.

"I'm gonna miss him, Chris," she whispered.

"I know," Chris said and patted Shaz on the back. He glanced over at Ginger, who walked over to them.

"He was the best mate I had in the world. I can't believe he's going to be locked up for the rest of his life," he remarked.

"Maybe you should go home, be with Simon, you won't be able to work when you're this upset," Chris suggested.

Ginger nodded.

Shaz looked over at Ginger and she let go of Chris. She walked over to Ginger and gave him a hug.

"Go home, Marc," she told him gently. "We can cover for you" she smiled.

"And don't worry about Ffion, she's up there with Alex and Gene, they know, they'll tell her," she said and gave him a weak smile.

Ginger nodded and headed home.

Shaz watched Ginger leave and moved back over to Chris

"I think it's going to be a good idea to keep an eye on him" she murmured as she stepped back into Chris' arms and rested her head on his chest with a sigh

"Yeah, I think so, too," Chris agreed and put an arm around her.

"We really shouldn't stand here like this," he said. "Litton might give us a bollocking, and so far we've got away with a lot," he chuckled.

Shaz smiled at him and nodded, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips and let him go. Litton was already pissed off enough without any extra helpings from them.

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Carl idly kicked a stone along the pavement as he walked. Jimmy was trying to get Nicola back still, and she was apparently refusing him too. Of course that meant Kelly was still around, and doing his head in.

He passed the pub and his eyes widened at the sight of Ffion and Ryan. What the hell?

He scowled and watched for a moment, his eyes narrowing. Sure he'd only slept with Ffion but he had hoped to do it again, apparently she wasn't interested.

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Ffion fished her phone from her pocket with an apologetic look at Ryan and saw it was Ginger. Why would he be calling her? She didn't really want to know. She hit the "reject" button and then turned her phone off before putting it back in her pocket.

She pressed closer to Ryan as they leaned against the side wall of the pub.

He grinned and pressed his lips to hers and she quickly slid her arms around his neck as she kissed him back.

Ryan broke off the kiss as he heard a phone ringing. Ffion frowned but pulled her phone out and hit the reject button.

She looked back up at Ryan. "So, should we have a little pre-lunch work out?" she asked flirtatiously and grinned.

"That sounds like a good plan to me," he replied and turned to walk with her to his home.

Ffion spotted Carl, but carefully kept her expression neutral while Ryan was looking at her. He caught the direction of her gaze and saw Carl, his smile widened. He slung an arm around Ffion's shoulder and smirked at Carl.

"Alright, mate?" he asked cheekily. Ffion looked at Ryan and rolled her eyes.

This was one thing she did not need.

Carl glared at Ryan and then moved his gaze to Ffion.

"Fine," he replied sullenly before carrying on with his walk. So, she slept with him then went after Ryan? Well, he'd have to see about that. Talk to her later when Ryan wasn't around.

He watched them go and then went on his way, his thoughts full of Ffion.

Ffion watched Carl walk away and sighed. She was really going to have to be careful if she stayed here. She heard her phone beeping and made a noise of annoyance as she pulled it out.

She read Alyssa's text and growled.

"Sorry, I have to go," she told him. He made a face of disappointment and nodded.

"Maybe see you later then?"

"Yeah. Maybe," she told him with a smile and headed back to the B&B.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/

"Yeah, Declan. Lyss and I were talking about that cottage you have for sale. I was wondering if we could take a look at it and what kind of deal you might be willing to make with me if I were to buy it."

"You're not serious?" Declan said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He caught Ella's look and pulled the phone slightly away.

"Jack wants to make an offer on Brook Cottage."

Ella nodded in understanding and went back to making toast.

"So, what kind of deal are you looking for?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe we can discuss it before the party this afternoon?"

"Sure. That works for me."

Alyssa frowned as the phone call got cut off. She pulled the phone away and fired off a text.

"Need to talk to you. URGENT! Lyss xx"

Alyssa looked at Jack as he spoke to Declan and waited patiently for him to get off the phone. She fiddled with her own phone. Why hadn't Ffion picked up? She sighed frustratedly.

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Jack finished talking to Declan and turned to Alyssa and noticed Ffion approaching. He jerked his head at Alyssa and watched Ffion approach.

"What's so urgent?" Ffion asked in a sullen tone.

Jack awkwardly took a drag from his cigarette and glanced at Alyssa.

Alyssa suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

"We got some bad news Fee, from the Station this morning," she said slowly.

"Sean Slater died last night, Rhys..." she swallowed and kept her concerned gaze fixed on Ffion's face. "Rhys is going to be put into prison," she said gently.

She took a step forward, cautiously watching Ffion's face, unsure how she would take this information.

/\\/\\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\

Ffion gazed steadily at Alyssa as she listened, her face completely devoid of expression.

"He was already going to prison," Ffion corrected, her voice hollow-sounding and devoid of emotion. "Now, he'll be going for longer. Makes no never mind to me. He and the whole family have decided I am dead to them. He is only getting what he deserves. I'm sad that Sean is dead though, despite what he did. He didn't really deserve to die."

Ffion drew in a deep breath, her blank eyes still meeting Alyssa's.

"I should tell you I'm not going back to Walford with you. I've spoken to the man who owns that café over there and he's going to hire me to help him run it. So, I'm going to find a place to stay here and make a new start.

She blinked finally and she gave a small, hard smile. "I better go and get ready for the party."

She turned from Alyssa and headed back into the B&B.

Jack gazed after Ffion as she walked away and then turned to Alyssa.

"I had no idea," he breathed and put an arm around Alyssa's shoulder.

"I'd say let's go after her, but I don't think now is a good time. Let's get the car over to the garage for the oil change and then maybe we can have a drink in the pub while we wait and then get ready for the party," he suggested.

Alyssa rested her head on Jack's shoulder and watched Ffion.

"She's really not okay is she," she sighed and looked up at him. She nodded at his plan and slid an arm around his waist.

"Have you got the keys? Or did you leave them upstairs?" she asked him as her gaze went back to Ffion's retreating figure. She sighed again.

"No, she's not. But I don't blame her for not wanting to stay. I can't imagine what she's going through. I'm not going to talk her into anything. However," Jack said and looked at Alyssa. "She is a good option for someone to take care of the cottage for us. We know what she's like already, so we can at least give her a small assistance in her new life."

She smiled up at him. "Check you out, Mr Ideas Man," she grinned at him. "That is of course, if Declan agrees to sell us the cottage for a decent price, and if we like it," she added with a small shrug.

He pulled the car keys from his pocket and jingled them before kissing her forehead and walking over to climb into the car. He started the car and rolled down the window. "Do you want to ride over or walk?" he asked.

Alyssa smiled and climbed into the car. "Ride," she smiled as she fastened her seatbelt down and grinned at him.

/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\

Roxy pulled herself together and grabbed up her car keys. She glanced into the front room to see Amy playing with her teddy bears and nodded silently. She went downstairs and gave Peggy a weak smile.

"Can you watch Amy for me Aunty Peg? I need to get out of here!" she said as she came out from behind the bar and left the pub.

Roxy climbed up into her car and started it. She pulled out of the square and drove through London, searching for something. She wasn't sure what, but she was pretty sure that she'd know when she found it.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Stacey slammed the phone down and collapsed against the wall and to the floor. Her brother was dead! Really dead this time. She sat on the floor and sobbed. How could she even tell Jean? Should she bother? She hadn't actually told Jean that Sean had been back in the Square. Her mother was still so fragile she just couldn't bring herself to shock Jean even more. Now, she would have to arrange his funeral. She would not leave that for that bloody cow Roxy to handle. Stacey would bar her from the funeral if she could. She would keep it small. In fact, she should have him buried here, near where she lived now, instead of in Walford.

He'd been dead to Walford once. Yes, she would go back and arrange to have Sean's body moved here and she'd have him buried here, so he would be close. Ryan would help her. She steeled her resolve, got to her feet and went to wash her face and wait for Ryan to get home from work. Then, they'd head back to Walford.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

JT went looking upstairs for Roxy only for Peggy to tell him she'd gone.

"Where?"

"No idea, darling'," Peggy told him. "But you know, Sean Slater died last night, so no doubt she's gone somewhere to rage it out of her system. No matter how badly he treated her, she did love him once," Peggy told him and he nodded. He could understand that, but he couldn't help the small feeling of satisfaction that went through him at the news. He was relieved the man was gone.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Debbie looked up from the car she and Aaron were working on and smiled at Declan and the red-haired woman as they got out of the car. No, she reminded herself, not Declan, his cousin. She'd already heard about this man who looked so like Declan. Everything she'd heard was true. She elbowed Aaron who was starting to stare and put a smile on her face.

"Help you?" she asked.

"Yes, I hope so," he gestured at his car. "Just needs an oil change," he told her. "Declan said you do good work so I had to bring it over."

"Thanks, I should be able to fit it in no trouble. When do you need it back by?" she wanted to know.

"Well, we're going out this afternoon, so would early evening suit? Say 4?"

"I can do that, no problem," she agreed.

She glanced at Cain as he walked up and grabbed up a clipboard and made some notes.

"All right?" Cain asked the man he thought was Declan.

Jack nodded.

Cain turned to Debbie. "Debbie, your mum….." he began and Debbie turned and cut him off.

"No, Dad, I don't want to hear anything. I thought I made that clear?"

Cain frowned and shoved a piece of paper at her.

"Your mum wanted me to give you this," he snapped. "Let a person finish a sentence before you go making assumptions, all right?"

Debbie sighed and took the paper and stuck in her pocket. "Fine, Dad, sorry. Go help Aaron with that motor okay, I've an oil change to do."

Alyssa's head whipped around to look as she heard Cain's voice. She recognised that voice all too well. Her fists clenched and she stood and stared for a moment taking in his appearance. He'd either shaved or hadn't had a beard to begin with but she knew that she knew his voice. She watching him argue with the blond and went to edge around the back of the car to get closer to Jack, her gaze fixed anxiously on Cain.

Debbie carried the clipboard over to Jack and started to talk with him quietly, to see if there was anything else he wanted done with the car. Jack caught sight of Alyssa's edging towards him, but focused on what Debbie was saying. However, Alyssa looked odd.

Cain noticed Alyssa staring at him and cursed inwardly. He hadn't seen her there, he'd intended to avoid her. That look on her face, recognition. He cursed again and turned his back on Alyssa to make a cup of tea. He should have made a better attempt to disguise his voice.

But he'd had a beard and sunglasses, lots of people could sound alike. If he ignored her, she might decide she was wrong. If not...he didn't want to think about that just now.

Alyssa kept her gaze fixed on Cain, she felt anxious. If she was wrong then it was fine and she was just weirding him out. Gene had seemed to think that Declan had got someone he knew to help him that day. She stood near Jack, feeling a little calmer thanks to his presence. She took a deep breath. She wouldn't tell Jack until she was sure, he would fly off the handle and do something rash.

Alyssa tried in vain to listen to whatever Debbie was saying but she found herself tuning out. Should she confront him? No, she didn't feel brave enough to confront him. She swallowed and made sure she could see where Cain was.

Jack walked with Debbie to the back of the car, discussing some other possible maintenance work she could possibly get done for him along with possible prices.

Cain noticed Alyssa would not stop staring at him and he was rapidly going from annoyed to angry. He noticed Debbie leading Jack around to the back of the car, leaving Alyssa alone for a moment, Cain took that moment to approach.

"Do you have a problem, sweetheart?" he asked her in a low tone, his eyes meeting hers and fixing a smile to his face in case Debbie or Jack looked over. "Because I have to tell you, the way you keep staring at me, I really don't like it. Unless you fancy me of course," he added and then looked her up and down, appraisal in his eyes. "Then, maybe we can talk."

Alyssa watched Cain get closer to her and felt herself freeze. She frowned at his words and took a small shuffling step backwards.

"I know it was you," she told him, now he had got closer and she could see his features a little better she was almost positive that it had been him. She glanced over to Debbie and Jack and wished they'd hurry up so that they could go. She didn't want to be here.

"You know it was me what?" he asked curiously, tilting his head at her. He put his hand around her upper arm and gently pulled her towards the garage building. "Why don't I get you a brew," he said loudly, while firmly leading her where he wanted her to go. "Now you listen to me. I'm not someone you want to cross. So I think you should forget anything you think you might know. Are we clear?" he said tightly, his tone slightly menacing and his eyes cold.

"Someone could get hurt, otherwise, very badly hurt," he added and let go of her arm and then thrust a cup of tea into her hand. His cold, flat gaze met hers a final time and then he turned and walked over to Aaron to see what he was working on as Debbie and Jack returned to the front of Jack's car.

"Thanks, Debbie. That's a fair quote. You've got yourself a deal," he said and shook her hand.

He glanced up and saw Alyssa standing in the garage. "Lyss, let's get a move on," he called over to her.

She nodded slowly, shrinking back slightly at his tone. Agreeing now didn't mean that she was going to stay quiet. She had Alex and Gene with her, Gene had wanted to come after this guy anyway.

Alyssa stayed silent as she listened to Cain and barely noticed the tea he passed to her. She put the mug down as she heard Jack calling her name and quickly moved back over to him, Cains threats in her head. She looked at him and attempted a bright smile as she slipped her hand into his. She held his hand tightly and stayed close to him. She wouldn't let him get hurt.

"All sorted?" she asked him as she half pulled him away from the Garage.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, nice girl. She's going to do a few other things too, quoted me a pretty fair price."

He glanced down at her. Something seemed off. He put an arm around her as they walked back towards the B&B. He'd talk to her about it later.

Alyssa looked up at him and sighed before nodding. She sighed and climbed up into the car. She could see the Garage out of the window and she shrank back into the seat warily. She fiddled with her bag as her phone beeped at her and she pulled it out. She half smiled at Rowan's plea to call. She put her phone back in her bag. She would call her later.

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When they got inside the pub, Rowan noticed JT sitting in a corner by himself. He looked upset. She slipped her arm from Ray's.

She gestured at JT. "I'll be right back, get us a table," she told Ray softly and walked over to JT.

JT looked at as he felt Rowan's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," he said, his voice slightly off. Rowan furrowed her brow and sat down across from him.

"Are you okay?" she wanted to know and he shook his head.

"Not entirely, no. Roxy's just found out this morning that Sean Slater died last night," he told her.

"Ohhh," Rowan gasped and put a hand to her mouth and then reached over to cover JT's hand with hers.

"I feel bad for her. How is she coping?"

"I don't know, she's run off, no idea where or why."

"Well, I'm sure she's okay. It's got to be weird for her, him dying like that. So, I guess Rhys will be going to prison for murder now," she sighed.

"Yep, I reckon so," he let out a long breath. "I better get back to the kitchen."

"Ray and I are here for lunch with the twins, if you feel up to saying hello," she offered.

"Thanks, Rowan."

She nodded and smiled and patted his hand. "Anytime."

She got up and walked over to where Ray had sat down.

"Sean Slater died last night, looks like Rhys is going to be charged with murder now," she told Ray and took a sip of the drink he'd got her.

"JT says Roxy just took off when she got the news, he's worried."

Ray nodded and wheeled the twins over to a table close to the bar. He made sure the pair of them were all right and then looked over at Rowan and JT curiously. Ray kept his eye on the twins as he went up to the bar and came back with a pint for himself and a lemonade for Rowan. He didn't know whether she was ready to start drinking again yet, or if she was sticking to soft drinks.

He looked up and sighed, running a hand through his hair as he got the news.

"Has he tried calling her?" he asked as he glanced over at JT.

He sighed as he looked back at Rowan. "That's going to be a blow to morale," he sighed. "Work is going to be very different without Rhys."

"I would assume so," Rowan replied and took another sip of her lemonade.

"He was going to be gone awhile yet anyway. And what about the arrest thing Rhys pulled, would Gene even be willing to take him back?"

She tapped idly at the table with a fingernail, glanced at the twins and then up at Ray.

"I hope Ffion's okay. I'm sure she's been told by now."

"Doubt it, he wouldn't be allowed to anyway. Can't be a police officer if you've committed murder," he sighed. "It's in some sort of Rule Book or something," he sighed.

"Probably, with Ginger in the station and Shaz, someone will have made sure the Guv knows and of course either he, Alex, Jack or Lyss will have told Ffion," he said and patted her shoulder gently.

"Yes, I guess. I'm just so worried about her. She was already going off the rails, I can't imagine how this will effect her."

She stopped and looked up as JT came over to find out what they wanted to eat. She reached up and squeezed his hand before ordering and then let go his hand.

"I should call Alyssa and find out," she decided and looked up at JT. "You should try Roxy again."

"I will," JT replied softly. "I'm going to let her get it out of her system first, though. He was her husband, after all."

Rowan nodded.

"At least she hasn't gone up there on her own," he said reassuringly. "She's got Jack and Lyss and Gene and Alex," he told her gently. "They'll take care of her."

Ray looked up at JT and told him his order, giving him a sympathetic smile.

Rowan picked up her phone and quickly sent off a text to Alyssa asking her to call and then put her phone down as Abi dragged Jay over to look at the twins. Max walked over with the idea of pulling Abi away and Rowan shook her head at him. Max nodded and went to the bar and got a drink. He was torn. On the one hand, Tanya was uninvolved again, but on the other, he had feelings for Jane. She'd already been badly treated by Ian, even from where he was staying in the US with Ben he was often a nuisance with nasty phone calls. He sighed.

He was sure, however, that Tanya didn't have feelings for him. She'd run tepid to freezing with him every time they were around each other. But he still couldn't get her out of his mind.

Rowan finished her lunch between chatting with various people who stopped to look at the twins. She checked her phone and looked at Ray.

"Nothing yet," she huffed, unable to keep the slight annoyance from her tone. "I know, she's probably busy, but still," she said to Ray with a shrug.

Ray chuckled. "You're so impatient, Ro," he said. "She'll call when she gets a chance, who knows what's going on up there," he said as he reached for his pint glass and took a hefty sip.

Rowan shook her head. "I'd rather not think that. All hell could be breaking loose," she retorted and drained her lemonade.

"Let's go walk now, I have to work off that indecently caloric lunch," she groaned.

Ray chuckled as he drained his pint and grabbed the pushchair. He walked Rowan out of the bar, waving to JT as they went. Ray took her hand and put it on his arm as he led her leisurely to the park. So far he was rather enjoying paternity leave. He would be back at work before he knew it though, that much he was sure of. Ah well, he would enjoy this whole family time thing until he had to go back to work.

Rowan looped her arm around his and smiled.

"You know," she began, "it's very strange to see you so….domestic," she observed. "I hope my wild man is still in there, somewhere," she teased and poked at his side. She stopped him underneath a tree and wound her arms around his neck and brought him down for a kiss. "It's such a short time until Halloween," she said softly after breaking off the kiss, "and I'm really looking forward to some time alone with you."

She searched his blue gaze and then raised an eyebrow at him.

"Whether your mother is there, or not, I will have you," she told him, her voice full of promise and slightly threatening. She smiled and kissed him again softly.

She looped her arm back around his and tilted her head.

"I bet you'd like an ice cream now," she nearly purred and patted his hand.

Ray half-groaned as she let him go. Being domestic was stopping him thinking about other things he'd rather be doing. Now she'd brought all of those thoughts right to the front of his mind again. He didn't want an ice cream, he'd much rather have something else. Ray sighed heavily and looked down at her. Halloween couldn't come quick enough!

He muttered under his breath and looked down at her again, he took her hand off his arm and pulled her against him. Ray kissed her needily, taking everything he could from the kiss, then let her go. He rested his brow against hers and opened his eyes. "There's something I want a hell of a lot more than ice cream Ro, and I'm trying to keep my mind off it," he growled gently. "You bringing to the front of my mind doesn't help," he said.

Rowan felt herself go weak as he kissed her. He'd never kissed her quite like this and she gave what she could, kissing him back with a desperation that matched his. She wanted him, too. The kiss had set her blood boiling.

She clung to him as he broke it off and drew in heaving breaths to try and recover from that kiss.

"It's not easy for me, either," she breathed. She stepped away from him and sighed.

"Let's get you an ice cream to cool you off and go home. I'll put these two to bed and hopefully they'll sleep for a bit."

She raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. "There are some things I can still do, you know."

She chuckled and pushed him to get him moving.

Ray grinned at her and made his way towards the ice cream van. What she was suggesting was good, but it didn't make up for what he was missing.

Ray stood patiently in the queue for ice cream and grinned as he bought one for him and one for Rowan. He passed it to her as he moved out of the way.

Ray looked at the twins and then at Rowan. "They allowed a bit of ice cream?" he asked.

Rowan shook her head at him.

"It's going to be months before they can eat that, acuisle," she told him. She looked at the ice cream doubtfully a moment and wondered, how was she going to eat this after what she had promised him? Even worse, how was she going to handle watching him? She groaned softly and rubbed her face with her free hand and tried to eat her ice cream as non-provocatively as possible, while taking great care not to look at him as he ate his.

Ray scoffed down his ice cream as quickly and non-messily as he could. He kept his gaze fixed on the twins as he ate and sighed once he was finished. He turned his gaze back to Rowan cautiously, he knew what she could be like when she was eating certain foods and he didn't want to get wound up over it. He nodded when he saw she was still eating and pushed the stroller backwards and forwards soothingly to distract himself.

Rowan looked at the amount of ice cream she had left and tossed it in the bin. Ray was upset and she needed to calm him down. She stood up and tugged on his arm.

"Come on, let's go home," she ordered and smiled.

Ray looked down at her and nodded. He took her hand and put it on his arm as he walked back to the Restaurant.

Ray looked at Syed and Trevor briefly as he pulled the twins out of the stroller and handed them to Rowan, he collapsed it down easily and carried it upstairs.

Rowan chatted briefly with Syed and Trevor and then headed upstairs. She made sure the door latched behind her when she shut it and walked over to Ray.

"I'll put these two to bed," she said and then a slow smile crept across her face. "You get in there and get undressed."

She gave him a look and then went into the nursery and carefully placed the twins in the crib. She changed them and gazed at the sleeping babies a moment before grabbing up the monitor and heading into the bedroom.


	34. Chapter 34

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 34**

Ffion pulled out her little blue dress. It was soft and clingy but also quite low cut and quite short. She slipped it on and then sat down and began to fix her hair and put on some make up, not too much. It was an afternoon party after all. She grinned at herself in the mirror. This would be a day to remember. She realized she couldn't wait.

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Stacey drove onto the Square and pulled up in front of her old house. She knew Ryan didn't appreciate being treated like "Mr. Mom", but Stacey had to sort his herself. Sean was her brother. She was the only one who could. And she wanted it done fast. Having the baby here would just complicate things. She gazed up at the house a moment, then started the car again and drove to the hospital. She would take care of Sean first.

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Roxy finally stopped the car. She looked out of her windscreen and felt herself crumple onto the steering wheel. Roxy slammed the car door shut behind her and walked out onto the pier. She found a spot at the end and dangled her feet over the side. She leant forward onto the barrier and rested her chin on her arms as she looked out at the sea. A tear rolled down her cheek and she made no attempts to wipe it away; sure she could see the positives of Sean dying, no complications with marrying JT, not having to watch out for him all the time...but he was dead. Roxy buried her face into her arms and just sat there and let herself cry.

She had driven as far as she could and had reached the coast, the sea. Somehow it was relaxing, the sound of the waves and the seagulls and the chatter of people was calming her.

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Stacey finally found where she needed to be and began the process of filling in all the paperwork. She didn't mean to be snappy with people, but they seemed to take it in stride, she was grieving. She got everything sorted and then called the mortuary she had decided to use to handle Sean's burial and arranged for them to come and pick him up. She took his possessions and made it to the car before bursting into sobs again.

She took several deep breaths once her spate of weeping had passed. She started the car and drove home. She had the rest of his things to get. She would tell Mo and Charlie where to come for the funeral and then she would go home. She couldn't bear to be here anymore.

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Gene stood near the door, waiting for Alex and couldn't help the widening of his eyes as Ffion descended the stairs. Bloody Nora! The dress she was wearing was so clingy, and low cut and short it could hardly be called a dress. She picked her way to the door in the knee high, black heeled boots she'd chosen to wear with it and pulled on a jacket.

"Where is everyone? I'm ready," she said and Gene took two steps away from her. He hadn't even realized he'd done it. He glanced out the door and saw Alyssa and Jack making their way slowly back to the B&B and stepped outside.

He strode over to meet them, lighting as smoke as he went.

"Wait until you see Ffion," he warned them in a low tone and turned back to the B&B in time to see the girl emerge.

Jack began to cough in surprise and looked at Alyssa.

"She can't be serious," he gasped.

Alyssa's eyes widened at the sight of Ffion. She let go of Jack and moved over to the girl.

"Fee, are you sure that dress is... umm...appropriate?" she asked carefully

Alex came down the stairs and smiled at Gene, then looked at the shocked expression on both his and Jack's faces. She looked at Alyssa and took in Ffion's appearance. She raised her eyebrows, that did not count as a dress, it barely counted as clothing!

Alex walked over to Gene and placed her hand on his arm to let him know she was there "I take it Fee knows?" she asked him softly.

Gene looked at Alex and nodded.

"I'm pretty sure they told her," he replied. "Let's just go," he sighed as the SUV pulled up. "If we make a big deal about it, it might make things worse. She's clearly acting out, best ignore it."

Alex sighed and nodded, she climbed into the SUV after Ffion and sighed at the sight of her. She did as Gene advised and said nothing.

Ffion looked at Alyssa and raised an eyebrow. "You're hardly my mother," she replied and gestured at the dress. "There is nothing wrong with this dress, it's fine for an afternoon party. For an evening party or clubbing, you want something flashier," she explained and zipped her jacket up with a sharp jerk of her wrist.

She flashed Alyssa an overly bright smile and walked towards the SUV that Adam was driving to pick them up. She gave Adam a distant, but friendly smile, he really was younger than she preferred, and sashayed towards the SUV to climb in. She caught sight of Carl and tossed her waterfall of curls back from her shoulder and made sure he got a good look at her before she got into the vehicle.

Jack nodded at Adam once the young man had pulled his attention away from watching Ffion walk past.

"Declan told me you wanted to be picked up a little early," Adam said to Jack and Jack nodded.

"Yes, thanks."

He put a hand on the small of Alyssa's back and nudged her towards the vehicle. "Let's go. Just drop it about the dress. It's not going to get us anywhere if we say anything else," he said soothingly.

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Carl watched the small group outside the B&B curiously. He was pretty sure that the pretty Redhead was talking to Ffion. He stayed where he was and his eyes almost left their sockets as he got a good look at Ffion.

He watched her getting into the SUV, that dress really did leave very little to the imagination: not that he had to imagine, he'd seen it all before, and planned to again.

Chas walked up behind Carl, she knew he was watching that young girl in her barely there dress climb into the SUV.

"Now there's a catastrophe waiting to happen," she said from behind him and chuckled. She smirked at him as she shoved her hands in her pockets before turning to go to the pub.

Carl turned his head slowly to look at Chas as the SUV began to drive away. He scowled at her back and carried on walking in the direction he had been walking before he had got...distracted.

Chas chuckled again at the look on Carl's face. He would never learn.

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Ella came out to greet them when they arrived. Her eyebrows flew up at the length of Ffion's skirt, but at the sight of everyone else's faces, she kept her mouth shut and smiled brightly at the others. She quickly focused on Alyssa and took the woman's hand.

"I've had the best news," she said to Alyssa. "Bob doesn't really want to take business away from Leyla since she stepped up and increased her inventory to cover for the loss of the shop in the fire. He's offered to let me rent the space for my little business. How brilliant is that? Right next door to the café," she enthused.

Alyssa smiled at Ella brightly as the woman took her hand and led her away, her eyes widened at her news. "That's fantastic!" she beamed. "So, you don't have to move too far away after all," she said happily.

"And you'll have decent coffee right next door in case you want a coffee break," she smiled.

"I know, I'm very excited. I've already told Declan I intend to go into the village tomorrow and talk to Bob about it. I'm sure I'll be too drunk to bother later on," she joked.

Alyssa grinned at Ella. "I'm sure he won't have a problem with it! If he's not using it then surely you can buy it off him or rent it," she said.

"Yes, I'm going to rent it. We're going to hammer out the details when I go, sign the paperwork and all that. Then all I have to do is get the stuff to put it in," Ella grinned.

"Have you got people to work for you? Or is it going to be just you?" Alyssa asked interestedly. "And if you want some great deals I can give you a list of the suppliers I use for the Salon," she offered.

"I think I might see if I can find a stylist," she said and shrugged. "That would help, especially if I can use them up here," Ella nodded.

Alyssa nodded. "I'll write a list down for you," she smiled. "I've got all their phone numbers in my phone anyway so I can give you them, too," she smiled.

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Jack shook hands with Declan and followed him into the office to discuss the purchase of the cottage. He showed Declan how much he could give him up front in cash and then they haggled awhile over how much Jack would pay monthly until the place was paid off. Jack played nice until Declan seemed resistant to Jack's offer, at which point Jack looked squarely at Declan and said: "you owe me."

Declan gazed at Jack a moment and then quickly drew up a quick agreement and signed it without any further argument. Jack smiled inwardly. The amount Ffion would be paying in rent would easily cover most of the payments to Declan. He followed his cousin out of the office and went to meet the other guests.

Jack went straight over to Alyssa and showed her the paperwork. "It took all our savings, but it's ours now," he told her and grinned. "He drove a hard deal, but then I reminded him of some things and he backed down," he added with a chuckle. He glanced at Ffion, who was attempting to engage a small, dark haired girl in conversation. "I'll talk to her about it later."

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Ffion removed her jacket and ignored the looks she got as she did so. She boldly marched over to the others in the room and with a large smile, introduced herself. No single men here yet, she thought with an annoyed sigh. Hopefully that would change soon. Declan had said people around here tended to invite themselves to his parties.

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Ella tried to keep back her shock when she saw the "rest" of Ffion's non-dress and smiled graciously at Charity, Jai, Nikhil and Gennie, though they all seemed quite taken aback when Ffion so aggressively introduced herself. Ella just hoped there wouldn't be a scene of some kind. Jai and Nikhil were with their respective partners, however, she had no idea who else might take it upon themselves to show up.

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Max wandered out of the pub and down the street, passing the salon as he went. He would not go inside, he decided, but his pace slowed considerably.

"Tanya, isn't that your ex?" Maddie pointed out as she watched Max take longer than usual to pass the Salon.

Tanya looked up from the laptop and raised her eyebrows as she watched Max walking along, looking quite forlorn. She nodded at Maddie. "Yup," she said as she returned to her work.

Maddie looked at Max once more and shrugged before going back to cleaning out the hair-washing sinks.

Max finished walking past the salon and then turned and went on his way. He really shouldn't be thinking about Tanya, not at all.

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Alyssa looked up at Jack and smiled broadly at his news, her smile faltering a bit. She took his hand and looked at him. "I need to talk to you, Jack," she told him quietly. "About what happened before the wedding," she added, her voice barely audible.

Alyssa excused herself from the conversation and tugged on Jack's hand until she led him into a deserted room. She made him put the paperwork down and took both of his hands in hers. She looked up at his face, Cain's threats once more going through her head. But, she needed to tell Jack, she didn't trust that Cain would leave her be. Taking a deep breath and gathering up her courage she looked directly at him.

"I think...no," she shook her head. "I know, that while we've been here, we've run into my kidnapper," she said. "Or, I have at least," she told him as she squeezed his hands. "I know he was wearing a disguise, but I recognised his voice."

Jack looked at Alyssa curiously, but let her lead him away.

"What?" Jack blurted. "Who?" he demanded to know. "I'll tell Gene and then we'll have the bastard locked up.

Alyssa shook her head hastily, she knew he'd be like this!

"No, Jack! You can't tell anyone!" she told him, her voice panicky, she squeezed his hands earnestly.

"You can't tell anyone," she repeated shaking her head.

Jack frowned at Alyssa. He didn't like this, not one bit.

"Why not?" he asked and then sighed and thought of Declan. Occasionally petty Declan who had thought he could break up Jack and Alyssa so easily so he could have her for himself. "Then why are we bothering. I suppose I don't want Declan to go to jail, I assume if we attempt to get the lackey arrested, he'll take Dec down with him. He's already practically given us that cottage, we're paying considerably less than what it could be worth, but he had no choice," Jack sighed and his face lost animation and went flat.

"Best tell me who, then," he ended flatly.

Alyssa watched his face, she'd never seen him like this: completely devoid of emotion. It was scaring her; she knew how to handle him when he got upset and angry, this she didn't know how to deal with. She nodded quietly and let out a shallow breath.

"The guy from the Garage this morning," she told him quietly. "But you can't tell anyone, Jack!" she said again, her expression going panicked again. "I don't want you to get hurt," she whispered.

"The guy from the garage…what….that kid working on the car…." Jack began and then trailed off. "No, the other one, Debbie's father," he corrected himself. Jack huffed out a breath. "Fine, I won't say anything. It's probably best we don't stir things up with Fee being left here on her own. I wouldn't like someone to take anything out on her, she's just a kid," he agreed.

He slid an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go back to the party before we're missed," he suggested.

Alyssa nodded as he worked it out and slipped an arm around his waist. She sighed and looked over at Ffion as he spoke. Her eyebrows flew up but she said nothing, this was typical Ffion Behaviour and she wasn't going to march in there and mess up everything. She rested her head on Jack's shoulder as she watched.

He watched some guy go over and put his arm around Ffion, she didn't object so she clearly knew him. Jack gave a small shake of his head. Ffion certainly made friends fast.

She felt better and worse for telling him. She couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't go off and do something he'd regret, but then she had needed him to know.

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Gene wandered around and spoke nicely to the other guests. That Charity seemed a right handful, he thought, and stayed clear of her in case Alex got ideas. Jai and Nikhil seemed fine, not too up themselves, and he found Gennie to be quite sweet. He noticed some other people trickling in, apparently Declan had been right about people inviting themselves.

He watched Ella graciously welcome them, even though they hadn't been invited, and get them drinks.

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Ffion spoke to everyone, but wished someone more interesting would show up, or single, same thing. She had thought perhaps Carl might turn up, he knew about the party surely and she'd seen his face when he'd see the dress, not that he'd seen the whole thing, only the length of the skirt, she thought she would quite like him to see it now that she had her coat off. It was quite wasted on these people.

She was also getting tired of the looks. Who were they to look at her that way? She remained silent however. She would soon be living and working here and it wouldn't do to rock the boat.

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Alex watched Ffion as she took off her jacket. The girl had no shame. She watched the faces of the people in the room as they took in Ffion's appearance. Alex sighed heavily but said nothing, Fee had made it clear that she was wearing whatever the hell she wanted to, and that was that! Alex took a sip from her glass and went over to join the conversation.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Roxy sighed as she picked herself up off the pier. She stood up and held the bar as she made sure she could still use her feet. Roxy sighed as she tucked her hair behind her ear, her hand came away feeling funny and when she pressed her fingers to her lips she tasted salt. Sea spray had got in her hair. She shrugged as she trailed down the pier back to her car slowly. She'd cried, she'd thought about her lift with Sean, she'd thought about her life after Sean. He'd died once before.

Roxy got back in her car decisively. She had a little girl in Walford that needed her, and JT was probably worried, too. She picked up her phone and sent him a text.

"I'm fine x"

Roxy put her phone back down and twisted the keys in the ignition until her car roared into action again. She took one last look at the Ocean before puling out of the car park and driving away.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Carl sat at his desk idly doodling on a pad of paper. There was nothing for him to do at work today, so why the hell was he here? He shrugged as he stood up and grabbed his jacket, there was that party up at Declan's, Ffion would be there, in that criminally short dress. He smirked to himself as he grudgingly left Eve in charge and headed up there.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Mia kept Adam well away from Ffion. She knew Ffion wasn't interested; they'd had a conversation when the group of them had gone out. Ffion liked older men, she'd confessed when she'd been well into her cups that she's shagged Alyssa's father, although she hadn't known he was her father at the time.

Mia had to admit, she quite liked Ffion otherwise, but she thought Ffion should have maybe worn a different outfit. She went over and engaged Ffion in conversation, since everyone else seemed put off.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Gene went outside to smoke and somehow found himself in conversation with a man called Zak, who happened by. Gene said nothing to the excuse. He was sure a lot of people would be "happening by" today. But the man was pleasant enough to talk to, unlike some of the other people here.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Jimmy watched his brother leaving the office and walked over.

"You going up to Home Farm?" he wanted to know. "I'll go, too. Nicola's still not forgiving me. No matter how much I say I'm sorry. I know I was stupid, Carl, so don't say anything, but I don't want to let her go," he couldn't keep the plaintive note from his voice and shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked along with his brother.

Carl looked at Jimmy with raised eyebrows. "You wonder why she's not forgiving you?" he scoffed. "I told you that going back to Kelly was a mistake, but did you listen? No, of course not! Because I had to be wrong, didn't I," he said sarcastically. "Nicola is going to take a long time to come back from that, firstly she's hurt you don't remember her, then you move out and hurt her even more, and then to top it off you get back with the one person she hates more than anyone!"

"I told you to not to say anything, and there you go, running your mouth off again. I'm tired of hearing, Carl. I know I screwed up, now I'm just trying to fix it," Jimmy growled and stalked past his brother as Carl put his arm around that girl in the barely-there dress. Carl was one to talk, Jimmy thought to himself and snorted as he went to get himself a beer.

He felt his skin go cold when he saw Ryan emerge from the kitchen and also walk towards the woman that Carl was with. This would not end well.

Carl shook his head and shut his mouth. He wasn't saying any more on the subject. He was just glad that Kelly had moved back in with Marlon and Bob, meant she wasn't always around. Carl felt his pace quicken in excitement as they got closer to the house, he kept himself in check as he went inside and immediately spotted Ffion. With Ryan. He felt the jealously twist in his stomach again. He had seen her first, and as ridiculous and childish as that sounded it made perfect sense to him.

Carl sauntered over and slung an arm around Ffion's shoulders as Ryan left her.

"How's it going?" he asked her with a grin.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

JT read the text from Roxy and felt no small amount of relief.

"I love you, xx" he sent back and left it at that. He had no intention of pressuring her.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Ryan glanced up as house loomed before him. Home Farm. His father used to live here, and his brothers and sister. Not that they'd known about that right away. He shook his head and went inside. He'd come for one thing: to see Ffion. His jaw dropped when he caught sight of her and he went over.

"Hello there," he said.

Ffion turned from Mia and smiled at Ryan.

"Finally, a knight has arrived," she grinned and winked at Mia. "Would you get me another drink?" she asked Ryan and handed him her glass. He nodded and took it and headed into the other room.

Ffion turned back to Mia and rolled her eyes. "I suppose I'll make do," she joked and Mia shook her head.

"You really are something else," Mia observed and Ffion chuckled.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Roxy reached for her phone blindly as she sat patiently in the traffic jam. She smiled at JT's text and put her phone back down. She turned on the radio as she waited for the cars to move. Luckily she had taken her road rage out on London earlier and had no intention of screaming at nothing now. She just wanted to go home.

Roxy sighed as she finally pulled up outside the pub and sat in her car for a moment, just watching the hubbub of the Square happening around her. She found her gaze drifting to the upstairs windows of the pub and she climbed out of the car. Roxy smiled ruefully as she went around to the back entrance and made her way inside through the cellar. Roxy went directly upstairs and smiled to see Amy still playing with her dolls. Roxy went over and picked the girl up into a hug, a few tears leaking into Amy's hair.

"Why cry, Mummy?" Amy asked her as she gently pressed her finger to Roxy's damp cheek.

"I'm just sad, Amy," Roxy sighed.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Ryan came out of the kitchen and walked over to Ffion and handed her her drink.

"Thank you, Ryan," she said. Ryan nodded and then looked at Carl.

"She's with me," he said, his tone sharp. "So I think you should make yourself scarce."

Ffion looked at Ryan. "Please don't," she said, her tone slightly tired, but Mia could see the look in Ffion's eyes. She wanted a fight.

Carl's eyebrows flew up and he scowled at Ryan, pulling Ffion a little closer to him. Ryan had clearly just got here first, Ffion had got in that SUV without him. Technically she wasn't his date.

"Back off, Ryan," he snapped back, his voice almost a growl.

Ffion stepped in front of Carl and put her hands on his chest.

"I asked you to stop," she said mildly and then turned to Ryan, who was still glaring at Carl. Ffion had practically ceased to exist.

"Why don't you go find someone your own age? She's young enough to be your daughter, old man, and well out of your league," Ryan sneered. Ffion reached out and put a hand on Ryan's chest.

"Stop it, now, or I'm leaving," she warned him, but Ryan kept his gaze fixed on Carl.

Carl snarled at Ryan and barely looked at Ffion as she stood between them.

"Go away, Ryan," he said. "Run along and find your Mummy, just like you told everyone you were going to do," he said with a cruel smirk. "No one wants you here anyway."

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Jack groaned and lowered the bottle of beer he'd been drinking from as he saw a younger man face off against the man who was with Ffion. This was the last thing they needed.

He looked over at Declan, who moved over closer to Jack and Alyssa.

"Wearing a dress like that, she's asking for a fight or some kind of trouble," Declan observed. "Or could you even call it a dress?" he joked lamely and took a drink of his beer.

"That's Carl King with his arm around Ffion, his brother Jimmy is standing just there, so he'll no doubt pull his brother off. The other one is Ryan Lamb; I'm surprised he's still hanging around. I'd heard he was planning to leave now that his mother has gone off somewhere."

Alyssa looked up at Declan and then back to Fee. "It barely classifies as a dress," she agreed with a small sigh.

Alyssa smiled at him. "Do you not think you should break that up before it starts then?" she asked.

Alyssa listened as Declan pointed out who the two men were. "How is it that she's been here a day and she's already causing trouble like this?" she sighed and looked at Declan. "I hope anything breakable you've got in here is insured," she said to him dryly.

Declan groaned. "Of course everything, but the people are insured, but I don't relish having my rates go up."

Jack glanced at Alyssa. "I think that's the blue dress we've heard stories about, you know, the one she wears and then fights break out?"

Alyssa nodded and sighed. "I think you might be right," she said as she glanced at Ffion's 'dress'.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

"Please," Ffion quietly begged, she had not minded at first, but she didn't want punching to start, not here.

Ryan frowned. "Bastard," he snapped and his fist flew out. Ffion turned to Ryan when she heard him snap and she ended up coming between his fist and Carl's face. Ryan's jaw dropped open in shock as Ffion bent over and put her hands to her cheek.

"Oh, my god, I'm so sorry, Ffion," he said and put a hand on her back.

"I'm fine," she huffed and pushed him away.

She kept her hand pressed to her cheek and glared at the two of them.

"You're both as bad as each other, just little boys," she scolded them coldly and whirled around to walk away from them.

She stopped short as she noticed Rodney was right behind her. He smiled at her and offered his arm. She turned her cold glare on Ryan and Carl again and took Rodney's arm and let him lead her away.

Rodney grabbed her coat and helped her into it and then led her from the house.

"Are you sure you're all right?" he asked her.

"My cheek hurts, he sure can throw a mean punch," she joked and winced.

"Let's go get you some ice or something to put on it. I've got my car right over here," he offered and she nodded.

Carl watched Ffion leave with Rodney, concern etched on his face. He looked back at Ryan.

"Idiot!" he snarled as he went to get a drink.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Before Jack could answer Alyssa, he, Declan and most everyone else in the room made a noise as Ryan's fist connected with Ffion's cheek. He looked at Alyssa and nearly went over to Ffion and then saw she was sorting it out. He wasn't surprised when he saw her take Rodney's offered arm and walk away with the man.

He blew out a breath and looked at Alyssa again.

"Well, never a dull moment," he remarked and drained his beer. He held up his bottle to Declan.

"I think we should have another," he said and Declan nodded in agreement.

Alyssa winced as she watched Ffion take the punch and made to go over before she saw the Man Ffion had been talking to at Dinner last night lead her away. She looked back at Jack and Declan and nodded as she sipped at her wine.

"You have to wonder if she wanted something like to happen though, if she's got that sort of reaction when she's worn that dress before," she said quietly.

"Oh, I'm sure of that," Jack remarked. "With all she's been through, I'm not surprised she's acting like this. Hopefully, that's the worst we'll have to deal with," Jack said and looped an arm around Alyssa's shoulders.

"Now, this is a party, let's mingle," he instructed and steered her towards some of the other people.

Jack tried to enjoy the party, but Alyssa's words kept coming back to him. He didn't want to hate his cousin, but now they'd bought a cottage here and would be coming back. Maybe it was fine. Declan had paid the man after all, for him, it had been nothing personal. At least, Jack hoped it wasn't.

He put a hand on Alyssa's shoulder as she stood talking to Jai and Nikhil and their partners. She was trying to get stories about Jack's youth again.

"I'm going out for a smoke," he whispered and headed outside.

Alyssa looked at Jack as he left then excused herself from the conversation and went after him. She carefully navigated her way through the people and outside to see Jack close by. She made her way over to him and looked at him critically.

"Are you okay Jack?" she asked him quietly as she looked him over.

"Not really," he said to her quietly and walked with her away from the door. He noticed the man who'd been fighting over Ffion earlier and steered Alyssa off in another direction towards some trees.

"I just…I mean…we've bought this cottage now. If I'd known..." he trailed off and took a long drag and gazed into the distance for a moment. "I'm going to work on the assumption that the man only did it because Declan hired him," Jack said finally. He wrapped an arm tight around Alyssa's shoulders and pulled her close.

He tossed his cigarette aside. "Let's go back inside, get our jackets and walk back," he suggested and led her back into the house.

A scowl crept over Cain's face as he watched them walk away from where he was hidden in the trees. Why couldn't the woman have just kept her mouth shut? It hadn't been personal, until now. He headed back into the woods, pulling out his phone to call in a few favors. He wouldn't do the dirty work this time. It had to look random….just a mugging. They were going to be foolish enough to walk back to the village in the dark after all. Anything could happen.

Alyssa slid her arm around his waist, she was half-wishing that she hadn't told him now, he was getting worked up over it. She rested her head against his arm as he led her back inside, she got her jacket from where she had left it. She went back over to Jack and laid a hand on his arm.

"We need to say goodbyes before we go," she told him.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Gene watched Ffion walk to that Rodney fellow's car and leave with him. Was he imagining it or was her face red? Had someone hit her? He excused himself from Zak and went inside.

He walked over to Alex and put his hand on the small of her back.

"I just saw Ffion leaving, what happened?"

Alex looked up at Gene and sighed.

"She seemed to cause a fight between him," she said as she pointed at Carl's retreating figure. "And...him," she said as she spotted Ryan. "One of them threw a punch aiming for the other and Ffion got in the way," she said to him.

Gene groaned and shook his head.

"Rhys has made a right mess of things," he sighed and got himself another beer. "The excitement's over, might as well enjoy ourselves now."

Alex nodded and sighed. "I'd worry about Ffion if I didn't already know that she's more than capable of taking care of herself," she muttered as she followed Gene to get another drink.

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Jimmy walked over to his brother. "Who's the idiot now?" he asked him sarcastically. "Nice one, Carl, let's hope we don't get thrown out now. What were you thinking chasing after a girl almost young enough to be your daughter," he said in an aggrieved tone and sighed.

Carl frowned at Jimmy.

"I'm not that old!" he replied in an affronted tone. "And she wasn't complaining," he said moodily. "And I don't think you're in a position to lecture me over my life when you've gone and messed yours up," he snapped.

"Just making a point that you shouldn't be lecturing either," Jimmy retorted smugly and took a drink of his beer.

Carl pulled a face at Jimmy and grabbed up a beer.

Ryan frowned after Carl and stalked from the house. He shoved his hands in his pockets and headed slowly back to the village

/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\/\\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\

Roxy watched Amy play on the floor for a bit, hugging a cushion to her. She sighed and buried her face in the cushion as she tried to get in control of herself. She stood off the sofa and looked down at Amy "Stay there sweetheart" she told her quietly as she left the room.

Roxy made her way downstairs and looked around the bar for JT. She sighed as she noticed it was only Peggy on the bar and headed around the back to the kitchen, she opened the door and half-smiled at the sight of JT busy cooking something. She moved up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle, hugging his back.

"I take it you've heard?" she asked quietly.

JT put down the potato he was peeling, quickly wiped his hands and turned around and gathered Roxy into his arms.

"Yes, I did," he told her softly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He held her tight and then loosed his grip and looked down at her, putting a gentle finger under her chin to make her look up at him.

"Don't feel like you can't grieve," he told her and put a hand on her cheek. "No matter what, he was your husband and a big part of your life. Just know that I'm here for you."

Roxy nodded at him. "I know," she whispered. "I just need you hold me," she said as she pressed her forehead to his chest and sighed.

"I need to plan his funeral," she murmured into his chest. "He can't just sit in the mortuary," she added with a small shudder. "He needs a funeral," she repeated, more to herself than to JT. Sitting by the sea had been what she had needed at the time, now she needed JT.

Roxy pulled away with a small sigh. "When are you going to be finished down here?" she asked as she looked over at what he was doing.

"Well, lunch is done now, so I can leave if I need to. Do you want to go over to the hospital now and get the ball rolling?" he asked her.

"I'm sure Peggy will watch Amy, we shouldn't take her with us," he said.

Roxy looked up at him and nodded silently. She held on to him for a moment longer, her eyes closed, just to lose herself in his embrace for a while. She sighed as she loosened her grip on him and let him go completely.

"I'll just go and ask Aunty Peg to look after Amy for us," she told him, Roxy rose up onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered to him before leaving the kitchen. Roxy went back to the bar and gently pulled her aunt aside.

"Aunty Peg? I want to go down the hospital and sort something out for Sean's funeral," she said quietly "Will you keep an eye on Amy for me?" she asked. Roxy hugged Peggy once she agreed and went to grab her car keys and a jacket. She smiled weakly at JT as she spotted him and led him outside to get in the car.

JT followed her out and sat quietly as they went to the hospital. He quickly took hold of her hand when they were out of the car and held it tight as they walked into the building. She hadn't got to say goodbye, not properly. Sean had died not long after arriving at the hospital. JT worried about that. He squeezed her hand and walked with her through the building until they got to the morgue.

Roxy squeezed his hand back and kept her head up as she walked through the hospital. She held tightly to JT's hand as she spoke to the man at the desk just inside the morgue. Her eyes widened and she let go of JT's hand as she interrogated the man. She gave up when the guy seemed to be too scared to answer her and went to JT and threw herself into his arms before the tears started.

"Someone's taken his body JT," she said quietly into his chest. "Someone's taken him."

JT looked at Roxy in shock. "What do you mean someone's taken him?" he asked her and looked up as the man Roxy burst into tears.

"His sister had the body transported earlier today, sir," the man attempted to explain. He just wanted away from the crazy woman. He looked at JT and Roxy and then went about his business.

JT gently steered Roxy out of the room and sat her down.

"Do you know Stacey's number?"

Roxy wiped at her eyes only to let more tears fall and create new streaks down her face. She shook her head.

"No, I haven't needed it since Sean left," she said as she looked at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him to her so that she could cry into his shoulder.

She knew that Stacey would want to plan a funeral for Sean, but she could have at least let Roxy know before going about arrangements, she was still his wife!

"Look, let's go talk to Mo and Charlie. They can help you get in touch with Stacey so you can go the funeral," JT suggested and helped her out of the hospital once her storm of weeping had passed.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Rowan chatted briefly with Syed and Trevor and then headed upstairs. She made sure the door latched behind her when she shut it and walked over to Ray.

"I'll put these two to bed," she said and then a slow smile crept across her face. "You get in there and get undressed."

She gave him a look and then went into the nursery and carefully placed the twins in the crib. She changed them and gazed at the sleeping babies a moment before grabbing up the monitor and heading into the bedroom.

Ray smiled at her as he watched her take the twins into the nursery and wandered into the bedroom. He sighed, he could not wait until Halloween, he was on a promise. And it was going to kill him, of that he was sure. Ray undressed and left his clothes dumped on the floor. He sat on the bed and waited for her. Halloween couldn't come quickly enough.

Rowan walked into the bedroom and smiled at the sight of him. He took her breath away. She put the monitor on the bedside table and then walked over to him and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

"We've got at least an hour," she said as she kicked off her shoes, but left her clothes on. She couldn't take any chances. "I hope you're ready," she said in warning and then fastened her lips to his and kissed him hungrily before going to work on every inch of his body with hands, lips and tongue.

Ray closed his eyes and just let himself feel, all the while making a conscious effort not to touch her. He didn't think that he'd be able to control himself if he did let himself touch her, it was taking all of his self control not to rip her clothes off her and have his way with her right there.

"Rowan," her name left him, his voice a strangled groan.

Ray made sure to keep his eyes securely closed, without looking at her he felt that he had more chance of controlling himself. He fisted his hands in the bedsheets and resigned himself to her touch.

She gazed down at him as he drifted off and sighed. The ache inside for him was almost more than she could bear.

She left the bedroom and went into the kitchen and leaned on the counter. She hadn't expected to feel this way so soon after the birth. It took time was her impression. She drew in a deep shaking breath. She'd gotten a certain satisfaction out of what she's just done, focusing entirely on him the way she had, she hadn't expected having to fight the overwhelming urge to tear her clothes off.

Just a few more weeks. Not long now. She kept telling herself that over and over again in her mind as she pulled out her cleaning supplies and began to take her frustration out on the kitchen.

She couldn't let Ray know. He would just end up feeling guilty and she couldn't have that. It would undo all the work she'd just done. She twisted her hair into a quick knot and got to work.

Rowan had nearly finished industriously scrubbing the kitchen floor when she heard one of the babies stir. She got up and pulled off the gloves she was wearing and wiped at the sweat on her forehead with the back of her arm. She tossed the gloves aside and quickly stuck a bottle in for warming before heading into the nursery.

She peeked into the bedroom as she passed, taking a moment to look at Ray as he slept before she went to get Claire from the crib.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Carl scowled to himself as he stood against the building, beer in hand. He was still mad at Ryan for not only hitting Ffion but for driving her away. He took a swig from the bottle and barely noticed the man that looked like Declan come outside too. He'd worked out earlier who was who.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Alyssa patted his arm with a small smile before heading back into the main room to find Ella. She spotted her easily and made her way over. "Ella," she said as she patted her arm gently to get her attention. "Jack and I are going to head off," she smiled.

Ella nodded.

"I hope your young friend is okay," she said to Alyssa. "Maybe we can meet up tomorrow morning when I go to the village to sign the papers with Bob? You could come inside and see what the place will be like."

Alyssa smiled. "I'd like that," she agreed. "Text me a time, or get Declan to text Jack," she said.

Jack walked over to Declan. "We're going to walk back, now," he said.

"Are you sure? I can arrange someone to drive you back."

"No, it's not that cold out and I'd like to clear my head, but thank you."

"Oh, forgot something," Declan said and fished into his pocket and handed Jack two sets of keys. "You might need those."

Jack nodded. "Thanks."

When Alyssa was finally ready, Jack led her outside and down the long driveway and then towards the road.

"I hope I don't regret buying this cottage," he began. "I wanted to look forward to coming back here," he told her and lit up a cigarette.

"We won't regret it," she told him soothingly. "When we come back up here everything will be all right again and we'll just be here to relax and have fun," she assured him as she slid an arm around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked.

He stopped short as he realized there was someone on the road in front of them.

"Giz your money," the gruff voice said and came nearer. Jack frowned as the young thug approached. He took his arm from around Alyssa's shoulders and squared his shoulders at the man. He was about to take a step forward when someone came up behind them and Alyssa was jerked back away from him. He looked and saw another grubby young thug holding tight to her, a knife at her throat.

"Let us say it gain, yeah, money or the bird gets sliced," the thug repeated. Jack hesitantly reached for his wallet and glanced at the thug holding Alyssa.

The guy made a rude noise at Jack and then pawed at Alyssa roughly. Jack made to take a step towards him and the thug tightened his grip.

"Ah, ah, I'll cut her," he warned. Jack looked back at the first thug and began to pull his wallet from his pocket.

Alyssa froze as she felt the blade pressed to her neck. Her gaze snapped to Jack, her eyes full of fright. She swallowed nervously as she watched him get his wallet out. Anger flowed through her; this wasn't fair! They'd done nothing wrong and now were being punished for it. This wasn't going to happen!

Alyssa kept her gaze fixed on Jack as she surreptitiously lifted her foot a little way off the floor and then slammed it down onto her attackers foot, digging the heel of her shoe in as hard as she could.

Jack dropped his wallet as he heard the thug who was holding Alyssa yelp and rushed the other attacker. He never saw the one who was holding Alyssa slash the knife just above her breasts and across her shoulder and fling out his arm to knock her to the ground as he let her go. "Stupid bitch," he snarled and rolled her over with his foot.

He looked up just in time to see Jack take a swing for Gaz and Gaz slammed Jack down with a headbutt. He bent over as his mate began to kick Jack in the abdomen and grabbed the front of Alyssa's shirt and lifted her up.

"Nobody does that to me, especially not some dumb bitch," he hissed through gritted teeth and slapped her hard across the face.

Zak was trudging through the edge of the woods when he heard yelling from the road. He ran in that direction as fast as he could in time to see that cousin of Jack's and his pretty wife getting mugged.

"OY!" he bellowed and swung up his shotgun. The two thugs stopped and looked up at Zak who primed the shotgun.

"I suggest you run," he warned them, his gruff voice harsh with anger. The two looked at each other and took off running. Zak watched them go and turned back and shook his head. He fumbled Lisa's cell phone out of his shirt pocket as he knelt next to Alyssa. He grimaced at the sight of the long slash and torn clothes. He fished out his handkerchief, glad Lisa had pressed a clean one on him and quickly pressed it against the deep wound in Alyssa's shoulder. He heard Jack moan, but could do nothing and he opened the phone as quickly as he could and called the police and told them to send an ambulance.

"Sammy!" he bellowed again, hoping the boy was near. He was rewarded a few minutes later when Sam came shuffling towards the road.

"Check and see if that one's all right. His missus here is bad off," he instructed. "I think she hit her head," he mumbled and turned Alyssa's head a bit. He grimaced at the sight of the wound just above her ear, not far from her temple.

"Didn't no one tell them not to go walking out here this late at night?" Sam asked.

"They didn't think to ask like as not. Though, that Declan, he probably didn't have a clue. He drives everywhere," Zak remarked, his tone disapproving. He pulled the handkerchief away from her shoulder and tore it in half and put the still-clean half to the cut on Alyssa's head.

"Alyssa," Jack moaned.

"You're all right, mister, ambulance is comin," Sam told him.

Jack tried to sit up and put a hand to his head. Sam reached out and tried to help, but Jack waved him away.

Zak looked over. "Don't you fret now, help is coming. You stay right there, that scrote was giving you a good kickin before I run 'em off," Zak told him.

Jack ignored the advice and pulled himself over to Alyssa and gasped at the sight of her.

"She's alive, son, there's nowt to worry."

Jack looked at Zak helplessly and picked up Alyssa's limp hand and squeezed it.

Alyssa whimpered quietly as she felt someone squeeze her hand, she squeezed back gently and her eyes fluttered open. She ached, her shoulder was burning and she felt dizzy and disorientated.

"Jack," she groaned out as she tried to sit up, but put her head back down almost immediately as a searing pain shot through it. She whimpered again and looked for Jack as much as her lying down position would allow. She recognised it was him holding her hand and squeezed a little harder.

"Are you hurt?" she asked him worriedly as she looked him over as much as she could.

"No, no, love, don't do that," Zak cautioned Alyssa and held her down. "You might have concussion and if you're moving about I can't stop the bleeding."

"Bleeding...?" Alyssa asked groggily and lifted one of her hands to where her head hurt the most, she felt the hankie there and pulled her hand away then looked at her fingers. They were red. And wet. She gulped and squeezed Jack's hand a little harder.

Zak turned his head as he saw the flashing lights signaling the approach of the ambulance.

"Sam, be a good lad and go wave them over, don't want these two run down by those what have come to help," he tried to lighten the mood. Sam nodded and began to walk in the direction of the approaching ambulance, waving his arms so they would see him on the dark road.

The ambulance pulled up, the police car right behind it and the men jumped out and rushed over to help Alyssa at Zak's "hi yup!"

Jack watched the ambulance workers tend to Alyssa and sat still as one helped clean him up. He glanced up as an officer approached.

She knelt down next to Jack. "I'm DC Laura Prior. Can you describe the two men who attacked you?" she asked. Jack nodded and launched into what he could remember.

She sighed. "Sounds like Gaz and Mick, they like to wander the dark roads around here, especially on the weekends, looking for folks such as yourselves," she told him with a gesture at Alyssa. She spotted a wallet lying nearby and pulled a glove from her pocket and picked it up. She held it up. "Is this yours?"

Jack nodded.

"Okay, let me have forensics get prints off it and I'll see you get it right back. You're positive he wasn't wearing gloves?"

"No, he was putting them on when Lyss did something to the other one. He picked it up with his bare hand when I dropped it, I don't think he noticed."

"Thank you, Mr. Rimmer. I'll let them finish patching you up, but I'll send uniform around with a statement for you to sign."

Jack watched as they put Alyssa on a stretcher and loaded her into the ambulance.

"Thank you," he said to Zak.

"Only doing what's right," Zak said and looked at DC Prior. "We Dingles aren't all bad," he said, more to her than to Jack. Jack patted him on the back again and climbed into the ambulance with Alyssa.

Alyssa stayed silent as she was loaded into the ambulance and reached for Jack's hand as he came in too. She squeezed it lightly and attempted a smile as she looked at him. She winced as the sirens started up, she was beginning to feel dizzy again.

"You didn't answer my question," she murmured as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

Jack sniffed and swiped at a tear.

"I'm fine, Lyss," he told her and squeezed her hand. "Now you need to be okay," he told her. She was lucky the guy hadn't cut her throat. Jack could feel himself shaking. He didn't think her injuries were life-threatening, but one never knew. Look what had happened to Sean Slater.

He realized he was going to have to call Rowan. He didn't relish that prospect at all. At least he'd called Debbie about the car earlier, when it looked like they weren't going to be picking up the car on time, so he didn't have to worry about that.

He kept staring at Alyssa and repeating over and over in his mind, please be okay, please be okay and tried to push away the flashbacks of another night and a man with a knife that seemed to be creeping into his head now.

Alyssa nodded at him slowly, she was feeling decidedly drowsy. She figured it was probably thanks to the blood pouring out of her shoulder and her head, she watched the paramedic fuss over her and held tightly to Jacks hand as she struggled to stay awake.

Alyssa managed to stay awake until they reached the hospital, however the moment she was taken out of the ambulance she felt her eyes close.

Jack jumped out of the back of the ambulance and ran along with Alyssa until they pushed her into a room and a nurse stopped him.

"Let them to their job," she said and led him to a waiting area.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Alex meandered slowly through the crowd of people, keeping a look out for Gene, Jack or Alyssa. She sighed as she went into the next room and scanned the faces until she spotted Gene. She smiled as she made her way over and slid her hand into his.

"Have you seen Lyss? I think she and Jack might have gone" she said to him with a soft sigh "Either that or they're doing a good job of Hide and Seek, I can't find them anywhere" she added with another sweeping look around the room.

"Yeah, I saw them leave earlier," Gene told her and excused himself from talking to Jimmy.

"I think they were worried about Ffion, they looked a bit put out," he explained.

"Do you want to see if we can get that ride back?" he asked.

Alex nodded at him.

"I think so, I'm starting to feel a bit sleepy," she smiled and gestured to a window, showing how dark it had suddenly got. "And it's getting late," she added with a small grin.

Gene nodded and went over to talk to Declan, who quickly sent off a text to Adam.

Adam sighed and rolled his eyes at Mia and went off to do Declan's bidding. Gene nodded at Adam as he came in and walked over to Alex and handed helped her on with her coat.

Adam climbed into the car and waited for them to get in before starting it up and heading for the village.

He slowed at the sight of the lights in the road ahead and stopped when he got to the ambulance and police car.

"What's going on?" he wondered aloud and pulled off to the side. Gene watched the ambulance slowly pull away and then spotted that man he'd been talking to earlier, Zak.

"Won't be a tic," Gene said and jumped from the vehicle and walked over to Zak.

"What happened?"

Zak turned from Sam and looked at Gene. "It were that couple, the one what looks like Declan and his missus, they got mugged, beaten pretty badly by the look of it. She got cut pretty bad an all," Zak told him.

Gene slapped Zak on the shoulder and got back into the SUV.

"Change of plan," he told Adam. "Follow the ambulance."

Adam looked at Gene in surprise.

"I said GO!" he snapped and Adam turned the car around and drove after the ambulance.

Alex looked up at Gene a bewildered expression on her face as he came back in the car and started shouting the odds.

She looked at him in alarm.

"What's going on Gene?" she asked as Adam began to follow the ambulance. "What's happened?"

"Jack and Alyssa are in that ambulance," he told her. "Seems they were mugged when they were walking back to the village," he added and leaned back in the seat.

"They should have been more careful, it happens sometimes. You get criminals walking around these country roads just hoping to find someone parked in a lay by or walking along, easy pickings apparently," Adam told them.

Alex's eyes widened. "What!" she said in shock and looked out of the windscreen to see the ambulance.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Jack sat down and laced and unlaced his hands, worry and fear etched on his features. Alyssa would be okay. Of course she would.

He looked up as Gene and Alex approached.

Gene dropped into the chair next to Jack and looked at him with a heavy sigh. Jack looked up.

Gene raised his eyebrows and Jack looked back at the floor again.

"I think she'll be okay. She's in there now," he said and waved in the direction of the room. "They came out of nowhere, I have to assume they'd done it before. Lyss lost her temper and did something, that's the only reason the guy hurt her," he half-moaned.

Gene huffed out a breath. "Well, it's done now. The police will take care of it I'm sure," Gene tried to reassure.

Jack scrubbed at his face and then leaned his elbows on his knees and rested his face in his hands.

Alex followed Gene inside and looked at Jack. She took the other seat next to Jack and patted his shoulder.

"She'll be fine, Jack," she assured him as she looked towards the room that Jack had indicated.

She sighed as she leant back in her seat and folded her arms, a thought occurred to her and she looked back at Jack.

"I don't suppose Rowan knows yet?" she asked quietly

Jack shook his head at Alex's question.

"I…I haven't called yet…." he began and trailed off. "Not sure I can," he added, his voice barely above a whisper.

His breath hitched in his chest and he lifted his face from his hands.

"Would you?"

Alex laid a comforting hand on his arm and nodded at him. "Of course," she said with half a smile.

She dug around in her bag for her phone and scrolled down to Rowan and Ray's land-line number. She held back a sigh as she hit the call button.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Ray yawned, stretched and finally sat up. He looked at the bed for Rowan and sighed at her absence. He swung his legs off the bed and gathered his clothes as he stood up, Ray dressed himself and padded out of the bedroom to look for Rowan. He wandered to the fridge and pulled out a can, then grabbed a packet of crisps from the cupboard. His gaze fell on the twins room and he wandered over and peered around the door. No crying. Good.

He went back to the sofa and opened the crisps with a contented sigh as he turned on the TV.

Rowan glanced up from where she sat in the rocking chair feeding Claire as she heard Ray moving around. She thought she saw him peer into the nursery, but the chair was out of his line of sight.

She glanced over at the clock on the wall. He'd got in some decent sleep then, she allowed herself a small smile. Good. She hoped after all she'd done earlier that he was feeling much less tense. She just wished she herself was relaxed now.

She stood up and put Claire back into the crib and went out into the front room. She smiled and shook her head at the sight of him with a beer and a bag of crisps. She quickly sat next to him on the couch and pulled her feet up behind her.

"The twins are fed," she told him and put her elbow on the back of the couch to lean her head against her fist.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked him.

Ray looked over at her and offered her the crisp packet.

"Yeah," he smiled at her. "Thanks," he said with a small grin at her. Ray put the crisps down and grabbed his beer can. He took a swig and looked over as the phone rang. He glanced at Rowan then heaved himself off the sofa and grabbed the handset.

Rowan took one of the crisps and kissed Ray's cheek. "It was worth it," she whispered in his ear and leaned away and glanced over at the phone as it began to ring.

"Hello."

"Ray?"

"Alex?"

Alex sighed and looked at Jack. "Is Rowan with you?" she asked quietly.

Ray glanced at Rowan and made his way back over to sit down next to her on the sofa. "Yeah, what's up?" he asked curiously. "You sound a bit off Alex," he added with a shrug at Rowan.

"Just give the phone to Rowan, please, Ray."

Ray sighed and handed the handset to Rowan. "It's Alex, she sounds odd," he murmured to her.

Rowan frowned. Calls at this time of night always meant bad news. She watched Ray as he walked over to her and held out the handset. Her brow furrowed at his words and she took the phone.

"Hello, Alex?"

"Rowan? I've got some bad news for you" she said softly as she glanced briefly at Jack again and then over his head at Gene. She sat further back into the hard hospital seat and directed her gaze towards Alyssa's room. She hoped Jack was going to be allowed back in there soon.

"Lyss and Jack got mugged earlier, we're in the hospital now," she said. "I don't know details but Alyssa isn't looking so good," she said gently.

Rowan felt an icy chill run through her veins as Alex spoke.

"What do you mean 'she doesn't look so good'?" Rowan demanded her voice on the edge of breaking. "What about Jack? Where is he?"

She stood up and began to pace towards the kitchen.

Ray looked up at Rowan and watched her, his expression a mix of anxiety, worry and curiosity. Something had happened, to Alyssa by the sounds of it. He swallowed and took a larger swig from his beer can as he waited.

Alex closed her eyes at Rowan's tone of voice. "I haven't seen her properly, we're not allowed in her room just yet," she said as she watched Gene and Jack leave. "The Doctors are still doing stuff to her," she said as she looked back over at the door.

"Jack just went outside, he didn't get hurt as badly as Lyss but he's..." she trailed off. "He's not good." she finished lamely. "He asked me to call you for him," she added.

Alex stood up and wandered to the room where Alyssa was. "She's got stitches along her shoulder and they're doing something to her head," she explained shakily.

Rowan made an inarticulate, strangled noise of frustration.

"What about her head….what do you mean stitches?" Rowan pleaded. She began to walk back and forth in the kitchen, glancing across the room occasionally to Ray, who was still by the couch.

"What am I supposed to do?" she cried. She'd never felt so helpless. Her sister needed her and she was stuck here and she didn't even know what was wrong. She made another noise and flung the phone across the room and slammed out of the flat.

She bounded down the stairs, raising her arms to dig her fingers into her hair in frustration and began to pace around the restaurant. Alyssa needed her and she couldn't help!

She took two heaving breaths and dropped to her knees on the floor of the restaurant, bent over, put her forehead to the floor and began to sob.

Ray jumped up and grabbed the phone and put it on the sofa as he ran after Rowan. He looked around for her and spotted her in the middle of the Restaurant. Ray ran over and dropped down onto the floor next to her and pulled her into his arms. He rocked her gently and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Shhhh, Ro," he murmured soothingly. "It's okay," he added, he was never any good when she cried, he was always at a loss what to do. This time he didn't even know what was wrong.

"What's happened?" he asked gently. "Talk to me Rowan, please," he half begged.

Alex held the phone in shock at the commotion going on the other end.

"Hello?" she asked "Rowan? Ray?" she asked and frowned when the phone shut off. She huffed out a breath and pocketed her phone. She pressed her hand against the glass as she watched the Doctors around Alyssa.

Rowan let Ray pull her into his arms. She buried her face in his chest and tried to calm her sobbing.

"I don't know," Rowan wailed. "All Alex would say was that Jack and Alyssa were mugged. She couldn't tell me much except she didn't think Alyssa looked good."

Rowan pressed her face against him again. "She needs me and I'm not there!"

Ray rested his head against hers and gently shushed her. Ray rocked her gently and rubbed slow, gentle circles on her back in an attempt to calm her down

"Do you want me to call Alex and find out the address so I can drive you up there?" he asked her softly.

Rowan sniffed and shook her head.

"It's too much with the twins," she said, her voice raw. "Claire is still getting colicky and it's just too much right now." She cleared her throat and met his eyes.

"I'll go myself," she said decisively. "I'm perfectly capable of driving there, though you may not admit it. And it won't do you any harm to spend one day with the twins. You know what to do if Claire gets colic, I don't think Denis will be a problem."

She carefully stood up and wiped her face.

"I better get ready."

She turned and went back up to the flat without another word. She quickly changed clothes and threw a few things in her handbag just in case. She hated to leave Ray and the twins, but Alyssa needed her.

Ray nodded at her.

"Let Alex know you're on your way up and text me when you get there so I know you're safe," he told her and pressed his lips to her forehead. He knew that he could look after Claire and Denis, he just liked the security of having Rowan there and knowing what to do when he panicked. He let out a breath as she dashed off. They'd be fine. He could cope until she got back.

Ray stood up off the floor and followed her back upstairs. He listened to her as she got ready and caught her hand before she dashed off.

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine," he assured her and pressed his lips to hers. "Be safe, Ro," he told her with a small smile.

"I'm not worried," Rowan countered, but she was, a bit. "If you have any problems, call Molly. She used to dealing with babies."

She managed a small smile back at his words and pulled him down and kissed him a bit harder. She put a hand to his face.

"I love you," she whispered and then hurried out before she could change her mind. She got behind the wheel and closed her eyes a moment and took a deep breath before turning on the car. She sent off a quick text to Alex to let her know she was on her way and what hospital was Alyssa in before getting on her way out of London.

Ray sighed as she left and went and collapsed on the sofa. Claire had colic. That meant he'd no doubt be dragged from bed in a while. He sighed and ran a hand over his head, with a small grunt he went and got the handset and set it next to him so he would hear if one of the twins woke up, then he turned the TV on low and channel surfed.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Gene watched Alex as she made the call. Jack had slumped back down in the chair again, his face buried in his hands.

He looked over at the door that Alyssa was behind and stood up and strode over to it and peered through. The doctors were working quickly it seemed, her arm/shoulder was already stitched up and it looked like they were working on her head. It was hard to tell from this angle. He swung around and grabbed Jack's arm and led him outside to smoke. He didn't care if Jack smoked or not, he intended to have one.

Jack simply followed Gene meekly out of the building. Alyssa would be okay. She had to be okay. He leaned against the building and watched Gene smoke.

Jack finally dug into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes and lit one up.

"I hope they get the scum that did this," Jack said, his voice slightly dead. Gene looked at him, his lips thinned. This had to be a bit too close for comfort to what had happened to Jack before. Except, hopefully, Alyssa wasn't badly injured enough to die. You could never tell with head wounds though, look at what had happened to Sean Slater.

Alex looked up as the Doctors came out of the room and she stopped them before they got too far.

"Can we go in now?" she demanded to know.

"Sure, just don't overcrowd her," the nurse told her before hurrying off to see to some other patient.

She glanced at Alyssa briefly through the window and then bolted down the corridor. She pushed open the outside door and spotted Gene and Jack against the building.

"Jack," she gasped out. "They've left her room," she said. "You're okay to go in."

Jack's head shot up at Alex's words. He quickly shoved past her and ran into the building. He pushed into the room where Alyssa was and slowly approached the bed.

He picked up her limp hand and looked at the doctor.

"We've stitched her up. She lost quite a bit of blood and got a nasty bump on the head," the man told him. "Of course, head injuries always look worse than they are, it was a bad cut, but we've stitched it up. She'll have a headache and we'll want to keep her for a day for observation, but she should be fine."

Jack could only nod mutely and the doctor left. Jack grabbed a chair and pulled it close to the bed and pressed her chilly hand to his lips and held it there.

"You'll be fine," he muttered. "You'll be fine."

Alex sighed and twisted her hands anxiously as she looked at Alyssa. Her gaze went back to Jack and she frowned, there was nothing they could do until she woke up.

Jack pillowed his head on his arm, but kept Alyssa's hand still pressed to his lips as he began to doze off. It had been an exhausting night and all the adrenaline had now worn off. He couldn't keep his eyes open.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Gene reached over and steadied Alex so she wouldn't fall down from Jack's push.

"You go back inside, stay with him. I'll get a taxi back to the village and come back with the Quattro," he told her. "I'll see if I can't find Ffion too, an all," he said and kissed her cheek.

"Did you speak to Rowan?" he wondered.

Alex nodded at him.

"I think she threw the phone," she sighed. "I couldn't tell her much," she said and put her arms around him for a moment. Alex rested her head on his chest, then pulled away and kissed his cheek before smiling faintly.

"I'll go and keep an eye on Jack," she said as she headed back inside. She navigated her way back to Alyssa's room and paused in the doorway for a moment to watch Jack, she sighed as she went in and sat on the other side of the bed.

"Rowan knows," she said softly as she looked at Alyssa.

Jack barely registered Alex's words. He kept his eyes closed and Alyssa's hand pressed to his lips as he leaned against the bed.

Gene went back to the B&B. He headed upstairs and stood outside Ffion's room, then put an ear to the door before knocking.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Ffion broke off the kiss and turned her head to look at the door, then back down at Rodney.

"I probably should get that," she told him and reluctantly climbed off him. She tossed the covers over him and grabbed her dressing gown and quickly tied it shut as she opened the door a crack. Her eyes widened in surprise to see Gene standing there.

"I thought you should know, Alyssa and Jack got mugged, attacked, on the way back to the village. Alyssa's been taken to the hospital."

"What? Is she all right?"

Gene shrugged. "They seem to think so. Jack and Alex are still there with her."

"Do you want me to go then, is that why you're here?" she asked.

"I am going back, if you want to go along, you can, unless you're otherwise busy."

"Five minutes," she said and shut the door in his face. She quickly grabbed up her clothes and began pulling on knickers and jeans and a t-shirt.

"You can stay and wait if you like. Not sure when I'll be back though," she told Rodney.

"You go see your friend," he said gently and kissed her. "I'll see you later."

Ffion flashed him a quick smile and bolted out the door and downstairs to wait beside the Quattro.

Gene led Ffion to the room Alyssa was in and they went inside.

Ffion looked at Jack, who seemed to have fallen asleep and then looked at Alyssa, pale and still in the bed. She glanced at Alex and managed a half-smile.

"I had to come," she whispered to Alex and went to get herself a chair.

/\\\/\\\/\\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\

Alex picked up her phone as she heard a text come through and fired one back to Rowan telling her the hospital's name. She sighed as she watched Jack begin to fall asleep and drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair anxiously.

Alex looked up at Gene and Ffion as they both came into the room and nodded silently at Ffion. She stood and moved over to Gene. "Rowan's on her way up," she murmured to him quietly as she put her arms around him. "Lyss hasn't moved."

Gene slipped his arms around Alex.

"Well, I'm not surprised. She probably won't wake up for awhile," he said quietly. "We shouldn't stay much longer. Not to sound cold, but we have to go back tomorrow you and I. I left Litton in charge and I don't want him there too long. So we have to get some sleep before the long drive," he explained.

"Unless you want to stay and go back with Rowan," he suggested. "I have to go back either way."

Ffion glanced over. "I'm staying."

She took in their expressions and realized she should clarify.

"I mean, I'm not going back. I'm going to help Bob run the café and so I'm not going back to Walford, at all."

Gene's eyebrows flew up, but he really shouldn't have been surprised. Not with what had happened.

"So, I need to go back. You staying here or going back to the B&B?"

Alex rested her head against his shoulder as she looked over at her friend on the bed. She tightened her grip on him.

Alex looked at Ffion as she spoke and merely nodded, she was surprised, but would ask questions later.

"I'll stay and catch a lift down with Rowan I think, you and Molly are capable of looking after Sam if needs be" she murmured as she tilted her head back up to look at him.

"Go on, go back to the B&B and sleep, Gene," she told him and rose to press her lips to his.

Gene nodded. "I'll see you back home, then," he said. He kissed her again and left the hospital.

Alex let go of him and waved as he left then returned to her seat and looked over at Ffion "You're staying?" she questioned sadly.

Ffion nodded.

"There's nothing for me back there and I won't go back to Cardiff. I have a job here, now, and okay...I messed up a bit with Ryan and Carl, but I've sort of made friends with Mia and Adam and some others and there's loads of places I could stay, so I'm going to make a new life for myself."

Alex smiled at her warmly.

"Well, if that's what you want to do then no one should stop you," she smiled.

Ffion looked at Alex in surprise. She had expected to be told off and talked out of it, she hadn't expected support.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Alex smiled warmly at the surprise on Ffion's face.

"If you're not happy then you have to do something about it," she shrugged.

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Rowan drove as fast as she dared and found her way to Hotten and then to the hospital. She now wished she hadn't quit smoking. She'd been craving one the whole way. At least this time of night there'd been no real traffic, so she'd nearly flown.

She took a deep breath and went into the hospital and started asking directions. She hurried to Alyssa's room and quietly opened the door.

She glanced at Ffion, who was leaned back in a chair and asleep, and Jack who had his head on the bed next to Alyssa and was asleep. She saw no sign of Gene, he must have left already. She crept forward to the foot of the bed and looked at Alyssa steadily and then reached out a hand and gently touched Alyssa's foot and closed her eyes. She smiled. Lyss was okay.

Alex looked up at Rowan as she came into the room and smiled.

"Hey, Ro," she whispered so as not to disturb Jack or Ffion. "You got here quicker than I expected," she added.

"I got here quicker than I expected. But I won't say anything except not much traffic."

She looked at Alyssa again.

"She's okay," Rowan whispered.

Alex nodded as she looked back up at Alyssa, she suspected that Rowan had speeded to get here this quickly, even without traffic, but she wouldn't say anything.

She smiled covertly and nodded. "I know, we just need to convince Jack," she said quietly as she looked at the sleeping man. "For some reason he seems convinced that he's going to lose her."

/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\

Alyssa's eyes finally fluttered open. Her head felt heavy and she felt dizzy and groggy and her shoulder was still hurting. She ached. Her head was pounding and she groaned. She made an attempt to move her hand to her head but found it stuck. She raised her head and looked down, her expression softening instantly at the sight of Jack asleep with her hand pressed to his lips. She sighed as she looked around and noticed Alex, Rowan and Ffion.

"Hey," she murmured to them as she settled back into the pillow. Hospital. Alyssa sighed, she didn't want to be in hospital.

Alex looked up at the sound of Alyssa's voice and moved closer to the bed. "How're you feeling?" she asked tentatively.

"My head feels as heavy as a brick and as light as a feather at the same time," Alyssa shrugged. "It's pounding, too," she added in annoyance and her gaze floated to Jack, she slipped her hand out from his and stroked the top of his head softly.

"How long has he been asleep?" she asked quietly, Alex looked at Jack too and sighed. "Not long," she replied. "He dropped off shortly after the doctors let us in here," she added.

Alyssa nodded and smiled softly at her sleeping husband before turning to Rowan with a small frown "Ro? Shouldn't you be in London?" she asked, confusion colouring her tone.

Rowan smiled as Alyssa woke up. She stepped around the bed.

"Alex called, you needed me, I came. Ray can handle the twins on his own."

Rowan reached out and took Alyssa's hand and squeezed it.

"So, what else have you been doing here in the north besides trying to get killed?" she teased.

Alyssa snorted. "It wasn't intentional," she retorted with a small smile. "We've bought a cottage, been to a party, met Declan's family, got Alex and Gene back together!" she said with a sly look over at Alex who shrugged.

"Well it had to happen at some point Lyss, I can't resist the man," she smirked. Alyssa rolled her eyes and looked back at Rowan.

Rowan smiled at Alex's news and reached out and squeezed her hand. "That's good news. Where is he anyway?" she wondered.

Alex smiled at Rowan. "He's gone back to the B&B, he's got to go back down tomorrow and needs to sleep," she said with a small smile. "I don't think he wants Litton in charge of his little 'Empire' any longer than necessary," she chuckled.

She put her arms around herself and shuddered.

"Litton," she said and grimaced. "I don't like him at all," she said and told Alex what had happened. "I'm glad Ray came to find me, I'd hate to have been arrested for assaulting a policeman."

Alex smiled sympathetically. "Though Litton would deserve it, the only other time I met him I was tempted to smack him one," she agreed with a small scowl. "He's a chauvinistic idiot," she said decisively.

"How're my gorgeous little niece and nephew?" Alyssa asked with a lazy smile.

"So, you bought a cottage?" Ffion and Rowan asked at the same time. They looked at each other.

Alyssa nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Declan was selling it so Jack bought it off him," she explained as she looked down at Jack with a small sigh, she knew he had been beginning to regret buying it earlier, she wondered how he would feel now.

"Look, don't let one bad experience spoil it for you. If you weren't having a good time and meeting nice people, Jack never would have considered buying that cottage, am I right?" Rowan asked.

Alyssa smiled at Rowan and nodded. "You are," she agreed with a small smile.

Ffion nodded along with Rowan's question. She really needed to start paying attention again. She'd been so focused on not thinking about her brother she hadn't been paying terribly close attention to Jack and Alyssa.

"As far as the twins go, they're fine. Claire's been a bit colicky lately, but Ray knows what to do. She's gonna be a handful, I can see it already. Denis is so quiet and sweet. I should be thankful it's only one of them," she chuckled.

Alyssa smiled. "So, you've already realised which one of them is going to be the trouble maker then?" she teased lightly as she reached her hand down and took Jack's again. She looked down at him and sighed, he couldn't be comfortable like that, but she didn't have the heart to wake him. She stroked the back of his hand gently as she settled back down quietly and tried to ignore her headache.

Rowan nodded. "And it's not going to help that Claire is going to be daddy's girl, I can just see it," Rowan sighed. "He's going to spoil her rotten."

Alyssa laughed. "Funnily enough I can see that happening," she smiled. Alex smiled at Rowan. "You reckon he's going to go protective over them like Gene is with Molly, he scares poor Peter half to death," she chuckled. "Though now he's getting bored because Peter just cowers in fright now," she added with a shrug.

"It wouldn't surprise me, he gets protective enough of me," Rowan said.

"I'm going to to go get some tea, anyone want anything?" Ffion offered. Rowan shook her head and reached over and took Ffion's hand and squeezed it. Ffion squeezed back and gave her a small smile.

Alex shook her head. "No thanks, Fee," she said with a sigh and Alyssa shrugged. She nestled down further into her pillows and felt her eyes begin to droop. She needed this headache to go. She looked up at Rowan and Alex and squeezed Jack's hand. "I'm going to go back to sleep, see if I can get rid of this headache," she told them as she pushed her head back into the pillows and went to roll onto her side. She made a small noise as pain speared through her shoulder and she moved back to lie on her back.

Ffion left the room to get herself some tea.

Rowan reached over and took Alyssa's hand.

"I'll stay here with you," she said decisively. She looked over at Alex.

Alyssa smiled at Rowan and nodded. She squeezed Rowan's hand as she drifted off.

Alex smiled at Rowan and stood. "I'll see you later, Lyss," she smiled. "Bye, Ro," she said and glanced at Alyssa as the redhead fell asleep.

"If you want to go back to the B&B, spend time with Gene before he goes back, I'll be here with her," Rowan told her.

"Text me when she wakes up," she said and patted Rowan's shoulder gently.

"I will." Rowan said and waved Alex off. Then she chatted quietly with Ffion for a few minutes before falling silent and just sitting.

Alex left the room and dialled for a taxi as she walked through the hospital. She stood outside the hospital until it arrived, then sent a goodnight text to Molly as she waited against the wall. She smiled once it pulled up and headed towards it, climbing inside and she gave the address of the B&B. She twisted her hands as she sat patiently in the Taxi and paid the guy as she climbed out and headed inside the building quietly. Alex wandered up the stairs and opened the door to their room silently. She shut the door and listened to Gene's breathing for a moment before stripping down and changing into her pyjamas and climbing into bed beside him, curling up into him as she dozed off.

Rowan finally sent off a text to let Ray know she was here and that Alyssa was doing fine.


	35. Chapter 35

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors, or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 35**

Ffion followed Rowan out to her car and they set off for the village. Ffion told her where the B&B was and Rowan followed her directions. She saw the Quattro, but there was no sign of Jack's car.

"Where's Jack's car?" she asked as they walked up to the B&B.

"He took it over to the garage," Ffion said and gestured in the direction of the garage. They went inside and Ffion went into the dining room, leaving Rowan at the desk. Val hurried over.

"Yes, pet?" she asked.

"I need to get a room for tonight. My sister is in the hospital and she and her husband were staying here," she began.

"Oh, is that the one that looks like Declan?"

Rowan nodded.

Val furrowed her brow.

"But you're American and she sounded like she's from Birmingham," Val said in confusion.

"Nevertheless," Rowan said and smiled. "I really could use a shower and change of clothes."

"Of course, sorry," Val apologized and quickly got Rowan sorted. Rowan hefted the small bag and headed upstairs.

She took a quick shower, put on some clean clothes and went downstairs. She saw Gene and Alex just finishing up breakfast and gave them a small wave as she sat with Ffion.

"So, you're sure you don't want to come back?"

"Yes, I just can't," Ffion replied. "I've got everything sorted so I can stay here though," she said.

"Especially with Jack and Lyss wanting you to take care of the cottage," Rowan agreed.

"Yes, that's really quite nice of them."

Rowan nodded and finished up her breakfast.

"Well, why don't you show me this café and then I'll go back to the hospital."

"I'll get started sorting out the cottage, so if you could let them know," Ffion asked and Rowan nodded.

The two walked over to the café.

"Nice," Rowan commented.

"Well, thank you very much," Bob said from behind her and Rowan turned.

Rowan smiled.

"You must be Bob," she said.

"How did you guess?" he grinned.

"Ffion's told me you stole away one of my best employees," she joked and he chuckled.

"I only did it cause she wouldn't leave me alone."

Ffion shoved her hands in her pockets and blushed.

"Well, you'll find her well worth it," Rowan assured him. "Okay, I have to get back, I'll see you later," she said to Ffion and went back to her car, leaving Ffion and Bob in conversation.

She walked back to the B&B, climbed into her car and set off back to Hotten.

She pulled out her phone and quickly called Ray. She needed to let him know what was going on and he should be awake by now.

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Roxy lay in bed, stewing in her anger. Stacey had taken Sean's body and neglected to mention anything. And she wasn't answering her phone! Roxy was furious. So furious that she was awake at a ridiculous time in the morning. She rolled onto her side and gathered the duvet around her, she just wanted to say goodbye to Sean but Stacey was going to rob her of that. A tear rolled down her cheek, how was she supposed to move on if she wasn't going to get the closure that she needed? It wasn't fair.

Roxy made sure she was quiet, she could hear JT's breathing next to her and she didn't want to wake him. Poor JT, he'd had to put up with so much of her baggage. She thought it incredible that he hadn't left her yet. Most guys would have gone by now, especially with everything that JT had had to deal with. She was glad that he had stayed. But she was so angry at Stacey. She'd called 3 times yesterday and texted twice.

Roxy growled as she got out of bed and grabbed her dressing gown. She couldn't sleep and she wasn't going to risk waking JT. She went through to the kitchen and quietly put the kettle on as she sat down at the kitchen table and dialled Stacey's number again. She didn't care that it wasn't even daylight yet, she wanted to say goodbye.

Stacey looked at her phone...Roxy calling again! She sighed and glared at the phone for a few minutes before finally picking it up.

"What do you want, Roxy? Haven't you done enough already?" she snapped.

Roxy had to stop herself from jumping up and celebrating when Stacey answered her phone at long last. She listened to Stacey's tone of voice and felt her anger bubble up once more.

"You took your time answering," she growled. "Why the hell did you take Sean?" she demanded to know. Roxy stood up from the kitchen table and wandered over to the door and shut it with a sharp snap. She was going to try to stay as quiet as possible but precautions seemed like a good idea.

"I took Sean because he's going to buried here, near his family. And I really don't have to explain myself to you, everyone else has already spent years thinking he was dead, thanks to you. So there is honestly no reason for you to worry about it, is there?" Stacey sneered. She was in no mood to put up with Roxy's arrogance.

"I'm his WIFE, Stacey! I have every right to say goodbye to him!" she snarled down the phone.

"Wife?" Stacey scoffed in disbelief, her tone colored with disgust. "Some wife! You already said goodbye when you told everyone he was dead. Now I have to mourn my brother AGAIN…and his own mother can't even come to the proper funeral because she's already mourned him. You can't even imagine what this would do to her. Oh, right, wait, you don't bloody care, because nobody matters except Roxy Mitchell!" Stacey cried and snapped her phone shut. She couldn't believe the nerve!

Roxy gaped at the phone as Stacey hung up. She clenched her fists and refused to let herself cry. Not over this. She rubbed her fists over her eyes to banish the tears before they fell and stood up. She glared at her phone and left it on the table as she went back to her room. She made an effort to stay silent as she crept over to her side of the bed, shed off her dressing gown, and crawled back into bed. She sighed as she buried her face in her pillow.

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Alex gently shook Gene awake. She glanced at the clock as she finished getting dressed and shook him gently once more.

"Gene," she said quietly. "Gene," she repeated a bit louder once he didn't move.

She moved away from him, muttering to herself as she grabbed her hair brush and ran it through her hair. She glanced over at Gene again and kicked the bed in another attempt to wake him up.

She had decided to go back down to London with Gene now that Alyssa had Rowan and Jack with her. She didn't feel she could be much use anyway, and she was anxious to see that Molly and Sam were both alright. She sat down on the bed next to Gene's still sleeping hulk and prodded him.

"If you don't get up soon you're going to miss breakfast," she murmured.

Gene's arms shot out and he grabbed Alex around the waist and rolled, dragging her over onto him and then rolling on top of her. He looked down at her and grinned.

"I am awake, woman," he growled playfully and kissed her before rolling back to stand up. He chuckled, winked at her, then went into the bathroom to have a shower.

Alex grinned back at him as he disappeared into the bathroom and heaved her now bedraggled self off the bed. She sighed lightly as she smoothed out her clothes and fixed her hair, then glanced at the bed and decided against making it up. They would only strip it once they were gone. She made sure all of her things were packed in her suitcase and set about folding Gene's clothes up as she waited for him to finish in the bathroom.

Gene came out of the bathroom and finished dressing. He noticed the neat pile of folded clothes and glanced at Alex.

"Thank you," he said and picked up the clothes and shoved them in the case.

"Let's go eat, then, I'm starved," he remarked and hefted his bag and headed out.

Alex chuckled to herself as she zipped her suitcase closed and followed him out after giving the room one last sweeping glance to make sure they hadn't left anything.

She heaved her case downstairs behind her as she made her way after Gene into the dining room and set it next to her as she sat down.

"Do you want to call into the hospital to see how Jack and Lyss are doing before we go?" she asked him softly.

"Yeah, go on then, you probably should," he told her and smiled at Val as she came over to take their order.

Alex didn't order anything to eat, but just had a coffee. She drank it quietly as she watched Gene eat. She couldn't eat, and she didn't understand how he could eat no matter what the situation was. She shook her head with a small smile.

Gene glanced up from his food. "Aren't you going to call the hospital?" he wanted to know.

Alex looked up from her coffee and nodded. "In a minute," she replied quietly as she watched him eat. She sighed as she pulled out her phone and dialled the number of the hospital. She tapped her thumb against her mug as she waited.

She lifted her head as the phone was finally answered.

"Hello."

"Hello ICU, can I help you?"

"I just wanted to inquire about Alyssa Rimmer, she was admitted yesterday evening after a mugging," Alex explained.

"Yeah, she's unconscious at the moment but apart from that she seems okay," the nurse explained.

Alex sighed and nodded "Thanks" and put the phone down

"Lyss is still unconscious," she told him with a sigh as she dropped her phone on the table and picked up her coffee mug again.

Gene nodded and noticed Rowan come in to join Ffion for breakfast. He waved, but kept eating.

"We'll leave as soon as I'm finished. The sooner back the better."

He quickly ate his way through a slice of toast.

"Have you checked on Molly?" he asked.

Alex looked up to see who he was waving at and smiled at Rowan and Ffion.

Alex looked up at his question and shook her head. "Not this morning, no, must have slipped my mind," she sighed and fired off a text to Molly.

"Hope all is okay? xx"

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Rowan sighed and put her phone down. No answer. Ray must be busy with the twins. She'd talk to him later.

When she returned to the ward, Jack was in near-hysterics.

She quickly grabbed him and made him sit down.

"Jack, Jack, you have to calm down," she told him.

"She's still not awake, something might be wrong. They've taken her for an MRI," he said brokenly and buried his face in her shoulder.

She could think of nothing to say. She simply put her arms around him and tried to soothe him as he cried.

Rowan was relieved when Jack finally sat up and after a whispered "thank you" he went in search of the bathrooms.

Jack stood in the bathroom and scrubbed his face again. Why wouldn't she wake up? He shouldn't have fallen asleep last night, then he'd have gotten to talk to her. She had to be okay.

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Ffion hefted her bag and dug the keys for the cottage from her pocket. The place would need furniture. She would have to see how much money she had saved aside and get herself at least a bed, and some dishes. Jack and Alyssa would want to furnish the place on their own. She let herself in and went upstairs and looked at the bedrooms. She bypassed the largest one, Jack and Alyssa would want that, and chose the next largest and dropped her bag there before wandering around the rest of the cottage.

She gave a small smile and then left the cottage, making sure to lock up behind her, and began to wander around the village. She couldn't bear to go back to the hospital, not yet.

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Peter looked around the front room and grimaced. He went in to Molly's room.

"Any idea what time they're going to be back? That front room is going to take some cleaning," he told her. They should have had the small party at his house, he forgot how clumsy Fatboy could be sometimes.

Molly looked around and shrugged. "No idea," she sighed as she surveyed the mess.

"Come on, the sooner we get this all cleaned up the sooner we can relax" she sighed as she went and started picking up the empty bottles and glasses. For such a small party there was a lot of glasses lying around! She was just glad that Sam hadn't seemed to bothered by the noise. She had refused to get drunk, not with her little brother to keep an eye on.

Her head snapped up at the sound of her phone and she dumped the bottle she was holding in the bin as she dashed to her room to grab her phone.

"All good :) Wat time you home? x" she sent back and pocketed her phone. She went back into the front room

"That was Mum, I just asked what time she's expecting to be back" she smiled and grabbed her phone out as it beeped again. She snorted at Alex's text.

"Why? What have you done?"

She sighed and sent one back "Nothing, just curious :)"

She looked up at Peter. "Mum's paranoid," she giggled as she glanced around the room and began to tidy up again.

Peter shook his head and helped her clean.

"Probably should have done this at mine," he muttered as he went to find something to clean a spill up from the carpet.

Molly smiled at him and let loose a small chuckle. "Yeah, but if we did this at yours then we would have had the problem of finding somewhere for Sam to sleep," she smiled at him.

"We've got Bobby's old cot, I could easily have got it out. At least we wouldn't be trying to clean up after Fatboy," he sighed. "I feel bad for Mercy marrying him," he joked.

Molly grinned at Peter. "He's not so bad," she smiled back at him as she grabbed up the last of the bottles and dumped them in the black bin liner.

"Right, now just the room to rearrange and we're pretty much done," she sighed as she went towards the sofa to put the cushions back in place.

"Good, I'm tired. Why don't you finish up and I'll make us some food. How long do we have until they're back?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen.

Molly checked her phone and shrugged. "I'm guessing a couple of hours if they haven't left yet," she said with a small smile as she finished tidying the room.

Molly glanced over at Peter as he went around her kitchen and walked into her brothers bedroom to pick him up. Molly dressed him and set him with his Weetabix at the kitchen table

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Ray grunted as the amplified wailing from the twins woke him. He pushed himself off the sofa and groaned. Never again was he sleeping on that sofa, his back was killing him. He heaved himself into a standing position. He stumbled along to the bedroom and picked up the wailing child, cradling her to his chest as he made his way into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle out from the fridge and went back to the sofa, coaxing her to start drinking from the bottle.

He delved into his pocket with one hand and pulled out his phone. He smiled at the text from Rowan and fired one back.

"We're all good here. How's Lyss? xx"

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Rowan dug her phone out of her bag and saw the text from Ray.

"Not sure. They've taken her for an MRI scan-she's not woke up-Jack in bits," she sent.

"Took room at B&B for tonight-oh and Ffion not coming back. Got a job & staying here and looking after the cottage Jack & Lyss bought xx"

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Ray looked down at Rowan's texts and his eyes widened.

"How you doing? x" he sent back. If Jack was in bits then Rowan wouldn't be far behind. He wished he had gone up there with her, but he understood that the twins were supposed to his priority now. He sighed and looked down at Claire.

"Your Mam will be back soon," he told her as he rocked her gently. "Til then you're stuck with me," he said to her. "So no acting up," he said with a sharp nod.

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The nurse looked around for Jack and spotted him. She walked over and made sure he was sitting down. "Mr. Rimmer, the MRI scan showed some blood vessel damage near the fracture in your wife's head. She's in surgery now, the surgeons will do their best to repair it, though she will be put into a drug-induced coma to allow her body to repair itself," she explained to him. "We'll be moving her from ICU and up to the Neurosurgical Ward once she comes out," she told him.

"Am okay…being strong for Jack. Never seen him like this," Rowan sent back.

She winced as Jack grabbed Rowan's hand and squeezed at the nurse's news.

"How long?" Jack asked, his voice rough from crying and barely above a whisper.

Rowan squeezed his hand back and tried to ignore the fact that it felt like he was going to crush her fingers.

The nurse gave Jack a sympathetic look.

"Until the Doctor believes her ready to wake up," she said softly.

"If you want to follow the signs for the Neurosurgical Ward," she said as she pointed to the signs above their heads. "And ask the Ward Sister for your wife when you get up there, she'll point you in the right direction," she said kindly before leaving them.

"She's got blood vessel damage-she's going into surgery. She'll be in a coma," Rowan quickly sent off to Ray after the nurse had left.

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Ray frowned at Rowan's text and cradled Claire as he stood up and carried her back to the Nursery. He changed her and dressed her out of her pyjamas, then leant down and swapped her for Denis who was now wailing for attention.

"Come on, little guy," he said softly as he heard his phone beep again. He carefully balanced Denis in his arms as he grabbed at his phone and gulped.

"She'll be okay?" he sent back as he took Denis through to the kitchen to feed him.

/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\\

Jack's shoulders slumped as the nurse walked away. Rowan quickly put a hand on his arm.

"They're taking care of her Jack," she tried to reassure him. "Let's go get you something to eat and then we'll go see Lyss when she's out of surgery," she suggested.

"I'm not hungry!" Jack snapped and jerked away from her and stalked off down the hall.

Rowan watched him go, then closed her eyes and sighed. She wanted to stay here and support Jack, but he clearly wanted to be alone. She wouldn't push it. She wouldn't leave. She couldn't do that, not now, but she couldn't stay at the hospital right now. Not with Jack acting the way he was. She went back outside and sat in her car and wished for a cigarette.

She took her phone out of her bag and read Ray's text.

"I hope so. Jack isn't doing well tho." she sent to him. "Don't know what to do."

/\\\/\/\/\\\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\\\\/\\\

Ray sighed at Rowan's text "I'm on the other end of the phone if you need me xx"

He pulled the bottle away from Denis once he'd finished and went and got Claire, too. He carefully held the two twins as he sat on the sofa and looked from one to the other.

"Well, your Aunty Alyssa is poorly, and your Mam's gone up to see her, and your Uncle Jack's not doing so well," he told them. "There, now you're all caught up with family events," he said with a short nod and started to hum to them softly.

/\\/\\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\

"I know. xx," Rowan replied and stuck her phone back in her bag and then drove back to the village. She left her car in front of the B&B and began to wander through the village, it was quite lovely she had to say. She could see why Jack and Alyssa had decided to buy the cottage.

She sat down on one of the tables outside the pub and took a few pictures of the village and began to message them to Ray.

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Ffion wandered over to the garage.

"Hi, Debbie right?" she asked and Debbie nodded.

"Mr. Rimmer asked me to come and pay you and take his car back to the B&B. He's sorry he can't come himself, but he and his wife got mugged last night. She's…..she's in the hospital, she's pretty badly hurt," Ffion said, trying to keep calm.

Debbie nodded and touched Ffion's shoulder sympathetically. "Here," she said and led Ffion over to where the invoices were and handed her Jack's. Ffion looked at the amount and then pulled the money from her pocket and handed it over.

"Odd question, but do you know a good place to get some furniture, not too expensive?"

"There's some decent shops in town, yeah. What do you need?"

"Just some bedroom stuff, bed, a dresser or chest of drawers would be good, too," she said.

"Hmmm, I've got an old couch that's in good shape, but that's it," Debbie told her with a shrug.

"It's okay. I'll find something, hopefully from someplace that delivers," she said. She flashed Debbie a smile. "Thanks."

She got into Jack's car and drove it to the cottage and parked it. She hadn't driven long enough to feel comfortable driving all the way to town. She wandered over to the pub and went inside to get some lunch.

Ffion sat in the pub and toyed with a burger and chips as she went over her bank statement to see if she had enough money to get herself a bit of furniture.

Ffion leaned back in the booth and sighed. She wished Rodney was around, she could use a distraction. She saw Carl's brother Jimmy, but no sign of Carl. She probably shouldn't go there again anyway, though she would pick Carl over Ryan.

She ate another chip and wondered what to do with her day. Maybe she should go into town and see about a bed at least. She would need someplace to sleep tonight.

When Alex was ready, Gene loaded their things into the Quattro.

"Let's go home," he said.

Alex nodded as she climbed in and fired off a text to Molly to say that they were on the way home.

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Jack wandered the hospital. He hadn't meant to chase Rowan away, but he just wanted to be alone. He'd apologize to her later. He finally headed back in the direction of her room and went inside. He looked at the bandage wrapped around her head. She'd be livid when she woke up to see they'd shaved some of her hair. He allowed himself a small smile before sitting down next to her, taking her hand and beginning to talk to her softly. She had to come back.

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Ray smiled as he received a multitude of pictures from Rowan and looked at them curiously. He went and put both Denis and Claire down for a nap and sat back on the sofa to look at them in more detail. Wherever she was, it was beautiful.

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Alex climbed out of the Quattro once they got back to Albert Square and opened their front door carefully. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Well, I was expecting chaos," she smiled at Molly and Molly looked around and grinned at her Mum.

"What? You mean you thought that I would make a mess of the house?" Molly gasped in mock horror, then grinned. "To be fair we did, but we cleaned it all up, too," she smiled.

Alex grinned and headed over to pick Sam up, she wiped his mouth and smiled at Peter and Molly.

Molly looked at Alex sceptically. "You look happy?" she commented and Alex smiled. "Well, I have reason to be," she shrugged and looked over her shoulder to look outside at the Quattro then turned back to Molly.

"Oh, just so you know, Alyssa and Jack got mugged and Lyss is in hospital," she said, her face instantly falling. "Rowan's gone up there and they say that Alyssa's going to be okay, but we don't know when she's coming out," she added. "So if Jack isn't back tomorrow or forgets to call the school then you can tell them why," she said.

Molly nodded slowly. "What happened?" she asked.

Alex sighed. "She got knocked out or something and she's got this head wound, and a slash across her shoulder," she said, biting her lip.

Molly nodded. "But she's going to be okay?"

Alex nodded. "That's what we've been told," she said quietly and hugged Sam.

"I better get to the chippy," Peter said quickly. He bent and pressed a quick kiss on Molly's cheek and put his lips to her ear.

"Let me know if you decide to ask," he said in her ear and gave her a look before nodded at Alex and leaving.

Alex looked at Peter curiously as he left and then turned her gaze back to Molly.

"What was that about?" she asked.

Molly turned and looked at Alex. "Peter and I have been talking about me maybe moving in with him," she said tentatively.

Alex nodded slowly. "Do you want to?" she asked.

"Well, I dunno, it depends if you'd rather I stayed here," she said as she turned to face Alex properly.

Alex smiled. "Molls, if you want to move in with Peter then move in with him. You're only a short drive away if you do, and we'll keep your room here," she smiled.

"What about Gene?" she asked.

"What about him? You leave him to me Molls, though he might want to talk to you about it," Alex shrugged.

Molly nodded. "I just don't want him bullying Peter more than he already does. Peter's already scared of him," Molly grouched.

Alex chuckled. "Yeah, but he's getting bored of that, because Peter gives him such a poor reaction," she smiled.

"He better stop soon," Molly grumbled.

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Rowan stood up and began to wander around the village. She headed back towards the café and took a picture of it to send, and then went to the cottage Jack had bought and sent a picture of that.

She headed back to the pub and decided to get some lunch. She'd go back to the hospital after. She ignored some of the looks she got and ordered some food from the lovely Scottish lady behind the bar. She saw Ffion and went to sit with her.

"I'll go back to the hospital after I eat," Rowan told her.

"Can I ride with you? I need to go into town?" Ffion asked and Rowan nodded. She took a sip of her lemonade and toyed with her phone. Ffion looked at it.

"I've been sending pictures of the village to Ray, I think he's jealous and not just because I'm off somewhere by myself and he's stuck with the twins," she managed to joke. Ffion smiled.

"I just need to get at least a bed. No point staying in the B&B when there's the cottage to get sorted," Ffion said. Rowan nodded.

"Very true."

She smiled at the overly tall man who brought her the food and set about eating.

"Good food, think you're up to the challenge?" Rowan asked.

"I think I'll be fine. Bob is going to rent out the space to Ella, that's Declan's ex-wife, she's going to open a nail bar," Ffion told her.

"So, instant custom right next door, very useful."

/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\/\

JT waited until lunch was over and then went upstairs to find Roxy.

"So, did you ever get hold of Stacey?" he asked her. He hated seeing her so worked up, but today she had been silent and it unnerved him.

Roxy nodded and scowled. "She hung up on me," she mumbled. "She's not going to let me see him, or go to his funeral. She won't tell me anything and just yelled abuse," she added with a sigh as she looked up at him.

"What am I s'posed to do?" she sighed hopelessly.

"Well," JT said, reluctant to point out the obvious. "You did already tell everyone he was dead. I hate to say it, but she has a valid point," JT said. "Not that I'm saying you shouldn't go, you should get to say goodbye. Maybe try again, apologize to her, can't hurt."

Roxy looked up at him and frowned but held back her anger. She looked at him and nodded once before standing and leaving the room to get her phone from the kitchen. She quickly fired off a text to Stacey.

"I'm sorry. I need to say goodbye to him again. Please. Roxy."

She sighed as she sat back against the seat and twirled her phone in her hand as she waited patiently for a text back.

Stacey read the text and frowned.

She thought about it for a moment and then texted back.

"After we've gone I will tell you where," she sent back.

Roxy sighed in relief at the text

"Thanks," she sent back and put her phone down.

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Alex sighed as she lay back on the bed. Alyssa was still in hospital up north: still in a coma. She sighed as she looked over at Gene as he slept. She was worried about Alyssa, and Jack. This was clearly tearing the poor guy apart. She hoped for Jacks sake that Alyssa woke up soon. She was fidgeted silently as she glanced at the time, it was ridiculously early, but she was having trouble sleeping thanks to her constant worrying.

She was missing Molly being around too. Since she had moved in with Peter the flat had seemed ridiculously quiet, and void of sarcasm, music and their semi-daily arguments. She missed Molly, but she had Sam and Gene. She also missed girly nights in with Molly when Gene went to the pub. But she would cope. She sighed quietly and looked over at Gene again. She stood up off the bed and padded through to the bathroom to get a shower, there was no way that she was going to be able to get back to sleep.

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Jack sat on the couch in the front room of the cottage and stared at the wall. Ffion had been slowly buying furniture for the place, using pictures cut from magazines of what Jack knew Alyssa liked. Two weeks and she still wasn't awake. He wasn't sure he could cope much longer. The villagers had all been very nice and sympathetic, Declan had been a rock.

He missed Rowan, but she had children to take care of and had only been able to stay the one day. She also had to deal with the shortage of staff Ffion's leaving had caused. So he was making do with Ffion. At least she seemed to have settled down, though he was pretty sure she was juggling more than one man, she seemed to be being discreet about it to avoid any more fights.

He watched as the sun began to rise and cast patterns from the window on the wall. He stood up, went to take a shower and then left for the hospital.

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Ffion heard Jack leave and sighed. What a miserable time the past two weeks had been. She was glad to help Jack get some furniture, but he was practically a zombie. She left her room and padded to the bathroom to get ready for work. She was beginning to love working at the café. It was so much more laid back than the restaurant back home and the recipes Rowan had given her seemed to be going over well. Even Marlon had been pestering her for the buttermilk biscuit recipe; she had steadfastly refused to share.

She gave her hair a final brush after drying it and hurried to work, smiling cheerfully at Bob as she entered the café. She was really enjoying working with Bob. He was funny and warm and she had half-considered seducing him, but decided against it. They had to work together and she knew that would be a mistake if things went pear-shaped. She had Carl and she had Rodney and she was being very careful. Rodney, fortunately, was the soul of discretion and didn't seem bothered that they weren't exclusive; he didn't seem the sort to be tied down anyway.

She busied herself making a batch of biscuits and the sausage gravy Rowan had taught her to make and made idle conversation with Bob.

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Whitney hurried out of the house to catch the train to school. She was really beginning to hate being in the house alone. At least Molly came to visit her often; they hung out a lot more now that Molly had moved onto the Square with Peter. No one had seemed surprised when it had happened and Jane seemed over the moon about it.

She bolted across the platform, narrowly making her train and managed to grab a seat. She piled her things in her lap and fished out the paperwork for a project they were doing and her jaw dropped in shock, then she shook her head. That couldn't have been Bolton she'd just seen walk down the platform, but it had certainly looked like him. She blew out a long breath and smiled inwardly. As crazy as she was about Brett, Bolton had stuck in her head.

She bent to her paperwork, keeping half an ear open for her stop. Whitney hurried off the train and into the building, she was very nearly late.

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Max checked to make sure Jane wasn't in the café and then went inside to get two coffees and a cake. He thanked Bianca and then headed for the salon.

He tapped on the window when he saw Tanya was in there working. He nodded at the door and mouthed "kids" through the window so she would talk to him. He hated doing this to Jane, but he couldn't seem to keep away from Tanya. Any excuse he would stop and talk to her and he often found himself walking past the salon in hopes that she might just come out and talk to him.

Tanya looked up at the tap on the window and raised her eyebrows at Max. She nodded and told Maddie to man the desk until she got back. Tanya walked out of the Salon and shut the door behind her quietly and moved over to Max.

"What's up?" she asked as she looked at him. She had noticed him being around a lot more recently and wondered why. She assumed she was just noticing him more, maybe because she knew Jane was seeing him and she was looking out for her friend. She knew what Max was like. It wasn't because she was missing him. And if she was missing him it was only because she was missing Rhys and Max was the only major bloke in her life. That was all.

"I just wondered what the plan was for Oscar this weekend?" he asked her. "Oh, here, got you this," he said and held out the coffee. It was just the way she liked it.

Tanya took the coffee and smiled at him. She took a sip and her smile broadened slightly.

"Well, I don't mind if you want to have him," she shrugged. "Alyssa's still in hospital so I need all the staff we've got at the Salon right now until she gets back," she sighed. "In fact, I'm going to need you to look after him this weekend if you can," she said with a sheepish smile.

"Not a problem, Tan," he said and smiled. Yes, he had missed her.

"So, how are you?" he asked, trying not to sound awkward.

Tanya smiled at him. "Thanks, Max, I appreciate it," she told him.

Tanya shrugged and sighed. "Tired. Busy. Sometimes feel like banging my head against the wall," she said, but smiled at him. "But I'm coping," she added and took a sip of her coffee. "How's everything with you?" she asked back.

She noticed that they didn't seem to talk anymore. She sighed inwardly, consequences of a bad marriage and a spiteful divorce.

"All right. Abi is still seeing that Jay," he grouched. "And now Phil Mitchell thinks he's some kind of sports promoter, he's going to put a boxing club in that empty building. Jay will be there all the time. I don't like the idea of Abi with some loser boxer," he added with a sigh.

Tanya smiled. "What does it matter who she's seeing as long as she's happy?" she said. "Yeah, he's a Mitchell, and Max, I do understand why you're not happy that she's seeing Jay, but Abi's happier than I've seen her in ages! So why ruin it?" she told him.

Max frowned. "She's my daughter and I have to look out for her," he said slightly defensively then sighed.

"I better get back to the car lot. No telling what Darren's been up to," he joked in an attempt to lighten the mood. He leaned over and gave Tanya a peck on the cheek and then headed over to the car lot.

"Where's my coffee?" Darren asked in a slightly jealous tone.

"You want a coffee, then go get your own," Max snapped and sat down.

Darren frowned and went outside. Max was so touchy lately.

Tanya waited until Max was out of sight then pressed her hand to her cheek where Max had kissed her. She shook her head and went back into the Salon, holding the coffee.

Maddie gave her a knowing look and Tanya frowned in response "What?"

"That looked cozy," Maddie commented.

"He's my ex-husband, I was making sure he could look after Oscar while I'm working, that's all," Tanya replied flippantly.

Maddie nodded slowly, the sly gleam still in her eyes as she headed back upstairs. Tanya shook her head and glanced at the coffee once before setting back to work.

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The nurse caught Jack as she spotted him coming through the doors onto the ward. The guy was now well known on the ward, he was in here every day to just sit next to his wife and talk to her. Every day without fail for two whole weeks. She felt for him, they all did, but his devotion was admirable. She was glad to see him now, it meant she got to tell him before she finished her shift.

"Jack, I think you might have a pleasant surprise this morning," she smiled at him and patted his arm with a wide smile. "Her hand twitched at around 4am and her eyes opened about 20 minutes ago," she told him and gave him a gentle push. "Go on," she encouraged as she nodded in the direction of Alyssa's room.

Jack's eyes widened at the nurse's words and he sprinted down the hall. He almost burst through the door, but chose to open it quietly instead. He peered in and rushed over to the bed and grabbed Alyssa's hand.

"Lyss?" he whispered.

Alyssa looked up at Jack as he said her name and she smiled at him as she squeezed his hand in response.

"Heya," she said hoarsely as she studied him closely. She reached over with her other hand and cupped his face. "You look tired, Jack," she said, concern filling her voice as she looked at him.

Alyssa sat back into her pillows and looked at him, her hand still holding his tightly. "She said I'd been out for almost two weeks," she said as she looked back at him. "How're you?" she asked him, her eyes fixed on his face.

"Yes," Jack nodded. He leaned over and stroked her brow and kissed her forehead.

"I'm so glad you're awake, I've been so worried about you," he said and pressed her hand to his cheek.

He kissed her lips and smiled.

"I'll have to let Rowan know," he gasped and quickly got his phone out long enough to text Rowan: "Alyssa's awake," then turned his attention back to Alyssa.

Alyssa watched him as he texted Rowan then leant forward and slid her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. She could only imagine what he'd been through, and if she was honest, she wasn't sure that she wanted to know. Nearly two weeks she had been unconscious for! She pulled away and looked at him, the bruises on his face she remembered him having the last time she had seen him were fading, almost completely gone.

"So, what's happened while I've been out of it?" she asked curiously as she let go of him and snuggled back down in her bed. "Because you're going to have to fill me in on everything I've missed," she smiled.

"I haven't really been paying attention to anything but you," he replied honestly. "Ffion has been helping put furniture in the cottage, I've been staying there since it's ours. The people in the village have all been very kind and understanding, asking after you when Ffion drags me out to eat something. I think she's tired of acting like a mum," he gave a wry chuckle.

"But the cottage looks nice. I didn't want to properly decorate until you could do it. The furniture looks nice though. Rowan calls or texts several times a day. She's been worried sick."

Alyssa sighed and reached for his hand and squeezed it again. "Oh, Jack," she said softly. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have aggravated him but my temper flared and I couldn't stop myself," she said and squeezed his hand again.

"Oh, Lyss, it's their fault for mugging us in the first place. They seem to have vanished, however. I guess what happened scared them completely away, but the police are watching to see if they come back. If they do, they'll get arrested right away," he told her.

"Yeah, but if I hadn't lost my temper then he might not have hurt me so bad and then you wouldn't have been so worried!" she said.

"So you've told Ffion that she can live in the cottage," she commented ."You're already decorating and filling it with furniture," she grinned. "The nurse told me earlier that you'd been here everyday," she added. "You didn't have to Jack, I was in a coma," she sighed. "I don't think I knew you were there," she sighed apologetically.

"Not completely decorating, no, just some furniture, things you would like." Jack folded her hands in his. "I had to come, Lyss, I had to."

"I can't wait to see it," she smiled at him. "I bet you've got some brilliant stuff," she beamed at him.

"Well, I know your taste well enough, don't I? So I just cut pictures from magazines and gave them to Ffion and she went and bought the stuff. I'm afraid I was a bit of a zombie," he admitted.

Alyssa smiled at him. "You should know my taste, we did spend ages arguing over what to put in the house," she smiled.

"We certainly did, and I loved every minute of it," he told her.

Alyssa looked at the ceiling. "I want to go home," she said. "I feel...eurgh," she shrugged and looked back at him.

Jack chuckled. "Well, we'll have to see what the doctors say. I doubt they'll let you go home today. But surely, soon," he said hopefully.

Alyssa sighed and pulled him into another hug, she rested her head on her shoulder.

"I don't think they will either," she sighed and then pulled her head off his shoulder.

"If you've been up here then who's in charge of the school while you're not there?" she asked. "Have they got a temporary head in or is it just your deputy watching over stuff?" she asked.

"My deputy is perfectly capable of handling things in my absence. If there was a crisis they couldn't handle, then they would call. I'm more worried about Whitney burning the house down," he joked and then pulled her tightly against him.

"I've been in touch with your dad. I'm not sure how he found out. I'm thinking he probably called the house and Whitney told him. He refused to say. When I've decided that I've hugged you enough I'll send him a text and let him know you're awake," he told her and then buried his face in her shoulder and held her tight.

Alyssa wrapped her arms around him and clung to him tightly, she rubbed his back gently as she breathed him in. She was starting to feel tired but she didn't want to go to sleep, she'd been unconscious for nearly two weeks and she didn't want to sleep. She wanted to stay awake. What if Jack panicked when she fell asleep that she would fall back into a coma? She didn't want him worrying any more about her.

Alyssa lifted her head off his shoulder and stroked a hand through his hair. "Are you done hugging me yet?" she asked with a smile. "Because, I'm wondering when we're going to move on from the hugging to the kissing," she said to him.

"Oh, well in that case," he murmured and quickly pressed his lips to hers.

Alyssa sighed as she finally broke the kiss and stared up at him as she let herself fall back into her pillow. She laced her fingers with his and squeezed his hand gently. "I feel sleepy now," she smiled at him as she settled down and gazed up at him.

"I promise to wake up," she added with a small smile as she pressed a kiss to his hand.

"Make sure you tell Dad," she added with a yawn as she let her eyes close again.

"I will," he promised. He watched her until she had drifted off and then sat and watched her awhile. He finally took a deep breath and left the room to call her father and tell him Alyssa was awake.

Jack drove back to the cottage and rummaged through Alyssa's bag and took out some clothes to wash for her. She would want to have clean clothes to wear home. He also stopped at the café and told Ffion the good news, drawing an ecstatic shriek from the girl which caused everyone to look at her. Not that she cared.

Jack carefully folded the clothes once they were dry and put them in a carrier bag before setting off back to the hospital.

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Ray rocked Claire gently. She wasn't waking up so often but he knew what to do when she did. If he got up it meant that Rowan could spend more time sleeping. He knew that she was still worried over Alyssa, and she had every right to be. But he was doing everything that he could to help her through it, even if it meant him getting up in the early hours of the morning to tend to the wailing twins. He sighed when Claire finally fell back to sleep and he gently placed her next to Denis in the cot. He looked at the pair of them for a moment and a small smile graced his lips as he silently stood and just watched his sleeping children.

Ray sighed and quietly closed the door to the nursery behind him and padded back to the bedroom. He crawled back into bed next to Rowan and checked the time, no doubt that she'd wake up soon, she always woke up early. He gently put his arms around her and buried his face into her hair, inhaling deeply before relaxing against her and closing his eyes.

Rowan rolled over and burrowed into Ray's chest. She was not looking forward to his paternity leave being over. She liked spending so much time with him. She wanted even more though, for time to pass quickly, so they could be together again.

Ray's arms unconsciously tightened slightly around Rowan as she curled into him. He settled and kissed her on the top of her head before dropping off.

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Rowan's eyes flickered open at the sound of her phone beeping. She carefully slipped from Ray's grasp to grab her phone and read the text couldn't stop her shout of joy. She quickly snapped her mouth shut and glanced at Ray.

She then opened her phone and sent off texts to Alex and Ffion to let them know Alyssa was awake.

She smiled and burrowed down next to Ray again.

Her sister would be fine.

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Alex looked down at her phone as she sat at the coffee table and exhaled in relief at Rowan's text. Alyssa was awake. Finally out of her coma. Good. She smiled as she traced the rim of her coffee mug, maybe now she would be able to sleep without worrying.

She looked at her coffee and decided she didn't want it anymore, she left it on the table and padded back to the bedroom. She hadn't got dressed yet, only showered and her hair was still a little damp. It was still too early. She looked at Gene sleeping with his back to her and crawled back into bed and moved closer to his back and threw an arm over his middle as she cuddled into him with a small sigh.

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Ffion heard her phone beep and excused herself from helping Betty at the counter to read the text. She bit back a shriek of joy when she read that Alyssa was awake. She walked over to Bob and quietly told him the news and then went about making a bacon butty for Paddy, her face lit with a smile.

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Cries for feeding dragged Rowan awake and she quickly slipped from the bed. Ray had taken the early feed, only fair she should get up now and do it. She was spoiled now and soon he would be going back to work. Ray's mother was coming this weekend to visit and would be babysitting so they could go to the party. She would wear the costume even if Alyssa wasn't back and able to do so, but she hoped otherwise. She'd had so much fun the last time they'd done karaoke she found herself looking forward to doing it again, especially in the shocking outfits they would eventually be wearing. She would have Ray that night; he wouldn't be able to resist her. She would see to that.

She smiled and went into the nursery to sort Claire. Denis was awake, but just gazed at her with his big blue eyes. He was going to break hearts, she was sure of it. She carried Claire into the kitchen and set the bottle to warming and then sat down at the kitchen table to feed her. When Claire was finished, she quickly fed Denis and then went to the bathroom to take a shower. She pulled on her dressing gown and went into the bedroom to find something to wear. She glanced at the clock and shook her head, she couldn't believe it was already almost lunchtime.

Ray's eyes opened a fraction as he heard Rowan's quiet clatter as she moved around the flat. He lay there peacefully, enjoying the calm while it lasted. It wasn't often that he took the morning feed: Rowan was always up so early, but with her worry for Alyssa on top of caring for the twins she had seemed much more drained than usual. He just wished that Alyssa would wake up soon, so Rowan could stop all her worrying. It was doing his head in, and meant that he was worrying about her more than normal, too.

He watched her come back into the bedroom and pulled his eyes from her and shut them again as she started to get dressed. He rolled over so he wasn't facing her. The sooner he went back to work the better, then he could get these thoughts out of his head. For a while anyway. Ray listened to her movements carefully and opened his eyes cautiously and sighed quietly when he realised that she was dressed. He was safe.

"Morning," he rumbled as he pushed the bed covers off him and stood up. He frowned at her as his gaze rested on her face. "You seem cheerful," he commented as he went to dig in the wardrobe for something to wear.

Ray smiled at the news and his arms wrapped around her as he grinned down at her. "That's good," he agreed and dropped a kiss on her forehead. He couldn't help but feel a little more relaxed, now Alyssa was going to be okay, Rowan was likely to be a lot less tense now. He was glad, he still felt a little uncomfortable trying to calm her down when she got upset.

Rowan's smile widened, first at the sight of Ray as he walked towards her, then at the thought Alyssa was awake.

"Alyssa's woke up. So yeah, I'm pretty happy," she beamed and flung her arms around him. She held him tightly and then looked up. "Hopefully she'll get to come home soon, but she's awake, she's okay."

"So, are you picking your mother up again or is she taking the train?" she asked.

"Well, I think that she's getting the train, she went on and on about me needing to stay here for you and twins and would not shut up," he chuckled. "So, I think she's getting the train, but I am going to double check and offer to pick her up again," he assured her.

"Don't push her though, Ray. If that's how she feels then that's how she feels. Besides, she's pretty tough, I wouldn't be too worried about her," Rowan giggled. She pirouetted down the hall to the kitchen. She couldn't wait until Alyssa got home.

Ray chuckled as he watched her twirl about and finished getting dressed.

"Thing is," he said as he followed her out. "I'm not bothered whether she chooses to go on the train or ride with me, I just don't want her thinking that it's hassle for me to go and pick her up," he said. "Which I've told her but she's still insisting she'll use the train."

Rowan whipped around and strode close to Ray and stopped in front of him.

"I know you've told her, acuisle, and I know she's still insisting. So let her ride the train and instead, think about what I intend to do to you," her lips curved into a wicked smile as she briefly pressed herself against him then she turned and went back to rummaging in the fridge for ingredients. She huffed out an annoyed breath.

"I'll have to get some things from downstairs," she told Ray and looked him up and down in appraisal before heading out the door. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles. She hated to wind him up, but he needed to leave his mother alone and it was the easiest way to distract him.

Ray gaped after her as she left the room and stifled a groan. This was so unfair. He sighed heavily and went to the nursery to sit in the twins' room for a bit to watch them sleep. He knew that it would calm him down and he needed to. He couldn't wait for Halloween.

He looked at the twins and listened to the sound of their breathing as he sat in the rocker. "You two don't know how bloody difficult it is," he grumbled. "And don't repeat that word in front of your mother, you don't swear," he added sharply to them, keeping his voice low so as not to wake them.

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Whitney sat on her break, leafing through the property section. She liked to keep an eye on the prices so she would know how much she might need. Very careful spending had meant she was putting a decent sum into savings. She hoped to have enough by the end of school to get a premises. Just two more years and she'd be done. She just wished Brett would stop going on about investing. She wanted this to be her own, no one else involved in that way.

It was easy now, gently pushing his offers aside, but it was getting tiring. She sighed and flipped another page and made some notes.

Brett spied Whitney and meandered through the crowds towards her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and looked down at what she was reading.

"That one," he said decisively as he pointed to one of the more expensive properties. "Right on a main high street Whit, you'll get loads of business," he grinned at her as he dropped a kiss on her cheek and sat down next to her.

"And if you buy it now then you can get someone to run it while you're still at Uni," he added casually. "Problem solved."

"I can't afford to buy it now, Brett, besides, I don't want to get someone to run it, especially not when I'm going to design a lot of the clothes I'll be selling there," she said, sharper than she'd intended.

"There's no rush," she added. Did he think she could do nothing on her own? She wondered if she was becoming a "project" again and sighed inwardly. She didn't want to be a project again.

"Yeah, but if you buy it now then it'll be earning you cash while you're still studying and you'll have a steady income when you go to run the place and design more stuff to sell," he told her. "It makes good sense to start as early as possible," he shrugged. "We already know that your stuff sells."

"Besides, you can afford it! I've already told you I'll give you whatever you need to start up as an investment. Then just give me a small percentage of the profits," he said. He didn't understand why she was getting so touchy over this! It was perfectly simple and it was a good idea. But she was rejecting everything he said! It was beginning to get really frustrating.

"And I'll be working twice as hard trying to get things done for the shop and for school. No, Brett, the shop can wait," she argued, keeping her tone even, although his pushiness was beginning to irritate her.

"I know what you said, Brett, but can't you understand I want to do this on my own? I don't mind hiring help, but as far as the rest goes, I want this to be mine, okay?" Why couldn't he see she wanted to do this on her own? She had liked the way he treated her in the beginning, when she'd had no confidence, he'd believed in her. Now, she knew what she could do and she'd become a lot more confident, especially with friends like Molly and Lauren who kept encouraging her to believe in herself.

Now she was finding Brett's "help" to be almost condescending.

Brett shrugged at her.

"I just think it would be a good idea, that's all," he told her. She didn't have to get so defensive about it! He watched her for a moment then shrugged. She'd come around and see it was a good idea, or that he was fairly sure.

"Well, I'm always here if you need me, Whit, and I don't mind helping you with this" he said supportively, keeping the irritation out of his voice. Why did she have to refuse everything he offered her? It was only money, and if she took it to start her shop then he would get a percentage of the profits until he got paid off and then would still be getting money from it after that. He was perfectly willing to do that because it worked for him in the long term.

She hadn't seemed to mind his help when he was helping her with the stall and broadening her horizons, now she just didn't want to know. It was beginning to really irk him.

"I know you think it's a good idea, of course you do," Whitney replied, unable to keep the fact that she was upset from her voice. "Helping me out and all was great when I really needed the support, I appreciated it, but now it's like you can't even see I have a mind of my own, and I do, Brett. This is my life, this is what I want and I don't want someone acting like I have to be carried. You treat me like I'm some little helpless thing who can't do anything and you throw your money around like you can buy anything, but you can't buy me, Brett. I'm tired of it."

She stood up and snatched her paper from the table and walked away. She hadn't wanted to be so mean, but she just couldn't take it.

Brett gaped after her as she walked away. Buy her? He didn't want to buy her! He didn't need to bloody buy her! He was trying to help, and he had money, and that was the way he could see himself helping her. He folded his arms and watched her walk away with a frown. He didn't throw money around. Well, if she wanted to act like a spoilt child then she could. He would just ignore her until she came out of her temper tantrum and apologised.

He sighed and pulled his laptop out of his bag, opening it unenthusiastically and drumming his fingers on the surface of the table as he waited impatiently for it to load up. Maybe he'd just buy her a premises for her shop anyway. Maybe that would be a good way to get to forgive him. It wouldn't be buying her if it was a gift surely? Brett sighed and pushed the thought away, he'd look into it. Maybe.

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Whitney stormed to the train. She would just miss the afternoon, she didn't care. She was in no mood to put up with Brett's condescension any longer than she had to. She got back to the Square and made a beeline for Molly's. She needed to talk to her best mate. She slipped through the gate and began to knock on the door.

Molly looked up at the knock on the back door and got up from the table. She moved through the kitchen and opened the door to see Whitney.

"Heya, Whit," she smiled as she opened the door wider and let her friend inside. "What's up?" she asked curiously as she followed Whitney into the front room and pushed her coursework out of the way so that they could talk. "Shouldn't you be at Uni?" she asked, puzzled.

Whitney walked inside and heaved a great sigh.

"Brett is doing my head in," she blurted out in exasperation. "It's like I can't do anything now without his help. I don't need his money or a nursemaid, but he just won't stop. I had to leave before I punched him. He won't listen to a word I say, as if my opinion doesn't matter at all. In his eyes, I'm just being an ungrateful, stroppy cow."

She dropped into a chair and put her face in her hands.

"I'm at my wit's end, Molls," she groaned.

Molly patted Whitney's shoulder gently. "Tell him to back off?" she suggested. "Do you want me to have a word?" she offered and looked up as the bell went.

"Oh," she muttered. "Kurt said he'd come round to talk me through this essay," she said. "Hang on," she said as she left Whitney at the table and hurried to the front door.

Whitney shook her head.

"He wouldn't listen to you anymore than he'd be willing to listen to me," Whitney replied.

Molly opened the door and smiled at Kurt. "Heya," she said. "Do you mind if we do this another time? It's just, Whit's having boyfriend problems and she really needs to talk," she explained quietly to him.

Whitney gave Kurt a small wave and went back to picking at her nail polish.

Kurt nodded. "Sure, I'm off College today anyway, just text me whenever and I'll pop round," he smiled at her. Molly smiled.

"Thanks, Kurt, I appreciate it" she said and reached out to give him a hug before he left. She waved him off and shut the front door and went back to Whitney.

"So, go ahead," she said gently. "Vent," she added with a small smile.

She took a deep breath as Molly sat down.

"I think maybe I should break up with him," she said in a soft voice. "Just end it and get it over with. I'm not bothered being single again, if it means I can be myself again."

Peter approached the house and frowned as he saw Kurt walking away from it. His frowned deepened. Why did she spend so much time with him? She'd told him once there was nothing going on, but he wasn't sure. She went shopping with him! She'd never asked Peter to go shopping with her. Of course, he was generally at work, but still.

He slammed through the gate with a bit more force than necessary and walked into the house.

He saw Whitney and Molly deep in conversation, which seemed to stop the minute he entered the room. Were they talking about him? He didn't want to think about it. He took in the looks on their faces and gave them the barest wave.

"Go about your business," he said and went up the stairs two at a time.

Molly looked at Whitney sadly and sighed.

"We need to go out this weekend," she decided. "Girls night out," she said and went into the kitchen to put the kettle on. She made two cups of tea and then set Whitney's in front of her, with a packet of biscuits.

"Just avoid him for a bit, see if he gets the message then," she suggested. "If talking to him doesn't work, then maybe the silent treatment will," she added as she grabbed a biscuit and nibbled on it.

Molly looked up at Peter and frowned as he went off upstairs. She sighed and shook her head as she turned back to Whitney.

"I'll try," said Whitney reluctantly and picked up a biscuit. "But I think I should just make a clean break. I don't think he's going to get the message from just a cold shoulder."

"I'm all for a girls' night out," Whitney agreed. "We could have Lauren and Mercy come along, too," Whitney suggested, her outlook improving. "There's Halloween parties all over the place, I vote we get some really nice costumes and find a party."

Peter listened from where he stood on the stairs. Girls night. He guessed the guys should get together then. He didn't really like Brett, but he could call Fatboy and they could go find something to do.

Molly nodded. "I'm so up for that," she grinned and glanced upstairs. "Peter's been really moody lately," she sighed. "He won't tell me why either," she added with a shrug.

"Besides, there'll be parties everywhere! It's Halloween! I reckon the club will be doing something anyway if we can't find anywhere else," she smiled.

/\\/\/\/\/\\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/

JT looked at Roxy in contemplation. The funeral had passed and Roxy had said goodbye to Sean for good. He pulled the small box from his pocket and walked over to her and quickly knelt before her.

"Roxanne Mitchell, would you do me the very great honor of making an honest man of me?" he asked her and held the box up.

Roxy simply gaped at JT for a moment, her gaze drifting from him to the ring he held up to her and back again. A bright smile lit her face and she slid the ring onto her finger quickly before taking his face in her hands and kissing him. She broke the kiss, breathlessly, and nodded eagerly.

"Yes, yes yes!" she grinned at him as she moved to hug him happily. "I will JT, yes!" she said excitedly.

JT lifted her up and spun her around.

"How do you feel about possibly going back home for a while? Not now, but sometime after we're married. My brother's house is pretty big and Amy would have loads of kids to play with, including my nephews. What do you think?"

Roxy smiled at him as he pulled her along. "Sure," she agreed as she laughed along behind him. They'd have to tell Amy too, that wouldn't hard, Amy already adored JT. Roxy sighed happily, life was good!

Roxy placed her hands on his shoulders and looked up in contemplation.

"Well, I'll have to find someone to man the club, Aunty Peg will be more than willing to keep on with the Vic" she said "And I think Amy would love it," she smiled. "She loved it last time we were there," she added.

"Then we'll have to get that planned, too," he smiled. "So, I've done the hard bit, now it's your part, the easy part, deciding where and when we do this," he told her and grabbed her hand with the ring on it and kissed the back of it.

Roxy raised her eyebrows at him incredulously. "Asking me to marry you was difficult?" she said. "I can't imagine why," she added as she studied him.

Roxy shrugged. "I don't mind where, I don't mind when, I don't mind how," she smiled. "Besides, I already got married once, you choose what you want to happen," she told him as she ran her finger down his nose.

"Something small and maybe pretty soon?" he suggested hopefully and grinned before dragging her from the room so they could go tell Peggy.

/\\/\/\/\/\\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/

Max walked slowly to the pub, casting a lingering glance at the salon. He didn't want to hurt Jane, surely she knew they weren't that serious. He hadn't expected to start wanting Tanya so much again, especially since she was single again.

"He's doing it again," Maddie commented as she watched Max looked longingly at the Salon.

"Hmmmmm?" Tanya hummed in response as she concentrated on fixing the rotas.

"Max," Maddie replied simply.

Tanya looked up and glanced out of the window. "Doing what again?" she asked, her curiosity hidden by the annoyance that coloured her tone.

"Watching the Salon, with a lost puppy look on his face," Maddie explained as she watched Max disappear from their view

Tanya snorted her laughter. "Max does not, ever, look like a lost puppy," she said with a shake of her head as she returned to her laptop. Maddie continued to watch Tanya for a few minutes then shrugged and went upstairs.

Max downed his drink and then looked at his phone in contemplation before quietly getting on it and ordering a bunch of flowers for Tanya to be delivered to the salon.

/\\/\/\/\/\\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/

Tanya looked up curiously as a man with an impressive bouquet appeared and came into the Salon.

"Can I help you?" she asked as she eyed the bouquet.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a Tanya Branning?" he asked.

"That's me," she replied, surprised and stepped forward to take the flowers. "Thanks," she added quietly as she set them on the desk

"Wowee!" Maddie said as she came down the stairs. "They for you?" she asked and Tanya nodded mutely. Maddie grinned. "Who're they from?" she asked, her voice taking on a teasing, sing-song tone. Tanya dug in the flowers, looking for a card.

She sighed. "No idea."

Maddie chuckled. "I bet I know who," she said conspiratorially. Tanya looked over her shoulder at her "No. No way," she said with a sharp shake of her head, then eyed the flowers again, biting her lip.

/\\/\/\/\/\\\\\/\\/\\\/\\\/\\\/\/\/\\/\\\\/\/\\/\\\/\/

Max left the pub and saw the delivery van parked over by the salon. The barest hint of a smile curved his lips before he turned to head back to the car lot.

Max sat at his desk and thought. He knew Jane and Tanya were going out for Halloween, girls only, besides he was supposed to be minding Oscar. It hadn't been hard to find out from Jane where they planned to go. He had chosen a costume and hidden it carefully and Dot had agreed to mind Oscar for him.

He wanted very much to have Tanya alone for five minutes. He was sure Jane could sense his distance, but she just seemed baffled by it rather than hurt. Of course, after Ian she no doubt was reluctant to commit too heavily.

He ordered another delivery, this time Tanya's favorite chocolates, and this time had it signed a secret admirer.


	36. Chapter 36

**We do not own Eastenders, Ashes to Ashes, Waterloo Road, Doctors or Emmerdale**

**Chapter 36**

***********************************************************Halloween*********************************************************************

Molly rushed around Peter's bedroom as she hurriedly got ready. She had left her mascara in here and she had no idea where he had put it! She snorted irritably as she dug around under his bed and found nothing. Molly knelt back and looked around her as she ran her movements through her head. An annoyed sigh left her as she spotted it on Peter's desk: the one place she had neglected to check. Molly stood up and grabbed the mascara then stood in front of Peter's mirror to put it on. Whitney would be here soon and then they would go and pick up Mercy and Lauren. She was sure that Kurt was coming with them too, she'd mentioned it to him and he'd seemed up for a night out with them.

Molly finished her make-up and smoothed out her dress: seeing as it was Halloween she had decided to dress up and was going out as Alice In Wonderland, though her dress couldn't get much shorter. She grinned and put her mascara back down as she headed back to Lucy's room and grabbed up her bag. She had moved all of her stuff into Lucy's room and as Lucy's wardrobe was empty she kept her clothes all in there. But most nights she slept in Peter's room with him.

Molly bounded downstairs and smiled as she spotted Peter, she twirled and grinned at him. "What d'you think?" she asked him.

Peter's jaw dropped at the sight of Molly in her skimpy costume.

"Well, now I wish I was going with you," he said as he gaped at her. He carefully slipped his arms around her and pressed his lips to hers. "You look amazing. Where do you plan on going, so Fatboy and I can hopefully 'run into' you at some point," he suggested with a grin.

Molly smirked at him and pulled him closer as she kissed him again. "Well, we aren't fully decided, but I'll be sure to send you a text when we do end up somewhere," she told him with a grin.

"Anyway, the girls will be here soon, so keep your eyes to yourself," she teased him.

"Actually, am out to meet up with Fats now," he told her and gave her another kiss. He pulled on his coat and quickly headed for the chippy to meet up with Fatboy, waving as he passed the girls.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

Rowan nervously finished getting ready in the bathroom. She was very glad Alyssa was well enough to do this, or so Alyssa had claimed.

She looked over the overly girly dress she was wearing, puffy sleeves, high collar, skirt to her knees with a froth of petticoats and ruffles. At least it was long enough to hide the fact that the white tights she was wearing her thigh-high stockings and the dress fully covered the skimpy mini dress she was wearing underneath. She'd altered the backs of the frilly dresses so they could be easily pulled off at the proper moment and had loved the look on Alyssa's face when she'd shown her the outfits and explained her plan. She checked her over done girly make up and smiled. She'd also done her hair in a mass of curls and pulled the curls into pigtails slightly high up on either side of her head. She let out a long breath and finally left the bathroom after slipping her feet into the black heeled shoes she was going to wear.

She and Lyss would look like a child's overly ruffled baby doll until they tore away these dresses and Rowan couldn't wait to see Ray's face when it happened. At least Ray had finally left his mother alone and she'd come to London on the train and arrived safe and sound. Rowan was glad.

She smiled as she walked into the front room.

"I'm ready," she announced and did a very small twirl; it wouldn't do for her skirt to flare and give away secrets.

Ray looked up at Rowan and smiled at her.

"You look beautiful," he told her as he looked her up and down. He was half-relieved: he'd been expecting her to wear something that would make him want to lock her in the bedroom and never come out. This long dress she was wearing he could deal with.

Maggie looked up at Rowan and smiled at her as she rocked Denis gently. She couldn't be more proud of Ray, Rowan and their beautiful babies. She adored her grandchildren. They were perfect.

"You look lovely, Rowan," she smiled and then looked over at Ray again. Superman? She couldn't stop laughing.

"Shut up, Mam," Ray growled at her as he saw the look on her face.

"It doesn't look right with that moustache!" she argued back.

Ray shrugged. "I look better in it than Chris ever did, and at least I'm not going to be mistaken for a waiter, like the last time I dressed up," he said.

Rowan shook her head. "I wasn't going for beautiful, but thank you," she said and looked at his costume again as he argued with Maggie.

"You look fine, Ray, but…" she trailed off. She wished he hadn't worn something so form fitting. She shook her head and then turned to Maggie and the little boy she held.

"He's my Superman," Rowan said with a cheeky grin and bent to put a quick kiss on the baby's head. "I would wish he hadn't worn something so…tight," she whispered so only Maggie could hear and bit back a laugh. She turned and grabbed her coat and pulled it on.

"Let's go, hero," she said to Ray.

Maggie let loose another howl of laughter as she took Denis back and settled him in her arms.

"Have a good night," she grinned at them and Ray turned around to pull a face at her. He grinned and winked. "See ya, Mam," he told her as he shut the door and followed Rowan downstairs.

Ray led Rowan into the car, he couldn't help but feel relieved at her outfit. A sigh escaped him as he started the car engine and he sneaked a look at her again. He smiled as he caught her eye and started to drive towards the Square.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

"Lyss, hurry up," Jack called up the stairs and tried not to stare as Whitney came downstairs in a very skimpy bunny costume. Whitney smiled brightly at Jack and nodded.

"Errr, nice costume," he remarked in as neutral a tone as he could manage.

"Thanks, me and the girls are having a girly night and we're doing an Alice in Wonderland theme," she told him. "I'm the White Rabbit."

Jack nodded and went to the mirror again to check his own costume. He'd found the idea of dressing up as a policeman fairly amusing, considering who his friends were.

Whitney gathered up her coat and bag and gave Jack a quick wave before heading over to Molly's house. She waved excitedly at Lauren and Mercy as she saw them also heading onto the Square. She rushed over pulling her coat close against the chill.

"So ready to party tonight," Lauren said. "What about you?"

"Oh yes," Whitney agreed. "Where's Mari?"

"She and Hugh had romantic plans," Lauren said in an overly breathy voice and then giggled. Whitney chuckled and then looked at Mercy.

"Did Fatboy like your costume?"

Mercy smiled at Whitney and nodded. "I'd say he did, yes," she laughed. "I don't think he wanted me to go out. But there's no way I'm missing this!" she added as they reached Molly's and she knocked the door.

Molly smirked at Peter as she let him go and hurried to the front door and she opened it and stood back for the girls to come in. She chuckled at the costumes, they'd all fit in with the Alice In Wonderland Theme.

"It worked!" she squealed excitedly.

Mercy nodded. "All we're missing is the Mad Hatter," she smiled as she went to sit on the sofa.

Molly smiled broadly. "Yeah, but he should be here soon," she said. "We can leave once he gets here," she added.

"Good, I'm anxious to party, Molls," Lauren drawled. Once past the initial awkwardness of her dating Peter, Lauren had finally warmed to Molly and they'd become friends. Lauren didn't want Peter back anyway, she realized, and that had helped a great deal.

"I reckon Kurt will look pretty cute as the Hatter," she added. "We should go somewhere he can sing."

Whitney raised her eyebrows and looked at Molly. "Your mate can sing?" she asked curiously.

Molly nodded. "He's pretty good actually," she smiled and looked up as the doorbell went. "That'll be him," she smiled.

Mercy looked up at Lauren. "Isn't R&R doing karaoke tonight?" she asked. "He could sing there if he wanted to," she shrugged.

Molly walked back in with Kurt and pointed at her friends.

"Whitney, Mercy and Lauren," she said. "This is Kurt," she introduced.

Kurt waved at them with a grin. "How goes it ladies," he smiled at them. Molly grinned.

"Why are we all still here?" she asked. "We have parties to go and find," she said as she grabbed her phone and some cash and shoved it into a bag which she slung carelessly over her shoulder.

Kurt grinned at her and nodded. "Shall we," he said as he made his way back out of the front door.

Molly smiled at the girls as she followed Kurt out.

"Hiya," Lauren said. "Sorry we've not had a chance to talk at school," Lauren said and shook his hand. He was cute…very cute…especially in that costume. Shame she'd heard he was gay.

"Hi, nice to meet you," Whitney said and grabbed up her bag.

"Let us party," Whitney agreed and Lauren let out a whoop and bounded out the door.

"Should we get a cab or go to R&R, what do you think?" Whitney asked the others curiously.

Molly shrugged. "Well, R&R are doing karaoke, so how about we start there and then see how it goes?" she suggested.

Kurt looked up. "Karaoke?" he asked hopefully and looked towards the club.

Molly chuckled. "Yeah, karaoke," she confirmed as the others caught up. She looked over at the club, too.

"The queue's not too long," Mercy commented. "We could get in now while it's still early and move on elsewhere when it starts getting too full," she said as she looked at Lauren and Whitney.

Molly looked at Whitney. "I think they might," she laughed back. "Peter mentioned something about accidentally coming across us later," she added with a smile.

Kurt dashed towards the karaoke list and signed his name eagerly. He grinned at Molly and Whitney and then turned to the bar to get himself a drink. He pushed a load of drinks over to the girls as well. He knocked back a couple of shots and grimaced slightly at the taste then grinned at the girls.

Molly smiled back as she took her drink. "What're you singing?" she asked him curiously. Kurt tapped his nose mysteriously. "That, would be telling," he smiled back and Molly pouted.

"Tell me," she said and Kurt shook his head. "Nah, you have to wait and see Molls," he told her.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

"Alex, let's go if we're going," Gene complained and adjusted his flat brimmed hat and then began to fidget with the serape. What was taking that bloody woman so long?

At least they were able to get out. Since Molly had moved in with Peter, Alex seemed reluctant to ask Molly to babysit as often. They'd got lucky though, he'd been trying to make excuses to Jack in the pub when Max had suggested he ask Dot. It never crossed his mind to do that, he didn't really know the woman. But it seemed she was watching Max's son Oscar and Bradley was going to be there as well as Abi and her friend Jay. Sammy should no doubt be fine. He'd quickly agreed.

He let out another annoyed breath and began to pace, the heels of his boots making a calming noise against the tile floor of the kitchen.

"Hang on!" Alex yelled back as she settled the feathered band around her head. She stood in front of the mirror as she checked her costume over: seeing as Gene was going as Clint Eastwood, and he had a love of Westerns, she was going as an Indian. She grinned in the mirror and put the final touches to her hair before emerging from the bedroom. She half-rolled her eyes at his costume.

"You're wearing that again?" she asked sarcastically. "You would have thought you'd be a bit more imaginative," she grinned at him as she made her way over.

"Come on then, are we going or what?" she asked as she began to make her way towards the front door.

Gene blinked as he watched Alex walk into the room. Surely she wasn't planning to leave dressed like that? She barely had a stitch on. He felt a growl rising low in his throat and strode towards her and grabbed her.

"What makes you think we're going anywhere?" he asked and covered her lips with his as he reached up and tossed his hat aside and then brought the hand to rest on her breast. His lips traveled from her lips to her ear.

"I'd much rather have a little pow wow, right here," he husked in her ear and began to plant kisses along the smooth column of her neck.

Alex's neck arched of it's own accord and she mewled gently as her hands came up and pushed on lightly Gene's chest.

"No," she protested. "Gene...stop!" she said, her voice taking on a breathless quality as she tried to step out of his grasp.

"If you start that now then we'll never get out of here!" she smiled at him and kissed him. "Let me go. Put your hat back on. And lets go to the club and party!" she told him.

"Bolly," he groaned against her flesh and slipped his hand into the halter top of her costume. "If you want to go out then you shouldn't dress like that," he said and continued to kiss her neck as he pulled her close against him with his other arm. He wanted to make sure she felt what her outfit was doing to him.

"We have lots of time to party," he growled.

"Well you shouldn't have been so predictable with the whole western thing," she said weakly as she pushed on him once more. "Gene," she sighed as she pulled him closer and chuckled lightly as she buried her face in his neck and breathed him in.

"You have to make everything difficult, don't you," she chuckled as she pulled her face out of his neck and pressed her lips to his. Alex pulled back and looked at him and wound her arms around his neck, "Come on then, Cowboy, show me what you got," she challenged as she ground her hips against his. "Because I'm really hoping that that isn't a gun," she muttered.

Gene grinned and pushed her onto the couch. He tore off her knickers and quickly shoved his own trousers and pants down and thrust into her.

"You didn't have to wear such a revealing outfit," Gene growled and crashed his lips onto hers again.

Alex chuckled as she threw her arms around him and pulled him closer to her, her leg coming up and over his hips. "Of course I did," she said as she tore her mouth from his. "How else was I supposed to get you worked up like this!" she added before pressing her lips to his once more.

"Stupid woman, you hardly need a fancy costume to get my attention," he told her, his voice rough with lust as he moved inside her. He slid his hands over her smooth skin. "God, I love you."

"I love you, too," she gasped out as she moved with him, tangling her hand in his hair as she pulled his mouth back to hers. Her body tensed as she hit her release and she broke the kiss to moan out his name as her hands clutched at him.

Gene gasped out her name as he came with her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"I don't really want to go out," he confessed and pressed his lips to her forehead.

Alex smiled as she ran her hands up and down his back with a lazy smile on her face. "You see, this is why we should have gone out before you started all this," she chuckled lightly as she settled herself more comfortably on the sofa. She sighed and pulled the feathered band off her head and dropped it on the floor.

"So, if we're staying in, TV and beer, or bed?" she asked him. "Either way there will be cuddles," she smiled as she ran her hand underneath his costume and up his back lightly.

Alex smiled and reached around her to grab a cushion and pulled it out to set it under her head as she gazed at him.

"Mmm," she hummed back as she just enjoyed the feel of his hands and lips on her.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

Max smoothed the coat of his costume and then picked up the mask. Tanya would never recognize him in his "Phantom" costume; he'd been smart enough to choose a costume with a mask. He would attempt to get her to come home with him and then see what would happen. He adjusted the opera cape and then hurriedly left the house. He ducked in an alley when he saw no one was around and put the mask on. Now, he was just another party-goer. He smiled under the mask.

"Mmmmmm, not sure I'm ready to move just yet," he drawled and dropped his lips to her neck and traced his hand over her flesh.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

Alyssa sighed as she heard Jack calling her and put the finished touches to her costume. She was so excited to do this! It was a brilliant idea. She was wearing so much pink. She inwardly cringed, she avoided pink because it tended to clash with her hair, but this idea was too good to pass up. She nodded and made her way downstairs to chuckle at the sight of Jack. She wound her arms around his neck and looked him over.

"Mmmm," she hummed. "So, Rowan, Alex and Shaz and Simon all have a Policeman of their own, and now so do I," she smiled. "Suddenly I don't feel so left out," she added and ran a hand down his chest. "And I lurrrve a man in uniform," she added as she raised her eyebrows at him.

Jack grinned and pulled Alyssa close. "And I have my very own…Barbie type girl," he said and kissed her.

"Let's go, Rowan will likely skin us if we're late. I wonder what Ray dressed up as," he mused as he led Alyssa to the car.

Alyssa smiled as she let go of him and followed him out. She slid into the car and buckled herself in, she shrugged. "No idea. I know what Alex is planning on wearing and she had a good idea about Gene, hence her outfit," she smiled. "But as for Ray, who can say?" she sighed and shrugged once more.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

Tanya hurried to Jane's once she was ready and knocked on the door excitedly. She rolled her eyes as her patience wore out and she opened the letterbox.

"JANE! Come on!" she called out and a laugh left her as she tapped the door again.

"Coming!" Jane called and quickly opened the door. "Sorry, I was having trouble with the shoes," she complained and quickly closed the door behind her.

Tanya smiled at Jane and looked her up and down before pushing open the door to the building and leading her outside.

"I cannot wait!" she exclaimed. "It's been ages since we have had a proper night out," she smiled.

"I know! When I'm not at the café I have a gig on," Jane agreed and walked next to Tanya. She was glad they had chosen these lovely renaissance outfits instead of something skimpy like she'd seen Lauren and Mercy wearing.

"Shall we just go to R&R or get a taxi into town?"

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

Rowan eyed Ray as he drove them to the club and felt the stirrings of jealousy. He really shouldn't have worn something so tight! Not that he didn't look fantastic, all their walking and eating healthy had him looking very good, but she didn't want to share. She sighed. She'd get him back when he saw what she had planned. And he just might regret wearing that outfit.

She climbed from the car and looked around for Jack and Alyssa as she shut the door.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

Jack took her arm and began to walk with her to the club. He spotted Ro and Ray's car as it pulled up not far from the club and parked. He smiled as he saw Rowan in her outfit matching Alyssa's and then nudged Alyssa as he saw Ray get out of the car, his position causing his costume to be revealed.

"Superman?" he chuckled. "Well, that's interesting."

Alyssa's eyebrows flew up.

"Just a bit," she murmured as she dashed over to them.

Rowan waved as she caught sight of Jack and Alyssa and hurried over.

Ray clambered out of the car after Rowan and locked the door behind him. He couldn't help but smile at the throngs of fancy dressed party goers heading towards the club. Some interesting choices in costumes. He chuckled to himself and looked over as he saw Alyssa and Jack. He waved merrily.

"Officer Rimmer," Rowan teased and Jack rolled his eyes at her. Rowan looked at Alyssa.

"Are we ready?" she asked. "I'm going to need a lot of alcohol I think," she commented with a chuckle and then wound her arm with Alyssa's.

"So, Superman," Jack said in a dry voice as he walked over to Ray and watched the girls make their way into the club. "Brave choice."

Ray looked at Jack and shrugged.

"It's better than going as James Bond and getting mistaken for a waiter," he said with a shrug. "Besides, Chris was Superman last time and he looked rubbish," he chuckled.

"It's very ummm…..snug," Jack finally remarked.

Ray looked down at himself and sniffed. "It's not that bad," he said dismissively.

"So, the girls are going to perform tonight. I wonder what they have planned. Alyssa's had a mischievous sort of look on her face the past couple days, ever since Rowan brought the outfit over."

Ray looked over at Rowan and Alyssa and sighed. "Rowan's been acting oddly too, it's really beginning to frustrate me," he sighed and looked at Jack. "There are major downsides to pregnancy," he said with a heavy sigh.

Jack cocked an eyebrow at Ray.

"How do you mean?" he asked curiously and glanced over at Rowan and Alyssa who were hovering near the stage drinking and waiting for their turn.

"We should probably get closer to the stage," Jack suggested. "I think the girls will be on soon," he suggested as the young man who was singing, he was sure it was Kurt, the boy did have an amazing voice, finished and Doug introduced the next singer.

Ray gaped at him. "How do I mean?" he repeated incredulously. "I can't bloody touch her!" he snorted irritably.

Ray sighed and nodded and started to navigate his way through the crowd.

"How is that her fault?" Jack wanted to know. "Surely that's something she was told by the doctor?"

Ray frowned at Jack. "I never said it was her fault, I just said that I'm frustrated about it," he said defensively.

Jack sat down and took a drink of his pint as the woman who was singing finished. "And that's no doubt going to change soon, yeah?"

He grinned at Ray and took another drink of his pint and then put the glass down so he could clap as Rowan and Alyssa were announced.

Ray looked at Jack curiously and shrugged. "Better be soon," he muttered more to himself than to Jack.

Ray turned his gaze to the stage as Rowan and Alyssa climbed onto it.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

Rowan dragged Alyssa over to the bar and immediately ordered them drinks, including pints for Jack and Ray. She glanced around and then looked at Alyssa.

"I don't see Gene or Alex yet, they must be running late," Rowan observed and thanked Sarah as the drinks were placed on the bar. She picked hers up and drained half of it in one go and sighed. "Been awhile since I've got to do that," Rowan explained. "Let's get signed up for the karaoke," she said as Jack and Ray came up to the bar. She pushed the pints in their direction and pulled Alyssa over to sign up. This was going to be sooo much fun!

Alyssa grabbed her drink and yelped slightly as Rowan dragged her towards the list. She grinned as she signed her name on the piece of paper next to Rowan's and then drained her drink. She swallowed and pushed the glass onto the bar.

"Right," she said. "Next round I think," she smiled and then looked over at Ray and Jack. "Why is he dressed like Superman?" she asked.

Rowan shook her head. "He just….I don't really know. It's awfully tight though. I have a feeling he is going to be regretting his choice before the night is through," Rowan purred and nodded as Alyssa suggested another round. She looked around at all the people gathering in. "Looks like everyone is staying local," Rowan mused. She drank her second drink slightly slower than the first, but still fairly quickly. She finally noticed Doug coming out from behind the bar. Looked like the karaoke was finally going to start. He climbed up on the stage.

"Welcome to R&R's, we're going to kick the karaoke off tonight with…" he trailed off and caught sight of Rowan shaking her head.

She gave Doug the barest shake of her head; she did not want them to go first.

Doug nodded. "Kurt," he finished.

Alyssa laughed as she glanced over at Ray. "Poor Ray," she laughed. "Not that I feel sorry for him at all," she added as she reached for her drink and drank it down slowly.

Alyssa looked up at Doug as he got on stage and her eyes brightened excitedly. She could hardly wait to get up there with Rowan and perform their little routine.

"Where's Alex d'you reckon?" she asked. "She and Gene are coming tonight aren't they?" she asked as she grabbed her phone and checked to see if she had a text from Alex. She sighed and shrugged, nothing yet.

She watched as a boy, clearly one of Molly's friends judging by the costume he had chosen got up onto the stage and started to sing. She looked at Rowan excitedly. "I cannot wait!" she squealed.

"One more act, then we go up," Rowan said. "I need at least one more drink."

She furrowed her brow. "I had thought they were coming, yeah, maybe they couldn't get someone to babysit. I see Molly over there with her friends," Rowan opined.

She glanced up at the young man singing. "He's really good," she remarked and clapped loudly when he'd finished and Doug introduced someone else.

Alyssa nodded excitedly as the Mad Hatter got off the stage and someone dressed as Elvis wandered up and took the microphone. She beamed at Rowan.

"I can't wait!" she repeated.

Rowan took a sip of her fresh drink and grinned at Alyssa. "We're next."Rowan watched as the woman who was singing finally finished and looked at Alyssa.

"Are we ready?" she asked and drained her drink.

Alyssa put her empty glass down and nodded.

"Indeed we are," she smiled as she led Rowan onto the stage.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

Peter watched the time anxiously. He wanted to get to R&R, but he didn't want to show up too soon after the girls had. They'd been there an hour now, though, surely that was plenty of time. He looked at Fatboy.

"C'mon, let's go," he said and stood up and headed for the door.

Fatboy chuckled as he followed Peter. "Bout time," he said. "Come on P-Dog, sooner we get there the shorter the queue," he said as he dashed off towards the club.

Fatboy stood impatiently in line and argued and reasoned with the bouncer on the door until he let them in. He patted Peter's shoulder as he darted inside and looked around for Mercy. He spotted her and made his way over and sat down next to her.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

Molly let loose a cheer as Kurt stood up and got up onto the stage. She looked at Whitney and grinned broadly "Now can he sing, or can he sing!" she said as she downed another shot.

Whitney looked at Molly. "He can sing," she agreed and glanced at Lauren who was also cheering and dancing as Kurt sang. She caught sight of Peter and Fatboy entering the club and looked over at Molly.

/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\\/\\/\/\\/\/

Peter looked around and caught sight of Molly and the way she was staring at the boy on stage. That Kurt. Dressed as the Mad Hatter and performing. Peter frowned. He was dressed in the theme of the girls' outfits. Why? Why did he get to be part of their group, it was supposed to be girls only. He hid his disgust and gave Fatboy a quick slap on his arm to catch his attention and began to thread his way through the crowd as Kurt finished singing to thunderous applause and left the stage.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Max caught sight of Tanya and smiled behind the mask. She looked beautiful. He quickly made his way in her direction and stood to one end of the bar from her. He sent over a glass of white wine and watched.

Kurt grinned as he came off the stage and headed back over to the group of girls. He smiled at them and indulged himself in a bow before looking back up with a grin. Molly threw her arms around him and hugged him

"You were amazing Kurt!" she exclaimed "I knew you could sing but not quite like that!" she said with a laugh as she let him go. Kurt smiled at her and shrugged then raised his eyebrows as he spotted Fatboy sitting with Mercy. He scanned the crowd and spotted Peter easily, he smiled at him and Molly followed his gaze. She grinned and picked her way towards him.

Lauren walked with Kurt as he went to the bar. "You were fantastic, Kurt," she told him and gave him a one-armed squeeze. She noted the direction of his gaze and sighed.

"You heard Kurt singing? How amazing is he!" Molly smiled at him.

Kurt sighed as Molly wandered over to Peter and watched them for half a second before going back to the bar, some people had all the luck.

Peter frowned. "Is he all you can talk about?" he thoughtlessly snapped. "If you're so keen on him then maybe I should just go home and leave you to it."

Molly frowned at Peter. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked him coldly. "You've been in a foul mood almost permanently for the last few weeks now!" she told him. Molly folded her arms and stared at him. "If you're not going to tell me what's wrong then do me a favour and stop taking it out on me!"

"And what have you got against Kurt?" she demanded. "He's my _friend _Peter, you can't tell me who I can and can't be friends with!"

"Just a friend, yeah right," Peter snapped. "You spend all your time with him, hardly any with me any more. And then tonight, you go on about girl's night and then I get here to see he's with you! How exactly do you expect me to take that?"

He drained his drink and slammed the glass down. "Maybe you should be living with him instead?" He pushed past her and walked over to Kurt and grabbed his arm.

"I want a word with you, outside," he demanded and turned, giving Kurt's arm a slightly pull as he went.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\\\/\\\/\\/\/\\/\

Whitney overheard Peter's words and quickly turned and headed over to where Lauren was sitting with Kurt.

"Trouble in paradise I think," she sing-songed.

Kurt tore his gaze away from Peter and Molly and looked up at Lauren. He smiled at her.

"Cheers," he said, the cheerfulness he tried to keep in voice failing miserably and making him sound glum instead. He sighed as he pulled the glass towards him and took a heavy gulp.

He looked up at Whitney as she came over and frowned. "Why?" he asked. "What's going on?"

"Peter just sounded a bit upset," Whitney whispered and ordered herself a drink. Lauren glanced around Whitney to look at Peter and Molly. Peter did look upset.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Brett sat on his own at the bar and cradled his drink. He'd seen the group of girls leaving Molly's house from where he had been parked. He was going to be a wonderful surprise for Whitney, she hadn't been around much recently and he was assuming that was because of her massive workload. He missed her. And she looked amazing in her little white rabbit outfit. They were definitely going back to his once they were done here. He kept his eyes fixed on her as he watched her and drank down some more of his drink. A few more minutes, then he would surprise her.

Brett stood up as Whitney went and stood by Lauren and a boy he didn't know. He walked over and slid an arm around her waist.

"You look amazing, Whit," he told her as he pressed a soft kiss to her neck.

Kurt looked up at the good looking boy that slid his arm around Whitney and sighed. He had spotted him from across the club, but clearly he was straight.

Whitney jumped as she felt an arm slip around her and then looked at Brett.

"What do you want, Brett?" she asked and pulled away from him slightly.

Brett frowned at her and dropped his arm from her waist.

"What do I want?" he repeated slowly. "What kind of question is that?"

"Brett, what do you think? Lately all you've been trying to do is nearly run my life, so I think it's a perfectly reasonable question," she told him and stepped away from him a bit more.

Brett's frown deepened. "I haven't been trying to run your life Whitney, I've been trying to help you!" he said in exasperation."But all you seem to do is go off in a strop and throw it all back in my face," he told her. "So, what do I want?" he repeated. "I want you to sort yourself out and stop acting like a spoilt, moody cow," he said.

"What you want..." Whitney echoed, ignoring Lauren's shocked face. "It's always what you want, Brett. It's always you doing for me because you seem to think I'm a five year old who can't do anything at all on her own. I'm sick of it," she said sharply. "And I am not a spoiled, moody cow. I just want to do it myself, you know, I don't want someone else doing it for me. It's my business, I don't know why you can't understand that. You just keep wanting to push your money at me, well news flash, I don't want your bloody money!"

She waved her hands out to ward of him trying to touch her. "In fact, I don't want you, Brett, I'm done with this. We're done, through, over with, so just...don't bother coming here anymore, okay?"

She slashed her hands in front of herself in a finalizing gesture. "We're through, I've broken up."

She looked at him a moment and then huffed out a breath and turned to leave. She should have done this ages ago.

Brett stared at her. That was how she felt? Fine! He didn't need her. He glared at her.

"You didn't seem so keen to get rid of me when I was helping you to make your business better," he snapped back. "But now I've got you that far you don't want me any more," he said angrily. "Fine!" he snapped.

She turned and looked at him. "That's because you were working with me, Brett. But now, you're different."

"We'll see how well you do without me. And if you come crawling back because you mess things up don't think that I'll be there to help you," he growled at her and sneered before marching off. He'd find some other party to go to: he wasn't staying around here now.

She shook her head at him slowly. "I won't," she said in a tone of finality and walked out, feeling better than she'd felt in ages.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Tanya looked up questioningly as a glass of white wine was placed in front of her.

"I didn't order that" she commented as she looked at the glass.

"No, he ordered it for you" the young man told her and pointed at the man wearing a mask at the other end of the bar before leaving the glass in front of Tanya.

Tanya looked over at him curiously and then back at the glass. She picked it up, raised the glass to him with a smile and took a sip.

Max smiled behind his mask and nodded at Tanya after lifting his own glass to her in return. He'd give it a few minutes and then if she didn't come to him, he'd go to her.

Tanya studied the guy that had bought her the drink as she sipped it slowly. He wasn't that bad looking, from what she could see anyway. She kept her gaze fixed on him and smiled as she carefully drank her way through the glass. Her gaze flew to the stage as she heard Alyssa and Rowan announced and watched for a few moments before looking back at the man. She shrugged inwardly and picked her way through the crowd of people towards him. She placed the glass on the bar next to him and took the bar stool.

"Tanya," she smiled at him. "Thank you for the drink."

Max nodded at Tanya and took her hand and pressed it to the mask in a mimed kiss. He tapped the nearly empty glass in question to see if she wanted another one and tilted his head.

Tanya smiled and nodded. "Please," she said. Whoever this guy was, he was charming.

Max gestured for another glass of wine and then looked back at Tanya. He trailed a gloved finger down her arm and then raised his masked face again to meet her eyes as he covered her hand with his.

Tanya raised her eyebrow at him but smiled at him nonetheless. She had to admit, that mask was going to start getting annoying soon. She reached for the wine glass and took a large sip of it.

"So," she said, he seemed unwilling to talk, that was also going to get annoying, though the added mystery intrigued her. "Who are you?" she asked as she leaned forwards slightly.

Max held up his finger and moved it from side to side in a "no no" gesture and then put his hand over hers again. Part of him was enjoying it, but part of him wanted to take off the mask and kiss her. Instead, he stood up and pulled gently on her hand to lead her to the dance floor as one of the karaoke singers began a slow song.

Tanya smiled and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. A slow song. She bit back her chuckle as she placed her arms around his neck and looked at his mask curiously. She wanted to see beneath it. Either he was unbearably shy, or he enjoyed the mystery he was creating. She decided she didn't mind either way.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Rowan followed Alyssa up on stage and winked at her sister as the music started up and Alyssa started singing the first verse.

Rowan sang her part and danced away as they reached the point Rowan had planned for.

"I'm just a girl, take a good look at me just your typical prototype...Oh...I've had it up to here!" she and Alyssa sang and Rowan nodded at Lyss and grasped the sides of the dress and jerked so it came loose. She tossed her dress aside and watched Alyssa do the same and then kept singing. She glanced over at Ray, not quite able to see him due to the lights, but she was pretty sure he was in shock just about now.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Jack's eyes widened as he watched Alyssa tear away and toss aside the dress she'd been wearing. He lifted his pint glass and took a long drink and glanced at Ray before turning his gaze back to Alyssa. She looked amazing in that very skimpy pink, mini dress.

Ray's face darkened as Rowan tore off the long dress to reveal a tiny pink dress underneath. The type of dress he had prayed she wouldn't be wearing in the first place. He gulped and his eyes widened as he realised just how tight his costume was. Ray gulped again and looked around quickly to see if anyone had noticed. He snaked a hand over his shoulder and grabbed at the cape that hung down his back, he pulled it off and tied it around his waist.

Ray sighed as he looked down and made sure he was covered then looked back up on the stage at Rowan. She was in for it when she got off that stage. They were leaving. He smirked to himself as he fixed his eyes on her.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Alyssa enjoyed the look on Jack's face as she stripped herself of her dress and kept dancing around on the stage with Rowan. She finished the song and then grabbed up her dress as she handed the microphone back. She skipped off the stage and smiled at Jack happily.

Rowan grinned at Alyssa and bent carefully to quickly grab up the dress and stepped down from the stage.

Ray's arm reached out and snatched Rowan's arm, pulling her towards him and against his chest, his arm fixing itself securely around her waist, holding her against him.

She flashed a grin at Ray and felt desire begin to burn through her as he pulled her close. She could feel the hardness of him. Clearly he regretted wearing such a tight costume, but she had no intention of not having him.

"You know, I felt relieved earlier when you came out in that long dress, because Rowan, when you were wearing that dress, I didn't have this problem I have now," he growled into her ear as he pressed his hips against her. "What am I supposed to do now!" he demanded to know as he pulled her closer.

"I have to use the little girl's room," she whispered in his ear and then stepped back and gave him a look before turning and striding very slowly to the restrooms, glancing back over her shoulder once and giving Ray a wink, knowing he would be watching her walk away. She carefully licked her lips as she stared at him and then turned away to make sure she didn't run into anyone as she continued on.

Ray watched her go and his fists clenched. He knew that look, he knew that look all too well. He let out a shaky breath, he stalked through the crowd, uncaring as to who he walked into. He caught up with her and grabbed her arm.

"A toilet, Rowan?" he questioned huskily. "I think we can do better than that, there's not enough room in a toilet for what I want to do," he told her and dropped a few soft kisses on her neck. "You sure you're ready?" he asked.

Rowan looked up at him, shivering as his lips touched her skin.

"I'm so ready," she told him. "Why do you think I wore this? I fully intended to make sure that I had you tonight. I'm not waiting any longer. So if you want to go somewhere else it better close by because I'm not sure I can wait much longer," she nearly purred and pressed close to him.

"So, where do you suggest?"

Ray shuddered. "Get yourself in the car, now," he told her. "We're going," he told her and turned her around, pushing her gently to get her to move. Ray grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him as he marched through the crowd, then, deciding this was going far too slow for his liking, he turned and lifted Rowan into his arms and pushed his way through until they got outside. He dropped her on the pavement as he opened the car and got inside. He forced the keys into the ignition and started the car as he waited impatiently for her to get in.

Rowan nearly tripped over her own feet at Ray's rush. The heels she had on were quite a bit higher than she was used to and although it was a bit embarrassing and she actually didn't mind when he picked her up. She simply kept tight hold of the dress and her bag when he dropped her down outside. She climbed into the car as quickly as she could and nodded.

Rowan barely managed to yank her shoes off before Ray pulled her up the stairs of the B&B. She kept her face turned away from the few people that were there, staring. In her outfit she knew what they might be thinking, although it was Halloween and it probably helped that Ray was in such an outrageous costume.

Ray drove to the B&B and pulled Rowan out of the car and inside; he was still uncomfortable about getting up to stuff with his mother in the flat, let alone the twins. He demanded a room key and then pulled Rowan up the stairs with him, ignoring the people that stared at him, he assumed it was because of his costume but was in no position to give it much thought. He threw the door open and pulled her inside the room after him. Ray rested his head against the door, breathing heavily. A deep breath and he turned to her, his eyes blackened with lust as he reached out and took her hand, pulling her hard against his chest before finally dropping his lips onto hers and kissing her for all he was worth.

Rowan swung into the room and while Ray leaned against the door, she dropped her things on the floor and half smiled when he pulled her to him. She couldn't hold back a moan at the feel of his lips on hers, not now that she could anticipate for herself. She kissed him back hungrily and her hands crept around him and scrabbled at his back to find the fastening to get the ridiculous Superman costume off him.

She broke off the kiss and quickly unhooked the basque and her tight, tiny dress dropped to the floor. She reached out and plucked at the fabric of the front of his costume. "You _had_to wear something complicated," she said, annoyance coloring her tone. She stood there, nude but for a very brief pair of knickers and the white thigh high stockings. She put her hands on her hips and looked at him. "Mind you, it's so tight there's no doubt how you feel," she said in amused tone and smirked at him.

She tilted her head at him. "Well, hurry up, I'm ready as you can see," she teased and gestured at herself and then went over to the bed and leaned back on it, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Come get me," she invited and put herself in a deliberately provocative pose.

Ray stood there and looked at her, a strangled groan escaped him as he pulled at his costume in a desperate attempt to get it off him. The second it was in a muddle around his feet he pulled off his underwear and clambered onto the bed, Ray braced himself above her, shaking slightly as he devoured her with his eyes. He hadn't really let himself look at her, not properly, since she'd had the twins just in case he lost all of his self control. He didn't have to deprive himself any longer. Another groan, he dropped his mouth onto hers as his hands pulled her hips against his once more. He broke the kiss somewhat breathlessly and rested his forehead against hers

"Thought I'd die before we got here again," he murmured to her as his hands ran up and down her sides a few times before finally coming up to cover her breasts. "We're not having any more kids," he said decisively. "I don't think I'll be able to survive that again," he added as he dropped his lips to her neck and kissed his way along her shoulder and then down her arm.

"Two is enough," she whispered in agreement.

He raised his head and looked at her again for a moment. "Please tell me it's been hard for you, too," he said as he moved his hands back down to her hips and kissed his way to her breasts.

Rowan carefully didn't laugh as Ray fought to get the costume off. She felt her heart pounding at the sight of him.

She watched him look at her and her breath sped up at the look in his eyes. She melted against him as he pulled her close and kissed him back desperately. She moaned at the feel of his hands on her.

She met his gaze and nodded. "I can't tell you how hard it's been, Ray. I've been wanting you so much. Every time I've...well...taken care of you...it's been nearly torture. I didn't mind," she quickly added. "I love you and I wanted to do it to help, but it was hard."

A gasp slipped from her lips at the feel of his mouth on her breasts. She'd missed it so much! She tangled her fingers into his curls and reveled in the feeling.

Ray's hands slid down her legs and pushed the stockings off her, then curled into the material of her knickers, not that they could be called knickers. More like a scrap of fabric. He tore it regardless and threw it away from them and off the bed. He finally pulled his head off her chest and looked back up at her face, a smile breaking out over his face as he noted her expression. His hands slid down her legs and pulled them over his waist, he had wanted to drag this out but he found himself unable to contain himself: it had been far too long.

Ray pressed his lips to hers and eased himself inside her, a groan leaving him again. He was never leaving it that long again! Ever! He rocked his hips slowly against hers as he pulled his mouth away and panted.

"Rowan..." he groaned again. "God I love you!" he gasped out.

"Oh, Ray," she sighed and gasped again as he tore away the tiny knickers she was wearing. She moaned again as she felt him inside her and dug her fingers into his shoulders. It had been too long.

She began to move with him and gazed up at him at his words.

"I love you, too, oh Ray," she nearly sobbed and clutched at him, her hands slipping from his shoulders to his back as she bucked to meet his every thrust. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the feeling of him. Glorious perfection.

She didn't hold back her shrieks of pleasure as she felt herself getting closer and closer and finally went over the edge.

She buried her face in his neck and panted his name as she held him tight.

Ray held her tightly to him as he rolled them onto their sides and crushed her to his chest. He breathed in the scent of her hair and sighed happily. "I love her and everything, but I'll be glad when Mam goes home so we can do this whenever we want," he mumbled quietly as he ran his hands up and down her soft back and pulled her impossibly closer.

"I've missed this so much, Ro, it's nice and everything when you umm...sort me out," he sighed. "But it's not the same," he said as he hugged her tightly.

Ray decided that Maggie could cope without them being at home. He wasn't feeling inclined to move, especially seeing as he felt he would be more than ready for Round 2 in a moment, he still felt uncomfortable getting up to stuff with her in the house. They could get up and go home in the morning. He wasn't leaving the B&B now they were there.

"I've missed it, too," Rowan said and pressed a kiss to his chest and slid her hand between his legs.

"Hope your mother doesn't mind being on her own awhile, because I'm nowhere near finished with you yet," she purred and then pounced.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Jack slipped his arms around Alyssa and pulled her onto his lap.

"You look absolutely amazing, Lyss," he told her and stroked a hand along her thigh to her knee and let his hand rest on her knee. "I admit I can't wait to get you home."

Alyssa settled her arm around his shoulders and smiled at him as she set the long dress on the floor next to his legs. She smiled at him as she pressed her lips to his. "I'd love to take credit for this idea, but it's all Rowan's," she smiled. "I don't know how she comes up with this stuff, but it's brilliant," she grinned.

"So, Ray and his tight costume..." she trailed off as she craned her neck to look for Superman. "How did that work out?" she asked.

Jack chuckled as he watched Ray walk off after Rowan.

"I think he's probably glad he had a cape," he said and burst out laughing. "Would you like another drink?"

Alyssa smiled and let loose a small chuckle. "Yes, I'd imagine so," she said.

"Another drink?"

Alyssa looked at him and then at the bar, she nodded. "I think so," she smiled as she got off his lap.

Alyssa chuckled at him and nodded. "That was half the reason for our little performance. She wanted to work him up," she smiled. "Seems like it did the trick, too," she added with a smile as Sarah placed their drinks in front of them. She reached for hers and took a sip.

Jack barely saw the flash of red from Ray's cape and then he and Rowan vanished in the crowd.

He stood up to go with her to the bar. "Looks like his long wait is at an end," Jack remarked and gestured at Sarah. He looked at Alyssa. "I take it tonight was definitely the night when Rowan could...um...well...you know..." he trailed off uncertainly. "Surely she wouldn't have worn that otherwise."

"Alex and Gene didn't show then," she sighed. "Maybe they couldn't find a babysitter after all," she shrugged.

"Did she really think...well, never mind."

Jack picked up his drink and took a sip. "Don't suppose you feel up to it tonight?" he asked and eyed her in her skimpy dress then grinned.

Alyssa looked up at Jack and smiled. "Why Mr Rimmer!" she gasped. "That's no sort of question to be asking in public!" she grinned at him teasingly and then took a step closer and nodded at him. "But my answer is yes," she smiled at him and winked before reaching for her drink again.

"Then you better take it easy on that orange juice," he joked. "I wouldn't want you passing out before I get to have my wicked way with you."

He grinned and then swung her out onto the dance floor.

Kurt looked up at Peter in alarm but stood up off the stool and followed him regardless. He looked at Peter's face as they got outside and raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?" he asked defensively.

"I want you to stay the hell away from Molly. She's mine and I'm not going to put up with you trying to take her from me," Peter stated. He leveled his finger at Kurt.

"So you just back off, okay?" he ordered and glared at Kurt.

Kurt couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

"You can't be serious," he snorted. "Molly?" he shook his head.

Kurt moved forward and cupped Peter's cheek before kissing him. He pulled away with a small sigh and looked directly at Peter.

"I'm not interested in Molly. Yeah, she's a laugh, but she's not my type," he said softly.

Peter's eyes widened and he back away and put his hands up.

"You...you're...you're gay..." Peter gasped out the question and scrubbed his hand across his lips as he kept backing away. He hadn't expected that, though he probably should have, now that he thought about it, a lot of things made sense.

He pushed past Kurt and rushed back into the club and grabbed Molly's hand. "We're going...now," he said insistently and nearly dragged her from the club. He glanced at Kurt, but rushed Molly past.

Kurt nodded at Peter slowly and sighed as he pushed past and into the club again. He leant back against the wall of the club and ignored the glances he was getting from the bouncer.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

"Peter!" Molly called after him "You've got the wrong..." she trailed off as he marched away and sighed "end of the stick" she finished lamely and went to sit at the bar with Lauren, Mercy and Fats.

Fatboy looked at Molly. "Hey, baby girl, what's going down?" he asked.

"Peter's jealous of Kurt because apparently I spend all my time with him" she sighed "What he doesn't know is that Kurt is gay" she added "They're about to have a very interesting conversation" she half-smiled.

Mercy patted Molly's arm. "It'll be fine Molly," she said reassuringly.

Lauren couldn't help but giggle.

"Yeah, verrrry interesting," she agreed and grinned at Molly and began to giggle again.

Molly nudged Lauren before bursting into laughter herself. "I can't wait to see his face," she said through her giggles.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Lauren walked over to Kurt, looking back to make sure Mercy and Fatboy were following her.

"So, we're going to find someplace else, Fatboy thinks he knows a good party. You up for it?" Lauren asked him as she slid an arm around his shoulders and grinned. "Fatboy's driving."

Whitney leaned against the wall awhile and contemplated going home, then she saw Lauren go over and start talking to Kurt. Why should she go home and feel bad? She felt great! She hurried over and slung her arm around Kurt, too.

"Yeah, I'm ready to party, let's go," she said and flashed Kurt a big smile.

Kurt looked around at the girls and nodded. "Sure, why not" he grinned.

Fatboy sauntered over with his arm around Mercy. "You lot coming? The Fat-mobile awaits!" he grinned and Mercy rolled her eyes.

Kurt nodded. "Lets do it," he grinned back and followed the rest of the little group out of the club.

"WOOOOOO!" Lauren and Whitney hollered and high-fived over Kurt's head before dragging him towards the van and climbing in.

/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\\/\/\\/\\/\/\\/\\\/\

Molly half stumbled as she struggled to keep up with Peter and glanced back at Kurt as they passed him. He waved shortly at her before turning back into the club. Molly tugged on Peter's hand to get him to stop.

"What Peter!" she demanded. "What happened?" she asked as she made him stop in the street and put her hand on his cheek to get him to look at her. She frowned at him curiously as she squeezed his hand. "Tell me," she said, her voice gentler.

Peter looked at her. "I don't want to talk about it. But you could have said he was gay," he told her and turned to head towards home.

Molly bit back her chuckle and ran to keep up with him.

"I thought you knew," she said as she slid her hand into his. "He doesn't hide it Peter, why else would he arrange a shopping trip?" she smiled as she looked up at him affectionately.

A thought occurred to her suddenly as his bad moods suddenly clicked and she couldn't help a sly smile from crossing her face. "Peter..." she began slowly as she looked up at him. "Did you think I liked him?" she asked curiously.

"Well, what else was I supposed to think? You're spending almost all of your spare time with him and tonight...he gets to go along. I was hardly around him, how was I supposed to know?"

He huffed out a breath in annoyance.

"Now I'm glad I wasn't," he told her as they reached the gate. He looked at her and drew in a long breath. "He made a pass at me," he finally confessed.

Molly shrugged and shook her head. "I dunno Peter, I just assumed that you did know," she sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you okay" she said.

Molly bit back her smile and raised her eyebrows.

"I can't say I'm surprised," she said as she cupped his cheek and leaned in close. "You are gorgeous after all, poor guy didn't stand a chance," she told him quietly before kissing him gently. She smiled at him and moved past him, through the gate and pulled her keys out of her bag to open the back door. Molly let herself inside and dumped her bag on the table before making sure the door was shut behind Peter.

"Well, I didn't punch him or anything," Peter told her and made sure the latch was thrown. He looked at her in the costume again.

"Let's go upstairs, Alice," he teased and wound his arm around her waist and led her to the stairs. He stopped suddenly as a figure blocked the way.

"What's the matter, Peter, can't say hello to your old man?" Ian asked in a slightly scathing tone and folded his arms.

Peter looked at Molly as his jaw dropped.

/\\/\\\/\/\/\\\/\\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\\\/\/\/\/\

After two dances, Max noticed that Jane was getting annoyed. She and Tanya had clearly come here together and he was nearly monopolizing her time. He pulled something from his pocket and slipped it into Tanya's hand, then made his voice a husky whisper.

"I'll be there in one hour," he said in her ear, trying to make sure he didn't sound like himself. The mask helped, he was sure. He made sure she curled her fingers around the B&B room key and then brushed his fingers against her cheek and left.

Jane saw the strange man leave and walked over to Tanya.

"What in the world was that all about?" she asked, her voice alive with curiousity. She turned to watch the man disappear in the crowd and looked back at Tanya.

"And where can I get one?"

Tanya sighed and shrugged. "I honestly have no idea, but you can't have my one," she grinned as she looked down at the key he had given her. From the B&B. She smirked at Jane. "That's my evening solved," she smiled.

She looked at Jane. "So, that's me sorted, lets see..." she said as she glanced around the club, she nudged Jane. "What about him?" she said as she pointed out a man dressed as Zorro. "He looks tasty" she smiled. "Or...him" she said as she pointed at another man near the bar who was wearing a pirate costume. She smiled at Jane and looked down at the key again.

Jane laughed and shook her head.

"Honestly, Tan, I'm not sure I can be bothered right now. Men are just still a complication I'm not sure I want to deal with," Jane sighed and sipped at her drink.

Tanya sighed and looked at Jane. "You sure?" she said. "Because finding you a bloke would be so much fun," she said with a small smile.

Tanya waited the hour and downed her glass of wine as she looked at the time. She smiled and looked at Jane, she hugged her. "I've got to go, mystery man is waiting," she grinned at her. "I'll see you tomorrow and tell you the details, I promise," she said with a wink.

Tanya made her way out of the club and walked across the road to the B&B, she read the number on the keychain and climbed up the stairs to the room. She knocked on the door and then took an excited breath before turning the key in the lock and opening the door.

Jane waved Tanya off and caught sight of Denise and Kim still dancing like mad things in the corner and went over. She had some fun still to have.

Max sat up and adjusted the mask before getting to his feet as he heard the key in the lock.

"She came," he whispered and waited patiently for her to open the door.

He stepped towards her and pushed the door closed before taking her hand.

"I'm glad you came," he said in a husky voice. "I've been really missing you."

He took another step closer to her so their bodies were almost touching and then pulled off the mask.

"I still love you, Tan," he confessed softly and tossed the mask aside.

Tanya gaped at Max for a second. He had done this? He was Mr Masked Mystery Man? She stared at him for a second. "You?" she gasped out.

Tanya swallowed as she looked at Max, he was so close. She placed a hand on his chest, intending to push him away slightly, but her arm snaked up over his shoulder and she rose to press her lips to his, her brain screaming at her to stop, but her heart telling her to keep going.

***DOOF* *DOOF***

**Author's Note:**

**We hope you have enjoyed part 3 of the "Walford Saga". We are currently working on part 4, to be titled "Walford is My Home Sweet Home." For part 4 we will be jumping over two years into the future. **

**Hope everyone will carry on reading it...and enjoy reading as much as we enjoy writing it. **

**Thank you :)**


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